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CN-116528567-B - Continuous feed liquid coolant replacement

CN116528567BCN 116528567 BCN116528567 BCN 116528567BCN-116528567-B

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to continuous feed liquid coolant replacement. The present disclosure relates to methods, systems, and devices for replacing liquid coolant in a cooling distribution unit during cooling distribution unit operation. While the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to the electronic system, the active liquid coolant to be replaced is removed from the flow cycle of the cooling distribution unit. Furthermore, a replacement liquid coolant is provided to the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to the electronic system.

Inventors

  • Jorge Padilla
  • Reza Shiabani
  • Madhu Sultan Krishnan yengar

Assignees

  • 谷歌有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20230607
Priority Date
20221017

Claims (17)

  1. 1. A liquid coolant replacement system comprising: A first reservoir for storing a replacement liquid coolant, the replacement liquid coolant being a liquid coolant to be replaced with an active liquid coolant in a coolant distribution unit of a coolant system; A liquid coupling subsystem by which the replacement liquid coolant is provided into a flow cycle of the active liquid coolant in the coolant distribution unit, and by which the active liquid coolant is received from the flow cycle of the coolant distribution unit; A control system coupled with the liquid coupling subsystem and generating control signals for the liquid coupling subsystem for replacement operations such that the liquid coupling subsystem: receiving from the coolant distribution unit active liquid coolant removed from the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to an electronic system, and Providing replacement liquid coolant from the first reservoir to the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to the electronic system; A coolant mass sensor subsystem that determines a mass level of the active liquid coolant and generates data indicative of the determined mass of the active liquid coolant, and Wherein the control system receives the data indicative of the determined mass of the active liquid coolant from the coolant mass sensor subsystem, and The control system initiates the replacement operation when the determined mass of the active liquid coolant is below a first threshold mass level, and Wherein, during the replacement operation: the coolant mass sensor subsystem periodically determines a regeneration mass level of the active liquid coolant and generates data indicative of the determined regeneration mass of the active liquid coolant, and Wherein the control system receives the data indicative of the determined updated mass of the active liquid coolant from the coolant mass sensor subsystem, and The control system stops the replacement operation when the determined updated mass of the active liquid coolant exceeds the first threshold mass level.
  2. 2. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, wherein during the replacement operation, the liquid coolant replacement system replaces a predetermined amount of active liquid coolant with a replacement liquid coolant, wherein the predetermined amount of active liquid coolant is less than an amount of active liquid coolant in the coolant distribution unit prior to the replacement operation.
  3. 3. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, the control system ceasing the replacement operation when the determined updated mass of the active liquid coolant exceeds a second threshold mass level that is greater than the first threshold mass level.
  4. 4. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1 wherein the coolant mass sensor subsystem includes an optical sensor that determines coolant mass based on optical characteristics of the active liquid coolant.
  5. 5. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1 wherein the coolant mass sensor subsystem includes a biosensor that determines coolant mass based on a biological characteristic of the active liquid coolant.
  6. 6. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, further comprising: a second reservoir for storing a chemical reagent that is added to the replacement liquid coolant provided to the flow cycle during the replacement operation.
  7. 7. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 6, further comprising: wherein the control system receives the data indicative of the determined mass of the active liquid coolant from the coolant mass sensor subsystem, and Wherein the control system adjusts the replacement of the active liquid coolant with the replacement liquid coolant and the addition of the chemical agent to the replacement liquid coolant based on the determined mass of the active liquid coolant.
  8. 8. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, wherein during the replacement operation, the liquid coolant replacement system replaces the active liquid coolant with a replacement liquid coolant at a flow rate based on the determined mass of the active liquid coolant.
  9. 9. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1 wherein the control system generates the control signal for the liquid coupling subsystem for a repeated, periodic replacement operation.
  10. 10. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, wherein the replacement operation comprises a first replacement operation and a second replacement operation, and wherein the control signal comprises: A first set of control signals for the first replacement operation that causes the liquid coupling subsystem to replace a first predetermined amount of active liquid coolant with a replacement liquid coolant, wherein the first predetermined amount of active liquid coolant is less than an amount of active liquid coolant in the coolant distribution unit prior to the first replacement operation, and A second set of control signals for the second replacement operation that causes the liquid coupling subsystem to replace a second predetermined amount of active liquid coolant with replacement liquid coolant, wherein the second predetermined amount of active liquid coolant is equal to an amount of active liquid coolant in the coolant distribution unit prior to the second replacement operation.
  11. 11. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 1, wherein: The liquid coupling subsystem includes: A first physical flow path receiving active liquid coolant from the flow loop, and A second physical flow path providing replacement liquid coolant from the first reservoir to the flow cycle, and The control system generates control signals that cause the first physical flow path to receive active liquid coolant and cause the second physical flow path to simultaneously provide replacement liquid coolant at substantially equal flow rates.
  12. 12. The liquid coolant replacement system of claim 10, wherein: The liquid coupling subsystem includes: A single physical flow path selectively receiving active liquid coolant from the flow cycle during a first selection and selectively providing replacement liquid coolant to the flow cycle from the first reservoir during a second selection, and The control system generates control signals that cause the single physical flow path to selectively receive active liquid coolant during a first period of time and selectively provide replacement liquid coolant during a second period of time.
  13. 13. A method of replacing liquid coolant in a coolant distribution unit, comprising: generating a replacement operation signal; In response to the replacement operation signal, controlling a liquid coupling system to perform an operation in which a replacement liquid coolant is provided into a flow cycle of active liquid coolant in a coolant distribution unit by the liquid coupling system, and an active liquid coolant is received from the flow cycle of the coolant distribution unit by the liquid coupling system: receiving from the coolant distribution unit active liquid coolant removed from the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to an electronic system, and Providing a replacement liquid coolant to the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing cooling to the electronic system; the operations include: determining the mass of the active liquid coolant; initiating the replacement operation when the determined mass of the active liquid coolant is below a first threshold mass level, and Wherein, during the replacement operation: Periodically determining a renewed level of mass of the active liquid coolant, and The replacement operation is stopped when the determined updated mass of active liquid coolant exceeds the first threshold mass level.
  14. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: a chemical reagent is added to the replacement liquid coolant based on the determined mass of the active liquid coolant.
  15. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the operations of receiving active liquid coolant removed from the flow cycle from the coolant distribution unit while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and providing replacement liquid coolant to the flow cycle while the coolant distribution unit is in operation are accomplished periodically.
  16. 16. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Receiving the active liquid coolant removed from the flow cycle through a first physical flow path, and Providing the replacement liquid coolant to the flow cycle is accomplished through a second physical flow path that is different from the first physical flow path.
  17. 17. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Receiving the active liquid coolant removed from the flow cycle and providing replacement liquid coolant to the flow cycle is accomplished over separate first and second time periods, respectively, through a single physical flow path.

