Passive control valve and system for regulating flow of fluid to a heat source in a computer processor system in response to the temperature of the source, and method
地域：
MO
MO Fenton
摘要
A system and method for computer data processing systems of cooling or heating a plurality of objects (heat sources), such as processors in a data center or the like, is disclosed with each of the objects having a control valve associated therewith. Each of the objects is in communication with a supply of a coolant fluid and each control valve has an inlet for receiving coolant fluid from its respective object which reflects the temperature of the object. The control valve has a chamber that receives coolant from its inlet and an outlet. A valve member within the chamber is movable in response to changes in temperature of the coolant fluid within the chamber between a closed position and an open position. The valve member is of a layers of dissimilar metal material having different coefficients of thermal expansion that changes shape in response to changes in temperature. The coolant is carbon dioxide (CO2) that is in its supercritical state as it passes through the heat sources.
說明書
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/790,833, filed on Jan. 10, 2019, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Not Applicable.
In certain cooling and heating applications for computer data processing systems, it is necessary to provide an influent (e.g., an operating fluid, such as coolant or a heating fluid) to one or to a plurality of heat sources so as to maintain each of the sources within a desired operating temperature range. One example of such multiple sources may be a plurality (or a multiplicity) of computer processors or other heat producing components in a data center having thousands of such heat sources that must be kept within a certain operating temperature range to prevent overheating and damage to the processor or other heat producing component. For microprocessors, cooling of the processor is typically carried out by incorporating a finned metal heat sink or other heat exchanger in conduction heat transfer relation with the processor. Oftentimes a fan is provided to blow air over or through the heat sink and the processor to remove heat. But in data centers with thousands of servers and with each server having at least one processor, the heat given off by thousands of such heat sources will overheat the room in which the processors are located such that the room must be cooled with a HVAC cooling system. The energy required to run such a HVAC cooling system is a substantial part of the total energy consumption of the data center.
權(quán)利要求
The invention claimed is:1. A control valve for computer processors for varying the supply of an operating fluid to a computer processor heat source in order to heat or cool the source, said control valve being operable in response to a change in temperature of the computer processor source so as to maintain the temperature of the computer processor source within a predetermined temperature range, said control valve comprising a valve body having a chamber therewithin, said chamber having an inlet in communication with the flow of the operating fluid from the source such that the temperature of the operating fluid from the source and within the chamber can reflect the temperature of the source, said chamber further having an outlet, a valve member disposed within said chamber responsive to changes in the temperature of the operating fluid within the chamber for effecting movement of said valve member between a closed position in which said valve member can substantially block the flow of said fluid from said chamber to said outlet and an open position in which the operating fluid within said chamber can flow from the chamber via said outlet, said valve member being of a material that can change shape in response to changes of temperature of the operating fluid within said chamber to effect movement of said valve member between its closed and open positions; wherein said valve member end is of a plurality of layers of dissimilar metal with each layer having a different coefficient of thermal expansion, and wherein said valve member is supported with respect to said housing and extends within said chamber so that upon the operating fluid within said chamber varying from a first predetermined temperature said valve member can flex within said housing relative to said outlet so as to effect the opening or closing of said outlet; wherein said housing has an outlet orifice between said inlet and outlet, said orifice when it is at least partially open can permit the flow of fluid from within the chamber to said outlet; and wherein said valve member is constructed of said dissimilar metal such that said valve member upon being heated above a first temperature can flex toward its fully open position in such fashion that the flow of operating fluid to the orifice can increase in a non-linear manner with respect to the increase in the temperature of the operating fluid within the chamber. 2. A computer processor control valve for varying the supply of an operating fluid to a computer processor heat source in order to heat or cool the computer processor source, said control valve being capable to be operable in response to a change in temperature of the computer processor source so as to maintain the temperature of the source within a predetermined temperature range, said control valve comprising a valve body having a chamber therewithin, said chamber having an inlet in communication with the flow of the operating fluid from the source such that the temperature of the operating fluid from the source and within the chamber can reflect the temperature of the source, said chamber further having an outlet; a valve member disposed within said chamber, said valve member being of a material that can change shape in response to changes of temperature of the operating fluid within said chamber to effect movement of said valve member between a closed position