Server thermal management with heat pipes

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe servers having thermal management features and thermal management systems for servers. These embodiments include heat sinks to be thermally coupled by one or more heat pipes to transfer heat from hotter downstream heat sinks to cooler upstream heat sinks in order to distribute thermal loading across multiple devices. In one embodiment a single heat pipe may be used to thermally couple two heat sinks, whereas in other embodiments a modular heat pipe arrangement may be used. Techniques for thermally coupling modular heat pipes to one another such that vapor sections of adjacent heat pipes overlap are also disclosed. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A thermal management system for a server, comprising:
 a first heat pipe having a first vapor section and a first coupling component, to be thermally coupled to a first node of the server;   a second heat pipe having a second vapor section and a second coupling component, to be thermally coupled to a second node of the server; and   at least one fastener coupling the first coupling component to the second coupling component,   wherein the first vapor section is thermally in contact with the second vapor section.   
     
     
         2 . The thermal management system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a third heat pipe having third vapor section and a third coupling component; and   at least one additional fastener coupling a fourth coupling component associated with the first heat pipe to the third coupling component.   
     
     
         3 . The thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the second heat pipe is to be thermally coupled to a first heat sink. 
     
     
         4 . The thermal management system of  claim 3 , wherein the third heat pipe is to be thermally coupled to a second heat sink, and
 wherein the first heat pipe is to transfer heat from the first heat sink to the second heat sink.   
     
     
         5 . The thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the first coupling component includes a structural standoff spaced from the first vapor section 
     
     
         6 . The thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the first coupling component extends through the first vapor section. 
     
     
         7 . A thermal management method, comprising:
 thermally coupling a first heat pipe having a first vapor section and a first coupling component, with a first node of the server;   thermally coupling a second heat pipe having a second vapor section and a second coupling component, with a second node of the server; and   coupling, with at least one fastener, the first coupling component to the second coupling component,   wherein the thermally coupling operations are performed to cause the first vapor section to be thermally in contact with the second vapor section.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 coupling, with at least one additional faster a fourth coupling component associated with the first heat pipe to a third coupling component of a third heat pipe having also a third vapor section.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising thermally coupling the second heat pipe to a first heat sink. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein thermally coupling the third heat pipe to a second heat sink, to allow the first heat pipe to transfer heat from the first heat sink to the second heat sink.