International Business Machines Corporation

Other

General Electric Company

Gary Franklin Goth

Daniel J Kearney

Robert Philip Makowicki

Jody A Hickey

John J Loparco

Allan C VanDeventer

Robert E Simons

Richard C Chu

Robert K Mullady

Gregory Martin Chrysler

Donald W Porter

Francis R Krug, Jr

Randy J Zoodsma

John G Torok

William P Kostenko

Roger R Schmidt

Michael Lynn Zumbrunnen

David L Edwards

Edward Joseph Seminaro

Xiaojin Wei

Randall G Kemink

Peter W Kelly

Joseph P Corrado

Kevin P Low

Jeffrey J Hare

Michael J Ellsworth, Jr

Evan G Colgan

Prabjit Singh

Jeffrey Allen Zitz

Roger Donell Weekly

Michael J Fisher

Bret Peter Elison

Ethan E Cruz

Thoi Nguyen

Terrance Wayne Kueper

Steven G Shevach

Ronald Xavier Arroyo

Katie L Pizzolato

Kevin P Moran

Kenneth A Bird

Willard S Harris

Deborah Anne Sylvester

Frank E Bosco

Paul M Lucas

William A Ciarfella

Budy D Notohardjono

Eric Alan Eckberg

Wiren Dale Becker

Scott Barnett Swaney

John Saunders Corbin, Jr

Scott Alan Shurson

Steven C McIntosh

Amilcar R Arvelo

Gerard Francis Muenkel

Raymond J Harrington

Kevin Robert Covi

Robert R Genest

Jason R Eagle

Gaetano Paolo Messina

Mark A Brandon

Matthew A Nobile

Edward F Furey

Dales Morrison Kent

Andrew Rybak

Peter Adam Wendling

Raymond A Longhi

Richard Chao-Fan Chu

Seth E Bard

Paul E Malone

Kent D Waddell

William D McClafferty

Anthony Joseph Cozzolino

Daniel A Thomas

Peter A Hein

Udo H G Meyer

W David McClafferty

A cooling system is provided which includes, for instance, a coolant circulation loop, one or more primary coolant pumps, and a fill and drain pump. The primary coolant pump(s) is coupled to facilitate circulating coolant through the coolant circulation loop, and the fill and drain pump facilitates selective filling of the cooling system with the coolant, or draining of the coolant from the cooling system. The fill and drain pump is integrated with the cooling system as a backup coolant pump to the primary coolant pump(s), and circulates the coolant through the coolant circulation loop responsive to an error in the primary coolant pump(s). The primary coolant pump(s) and fill and drain pumps may be different types of pumps, and the cooling system further includes a control system for automatically activating the fill and drain pump upon detection of an error in the primary coolant pump(s).

Cooling system with integrated fill and drain pump

An apparatus is provided which includes a changeable cover assembly sized to cover, at least in part, an air outlet side of an electronics rack. The cover assembly, when positioned at the air outlet side of the rack, redirects and vents airflow egressing from the air outlet side. The cover assembly includes a frame and at least one vent cover. The frame has at least one opening through which air egressing from the electronics rack passes, and the vent cover(s) is coupled to the frame and overlies, at least in part, the opening(s) in the frame to facilitate redirecting and venting the air passing through the frame. The at least one vent cover is changeable to change a direction of the vented air. For instance, the vent cover(s) may be reversible, or otherwise adjustable or changeable, to change the direction of vented air egressing from the cover assembly.

Changeable, airflow venting cover assembly for an electronics rack

One aspect is a method that includes applying a plurality of incrementally varying voltage targets to a plurality of power phase converters operating in parallel between a source voltage rail and a load voltage rail. A phase temperature of each of the power phase converters is monitored. The phase temperature of each of the power phase converters is compared to a thermal adjustment limit. One or more of the power phase converters are adjusted to reduce an associated output current based on determining that at least one of the power phase converters exceeds the thermal adjustment limit. Power phase converter adjustments can be performed in a balanced manner such that a net sum voltage at the load voltage rail is substantially unchanged after the adjustments.

Thermal management in a multi-phase power system

A cooling method is provided to remove heat generated by one or more electronic systems. The method includes providing a coolant-based cooling apparatus, redundant pumping units, redundant backup blowers, and multiple separate controllers. The cooling apparatus includes one or more heat exchange assemblies discharging heat from coolant of the cooling apparatus, and the redundant pumping units, which are coupled in parallel fluid communication, separately facilitate pumping of the coolant. The redundant backup blowers are disposed to provide, when activated, backup airflow across the electronic system(s). The multiple controllers control operation of the redundant pumping units and redundant backup blowers based, at least in part, on one or more sensed parameters. The redundant backup blowers are activated responsive to the sensed parameter(s) exceeding a set threshold to provide backup cooling to the electronic system(s) in the event of degraded performance of the cooling apparatus or the redundant pumping units.