Description

Continuous feed liquid coolant replacement Technical Field The present description relates to liquid coolant systems, and more particularly to continuous feed liquid coolant replacement. Background Liquid cooling systems are commonly used to cool electronic equipment and are commonly used in data centers. Liquid cooling systems typically include a Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) that provides cooled coolant to various heat exchangers in the equipment being cooled and receives the heated coolant after it is heated by the heat exchangers. The heated coolant is then cooled by a cooling process, and the cooled coolant is then recirculated. Typically, the liquid coolant flows in a closed loop path known as a flow cycle. A variety of liquids may be used as the liquid coolant. These liquids include water, water/glycol mixtures and other liquids. The type of liquid used may depend on the specification requirements of the system to be cooled, the type of cooling system used, etc. Regardless of the type of liquid used, each of these cooling systems requires maintenance of the liquid coolant. Over time, the coolant will become contaminated with one or more oxides, scale and corrosion particles, biological agents, and the like. As contaminants accumulate, the coolant quality may decrease. This can lead to increased corrosion of the cooling system (pipes, cold plates, etc.) and reduced cooling efficiency. For maintenance of the coolant, the cooling system is periodically shut down while the coolant is replaced. Since the cooled electronic equipment is overheated without cooling, the electronic equipment is turned off while the coolant is replaced. This can lead to loss of computing resources and customer downtime. Disclosure of Invention This specification describes techniques related to a continuous feed liquid coolant replacement system that replaces liquid coolant while a cooling system is operating. In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a liquid coolant replacement system that includes a first reservoir for storing a replacement liquid coolant that is a liquid coolant, i.e., a replacement active liquid coolant in a coolant distribution unit of the coolant system, a liquid coupling subsystem by which the replacement liquid coolant is provided to and from a flow loop of the active liquid coolant in the coolant distribution unit, and a control system coupled to the liquid coupling subsystem that generates control signals for the liquid coupling subsystem for a replacement operation that causes the liquid coupling subsystem to receive the active liquid coolant removed from the flow loop from the coolant distribution unit while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and provides cooling to the electronic system, and to provide the replacement liquid coolant from the first reservoir to the flow loop while the coolant distribution unit is in operation and provides cooling to the electronic system. Other embodiments of the present aspects include corresponding methods, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, and encoded on computer storage devices. Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. Periodic downtime is reduced or even eliminated due to the replacement of liquid coolant during operation of the cooling system. This results in an increase in the utilization of computer resources. Furthermore, automation of coolant maintenance and replacement reduces the support time required by system maintenance personnel, thereby reducing overall operating costs. Since the coolant is kept at a minimum quality level, the likelihood of system degradation (corrosion, loss of cooling capacity, etc.) is less than when human interaction is required, as the former may involve scheduling that does not always ensure that the coolant quality is kept at least a minimum quality level. In addition, reducing human-machine interaction can also reduce spillage, metering errors, and improper timing of coolant replacement. In addition, the system can monitor the quality and contamination of the replacement coolant supplied by itself, thereby reducing the likelihood of introducing contaminated coolant into the cooling system. Drawings The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a liquid coolant replacement system. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a variation of the liquid coolant replacement system of fig. 1. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an example process for replacing liquid coolant using the system of either FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an ex