An enclosure apparatus provides for combined air and liquid cooling of rack
mounted stacked electronic components. A heat exchanger is mounted on the
side of the stacked electronics and air flows side to side within the
enclosure, impelled by air-moving devices mounted behind the electronics.
Auxiliary air-moving devices may be mounted within the enclosure to
increase the air flow. In an alternative embodiment, air-to-liquid heat
exchangers are provided across the front and back of the enclosure, and a
closed air flow loop is created by a converging supply plenum, electronics
drawers through which air is directed by air-moving devices, diverging
return plenum, and a connecting duct in the bottom. In a variant of this
embodiment, connecting ducts are in both top and bottom, and supply and
return ducts are doubly convergent and doubly divergent, respectively.
Auxiliary blowers may be added to increase total system air flow. The
enclosure also may be provided with automatically opening vent panels to
allow room air to circulate and cool in the event of an over-temperature
condition. The design of the enclosure permits it to be constructed apart
from the rack-mounted apparatus and subsequently attached to the rack, if
desired, at the facility at which the rack had been previously operating.
