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Liquid cooling systems

Coolant distribution unit (CDU) - CDU Liquid Cooling for AI and Enterprise Data Centers

Eaton CDUs lower data center total cost of ownership and energy demand. Right-sized and custom configured CDUs for specific applications mean hyperscale compute systems get the exact, optimal cooling performance the system needs, when it needs it in data centers that are more environmentally sustainable.

What is a coolant distribution unit (CDU)?

A coolant distribution units, also called a cooling distribution unit, is a liquid cooling system component that circulates coolant in a closed loop to remove heat from CPUs, GPUs, and AI accelerators in high-density data centers. CDUs are used in cooling systems to distribute coolant, such as water or other fluids, to different parts of a machine or process that require cooling. They are typically found in large cooling systems that need to regulate temperature in a variety of different components. In modern data center environments, CDU units are essential for managing the extreme heat loads generated by AI training clusters and high-performance computing systems where air cooling alone is no longer sufficient.

What does a coolant distribution unit do?

Coolant distribution units are vital components that ensure liquid cooled systems meet or exceed lifetime expectations. CDUs maintain the secondary loop supply temperature above the facility dew point to prevent condensation on cold plates. Filtration (typically 0.2–50 micron) keeps the coolant clean and protects cold plate integrity. Automatic leak detection and redundant pump design protect uptime. Operation logic integrated into intelligent controllers combined with smart controls manage server and data center cooling system performance. Smart controls respond to peak demands while remaining economical and efficient during non-peak operation and prevent problems before they occur. Blind mate quick disconnects with 360 swivel fittings make servicing data center cooling systems fast to minimize maintenance downtime.

Enterprise coolant distribution units

Eaton cooling distribution

ROL4000-48U65

Inspired by the Open Compute Project (OCP) Project Deschutes fifth generation specifications, the Eaton ROL4000 unit combines 2 MW cooling capacity at 3°C approach temperature, seal-less N+1 pumps and 0.2-micron side-stream filtration into a single liquid-to-liquid cooling system for in-row configurations.

Eaton rol byod

ROL2300-48U40

The Eaton ROL2300 high-capacity data center cooling system is designed to deliver efficient thermal management by leveraging facility water in an in-row cooling configuration. The ROL2300 unit has a cooling capacity range up to 2.3 MW to support multiple server racks.

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ROL1100-48U32

The Eaton ROL1100 unit provides effective data center cooling capability by utilizing facility water within an in-row configuration. It has a cooling capacity range of 550 kW to 1100 kW with typical approach temperatures to support multiple server racks.

Eaton ral

RAL110-04U19

The Eaton 4U liquid-to-liquid cooling distribution unit is a state-of-the-art cooling system that maximizes cooling capability in its given volume. The 4U CDU unit has a capacity of up to 110 kW depending on heat load and approach temperature requirement.

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RAA32-10U2

Eaton’s 10U Liquid-to-Air CDU is an effective system to provide liquid cooling to high-power computing in a data center or edge servers where facility water is unavailable. Depending on heat load and temperature requirements, Eaton’s 10U CDU has a capacity up to 32 kW.

Eaton boyd cooling

RAA22-10U19

The Eaton 10U liquid-to-air Cooling Distribution Unit is an advanced cooling system that maximizes cooling capability in its given volume. The 10U CDU unit has a capacity of up to 22 kW depending on heat load and approach temperature requirement.

Lifetime CDU support

Learn more about Eaton's CDU services and warranty options

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How does a coolant distribution unit work?

An Eaton CDU works by creating a secondary cooling loop (TCS loop) that runs between the IT equipment and the facility cooling supply. A pump circulates coolant, usually deionised water or a water-glycol mix, through cold plates mounted directly on CPUs and GPUs. The heat absorbed by the coolant is transferred to the facility water supply via a heat exchanger inside the CDU. The CDU controller monitors temperature, pressure, and flow rate continuously, keeping the coolant above the dew point so condensation never forms on IT equipment.

Why use a coolant distribution unit?