Multi-level redundant cooling method for continuous cooling of an electronic system(s)

A cooling system is provided to remove heat generated by one or more electronic systems. The cooling system includes a coolant-based cooling apparatus, redundant pumping units, redundant backup blowers, and multiple separate controllers. The cooling apparatus includes one or more heat exchange assemblies discharging heat from coolant of the cooling apparatus, and the redundant pumping units, which are coupled in parallel fluid communication, separately facilitate pumping of the coolant. The redundant backup blowers are disposed to provide, when activated, backup airflow across the electronic system(s). The multiple controllers control operation of the redundant pumping units and redundant backup blowers based, at least in part, on one or more sensed parameters. The redundant backup blowers are activated responsive to the sensed parameter(s) exceeding a set threshold to provide backup cooling to the electronic system(s) in the event of degraded performance of the cooling apparatus or the redundant pumping units.

Multi-level redundant cooling system for continuous cooling of an electronic system(s)

Field-replaceable, modular pumping units are provided, configured to facilitate pumping coolant through a cooling apparatus assisting in removal of heat generated by one or more electronic systems. The cooling apparatus includes one or more heat exchange assemblies, and the modular pumping units are coupled in parallel fluid communication to the cooling apparatus. The modular pumping unit includes a housing, a coolant inlet to the housing, a coolant reservoir tank disposed within the housing, a coolant pump, and a coolant outlet of the housing. The coolant reservoir tank and coolant pump are disposed within the housing in fluid communication, and the coolant pump pumps coolant from the coolant reservoir tank to the coolant outlet of the housing. A modular pumping unit controller is associated with the modular pumping unit, and automatically adjusts operation of the coolant pump based upon one or more sensed parameters.

Modular pumping unit(s) facilitating cooling of electronic system(s)

An apparatus is provided for cooling an electronic system, which includes one or more electronic components across which air passing through the system flows. A cooling unit provides, via a coolant loop, system coolant to cool the electronic component(s), and to an air-to-liquid heat exchanger is coupled to the coolant loop downstream of the electronic component(s) to cool, in primary, liquid-cooling mode, air passing through the system. In primary, liquid-cooling mode, the cooling unit provides cooled system coolant to cool the electronic component(s), and provides system coolant to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger to cool at least a portion of air passing through the electronic system, and in a secondary, air-cooling mode, system coolant flows from cooling the electronic component(s) to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger for rejecting, via the system coolant, heat from the electronic component(s) to air passing across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

Multimodal cooling apparatus for an electronic system

A system to remove heat from an in-line memory module and/or circuit board may include a cold-rail to engage each end of an in-line memory module adjacent to where the in-line memory module is attachable to a circuit board, the cold-rail to remove heat from the in-line memory module. The system may also include a cold-plate connected to the cold-rail with the circuit board between the cold-plate and the cold-rail, the cold-plate to remove heat from the circuit board.

In-line memory and circuit board cooling system

A system to aid in cooling an in-line memory module may include a thermal interface material adjacent the in-line memory module. The system may also include a heat spreader adjacent the thermal interface material. The system may further include a cold-plate adjacent the heat spreader, the cold-plate, heat spreader, and thermal interface material to aid in cooling the in-line memory module.

In-line memory module cooling system

Disclosed herein is computer system having a first and second multiple chip modules (MCM) and a cooling module. The cooling module includes a first cooling loop associated with said first MCM and a first evaporator. The cooling module further includes a second cooling loop associated with said second MCM and a second evaporator. Each cooling loop is coupled to a common condenser that receives thermal energy from each cooling loop. A controller is coupled to the first and second cooling loop and adapts the operation of the first and second cooling loop in response to variances in operating conditions to provide cooling of the first and second MCM.

Multiple chip module cooling system and method of operation thereof

The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for cooling semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chip package structures. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods for thermally coupling semiconductor chips to a heat conducting device (e.g., copper thermal hat or lid) using a compliant thermally conductive material (e.g., thermal paste), wherein a thermal interface is designed to prevent/inhibit the formation of voids in the compliant thermally conductive material due to the flow of such material in and out from between the chips and the heat conducting device due to thermal cycling.

Apparatus and methods for cooling semiconductor integrated circuit package structures

Growing community of inventors

Pleasant Valley, NY, United States of America

Gary Franklin Goth