Operations

Any IT hardware can be used with immersion cooling, except for unsealed HDDs. CPUs, GPUs, SSDs, sealed HDDs, PSUs, NICs and fiber optics are all suitable. Legacy servers require material compatibility checks, while immersion-born servers offer the best performance by fully leveraging immersion cooling benefits. 

 Single-phase immersion cooling introduces several operational benefits, such as a quiet work environment and easy access to all servers at the same height for in-rack serviceability, while maintaining the same structured cabling approach. On the other hand, handling of wet components and the preparation for RMAs involve using gloves, cleaning and drying components, or packing them in bags.

Virtually all the heat generated by the IT is transferred into a single body of immersion fluid, which will be circulating through one of the sides of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger. The heat is transferred to a closed water loop circulating on the other side of the heat exchanger. This hot water can be used straight away for heat reuse applications if its temperature is high enough – depending on IT hardware selected and operating conditions – or it can go through a Heat Recovery Unit (HRU), which is a equipment designed to guarantee optimal energy recovery by adjusting the water temperature.

Depending on the availability requirements of your datacenter and the SLAs with the heat offtaker, a standard heat rejection system may be needed.

Find out more about how to apply heat reuse in your datacenter here.

Submer’s products are designed to facilitate daily IT-related operations.

For a quick DIMM or power supply swap, the server just needs to be lifted to expose the target components. There is no need to deal with Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs).

For more elaborate operations, servers can be taken to a service room and easily dried off if preferred.​ Cabling-related operations are performed as you are accustomed to, thanks to our cable management features.

As for the fluid, expect scheduled checks to ensure it remains in perfect operating conditions. No fluid top-up or removal is required when extracting or inserting a few servers, or due to evaporation.

Submer offers comprehensive trainings and certifications to get your staff up to speed to safely operate your immersion-cooled datacenter.

For handling, wear the indicated PPEs and follow the guidelines for the safest operation.

According to your local regulations, spill containments methods for the stored fluid may be required, both to prevent the fluid from accidentally reaching the drainage system and to ensure safe operation.

Although single-phase immersion cooling fluid is classified as nonflammable and the existing fire suppresion methods are sufficient, an assessment to account for the added load should be run. According to your local regulations and always under a competent entity supervision, other actions might be required.