in which said valve member can substantially block the flow of said fluid from said chamber to said outlet and an open position in which the operating fluid within said chamber can flow from the chamber via said outlet; wherein said valve member is of a plurality of layers of dissimilar metal with each layer having a different coefficient of thermal expansion; said valve member being supported with respect to said housing and extending within said chamber so that upon the operating fluid within said chamber varying from a first predetermined temperature said valve member can flex within said housing relative to said outlet so as to effect the opening or closing of said outlet; wherein said valve member has a distal end and a proximal end, the said proximal end being fixedly cantilevered with respect to said housing, wherein said housing has an outlet orifice between said inlet and outlet, said orifice when it is at least partially open can permit the flow of fluid from within the chamber to said outlet, wherein with said valve member in its closed position, said valve member can substantially block the flow of fluid from within said chamber to said orifice; wherein said chamber has a distal end wall in sliding substantially sealing fit with the distal end of said valve member, and wherein said orifice is located in said distal end wall below the position of the distal end of the valve member when the valve member is in its closed position; and wherein said chamber has a pair of spaced side walls, and said valve member has a pair of side edges and a distal end edge, said edges being in sliding sealing relation to said chamber walls and configured for substantially sealing the sides of the valve member relative to the chamber when the valve member is in its closed position. 3. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said edges of said valve member are configured to permit the leakage of fluid from within said chamber to said outlet such that when the valve member is in its closed position, a minimum flow of operating fluid through said heat source and through said chamber is permitted such that the temperature of the operating fluid in said chamber reflects the temperature of the heat source. 4. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said valve member has one or more openings therein that permit a predetermined flow of operating fluid from said chamber to said outlet when said valve member is in its closed position so as to maintain a minimum flow of operating fluid through the heat source and through the chamber such that the temperature of the operating fluid in the chamber can reflect the temperature of the heat source. 5. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said distal end of said valve member is configured to be able to move in a curved path as it flexes, and wherein said distal end wall is curved to generally match the curved path of the distal end of the valve member so that the distal end of the valve member can maintain its sliding, sealing relation with respect to said distal end wall as it moves between its closed and open positions. 6. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 5 wherein said distal end wall above said orifice is curved to substantially match the curved path of said distal end of the valve member so that the valve member can flex upwardly beyond its closed position upon the temperature of the operating fluid in said chamber being below said first temperature so that its distal end can maintain its sliding sealing relations with said end wall as it flexes upwardly beyond its closed position. 7. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 6 wherein said side edges of said valve member remains in sliding sealing relation with the sides of said chamber as said valve member flexes upwardly beyond its said closed position. 8. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said orifice has a shape such that as said distal end of said valve member moves from its closed position toward its open position the flow of fluid through said open portion of said orifice increases in linear proportion to the movement of the distal end of the valve member from its closed position toward its open position. 9. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said orifice is configured to have a shape such that as said distal end of said valve member moves from its closed position toward its open position the flow of fluid through said open portion of said orifice increases in non-linear proportion to the movement of the distal end of the valve member from its closed position toward its open position. 10. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said valve member is constructed of said dissimilar metal such that said valve member upon being heated above a first temperature can flex toward its fully open position in such fashion that the flow of operating fluid to the orifice can increase in a linear manner with respect to the increase in the temperature of the operating fluid within the chamber. 11. A computer processor control valve as set forth in claim 2 wherein said valve member is constructed of said dissimilar metal such that said valve member being heated above a first temperature can flex toward its fully in open position in such fashion that the flow of operating fluid to the orifice can increase in a non-linear manner with respect to the increase in the temperature of the operating fluid within the chamber. 12. A system wherein there are a plurality of computer processor heat sources of the type of computer processor heat source of claim 2 , for controlling the temperature of said plurality of said computer processor heat sources, the said system comprising a control valve as set forth in claim 2 associated with each of said computer processor heat sources to control the flow of operating fluid through each said heat source so as to maintain each of said computer processor heat sources within a desired range of operating temperatures.
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