Publishing Venue
The IP.com Prior Art Database
Abstract
Disclosed is a method for a leak detection and containment apparatus for a liquid cooling chassis. Benefits include improved functionality and improved safety.
Method for a leak detection and containment apparatus for a liquid
cooling chassis
Disclosed is a method for a leak detection
and containment apparatus for a liquid cooling chassis. Benefits include
improved functionality and improved safety.
Background
Liquid cooling is entering the market place
in desktop PCs, workstations, and servers. There are no conventional devices in
any chassis that provide leak containment. The typical chassis is constructed
with many openings in the floor pan of the chassis that leave numerous routes
for liquid to drain out of the chassis and damage personal property.
Conventionally, no features in the typical
chassis, or chassis that are specifically constructed for liquid cooling
thermal solutions, route the liquid to a central location in case of a leak.
The liquid is free to disperse to any location.
Conventional chassis do not have leak routing
features and small volume detection would require the leak detection circuit to
cover a large percentage of the chassis floor. No chassis has leak detection
capability of any liquid volume.
Liquid-coolant system status monitoring and
error handling have not been implemented in any conventional chassis.
Description
The disclosed method goes beyond the basic
requirement and provides a means of routing small volumes of fluid to the leak
detector circuit, ultimately resulting in a lower cost of the leak detector
circuit by reducing the size. The method also provides feedback to the main
board that may be used to control voltage to the main board reducing the
potential for electrical shorting and PC system damage.
The device consists of a leak containment
pan, leak detector circuit assembly, and status feedback cable (see Figure 1).
The leak containment pan replaces the conventional floo...