Dynamic surface area expansion in a rear door heat exchanger

摘要

A method comprising flowing a liquid through supply pipe couplings to a fin tube assembly of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly to return pipe couplings, wherein the fin tube assembly forms a central air flow pathway. The method further comprises passing air through components within a rack secured to the rear door heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly and detecting an operating condition within the rack. The method then automatically moves the fin tube assembly from a retracted position to an extended position in response to the operating condition, wherein the retracted position directs substantially all of the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway, and wherein the extended position allows the air to exit through the central air flow pathway and also through first and second side air flow pathways.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
flowing a liquid through a plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies to a fin tube assembly of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly to a plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies, wherein the fin tube assembly forms a central air flow pathway; passing air through components within a rack secured to the rear door heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly; detecting an operating condition within the rack; and automatically moving the fin tube assembly from a retracted position to an extended position in response to the operating condition exceeding an operating condition threshold,
wherein the retracted position of the fin tube assembly directs substantially all of the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway, wherein the extended position of the fin tube assembly allows the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway and also through first and second side air flow pathways, wherein moving the fin tube assembly from the retracted position to the extended position causes the plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies to extend across the first side air flow pathway and the plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies to extend across the second side air flow pathway, and wherein the plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies include one or more fin tube sections for cooling the air that exits the rack through the first side air flow pathway and the plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies include one or more fin tube sections for cooling the air that exits the rack through the second side air flow pathway.