As computing chip power increases, liquid cooling becomes the necessary cooling technology to replace conventional air cooling. Eaton CDUs are advanced cooling systems that maximize cooling capability with greater power and compute density in given volume with more energy efficiency. Eaton CDU liquid cooling removes the need for bulky heat sinks and loud fan trays in data center cooling systems that create significant environmental noise pollution and consume more energy, so CDUs remove excessive noise and vibration from data centers to improve data integrity and data center workplace safety, while reducing energy use. CDUs increase IT equipment’s safe packaging density into a rack.

Eaton black In rack liquid to air coolant distribution
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Coolant distribution unit challenges

Liquid cooling provides responsive, high-capacity cooling, but comes with additional design and project challenges. From leak-proofing, additional capital expense, installation and training costs, system architects must weigh performance and sustainability benefits against these project requirements above air cooling. Eaton coolant distribution units are designed and manufactured to mitigate potential risk to enable the fullest benefit of liquid cooling.

Full liquid cooling systems: Integrating CDUs with other thermal technologies

Integrate CDUs in server rack cooling systems with cold plates custom designed to maximize interface with CPUs and GPUs through machined custom geometries and skylines for maximum heat transfer to the liquid cooling system. Leverage high reliability manifolds to safely direct liquid throughout a server rack.

Eaton cdu front

Learn how Boyd Thermal by Eaton addresses some of the top CDU challenges:

  • Leak risk: Eaton CDU units are tested to 3X maximum working pressure, with automatic leak detection and shutoff
  • Fluid contamination: 0.2-micron side-stream filtration keeps coolant loops clean
  • Maintenance downtime: seal-less N+1 redundant pumps allow maintenance without shutting the system down  
Eaton cdu

Denser processing or smaller equipment with reliable Eaton CDUs

Flexibility and space-saving benefits may enable data center and server rack designers to completely rethink footprint configuration opportunities to maximize power density. Eaton Boyd Thermal CDUs are designed to meet IEC62368-1 and tested to withstand 3X maximum working pressure. All new subcomponent designs undergo harsh maximum pressure testing to destruction to ensure reliable data and server cooling systems. Reliability testing incudes thermal cycling, min/max storage, and packaging testing.

Eaton coolant distribution unit flexibility and space-saving benefits

In a server cooling system, integrated CDUs enable greater processing power density meaning more servers can fit in each data center rack. Integrate CDUs directly into facility water or facility-level cooling systems for direct rack server cooling or design self-contained cooling that offers the next level of flexibility for liquid cooled servers. Leverage CDU cooling capacity to cool the rack, chassis, blade, or even down to the processor or silicon. CDUs can be designed to integrate into existing data center or chassis configurations and infrastructure.
Eaton rack emulator

Verify coolant distribution performance prior to IT equipment startup with the Eaton rack emulator

Test coolant distribution unit operation with a rack emulator to ensure safe and efficient liquid cooling operation through start up without damaging expensive IT equipment. The emulator is programmable and flexible to simulate any rack. Connect to the liquid cooling system and input both heat load capacity and pressure drop protocols, and the rack emulator operates like a rack, simulating its operating characteristics.

Eaton liquid cooling
Eaton ocp inspired

ROL4000-48U65

The Eaton ROL4000-48U65 in-row liquid-to-liquid coolant distribution unit enables cooling for the next generation of AI processors in high density data center installations. With 2 MW of cooling at a 3° C approach temperature, this CDU boosts energy efficiency by reducing facility cooling requirements. The ROL4000 unit was developed with next generation TCS loops in mind by providing up to 80 PSI of available pressure to drive flow though high-performance cold plate loops, control valves and other components.

Maximize your overall uptime with the ROL4000 unit's reduced maintenance requirements and longer lifetimes, supported by seal-less N+1 pumps, fully redundant power feeds for each pump circuit and 0.2 micron side stream filtration.

Additional features for the ROL4000 unit include:

  • 500 GPM (1890 LPM) TCS flow rate with PG25
  • IEEE 519 ULHD variable frequency drives keeping power clean
  • 230 VAC convenience port for fill cart for ease of service

Inspired by OCP’s fifth generation Project Deschutes CDU specification, the ROL4000-48U65 unit combines performance, reliability, lifetime and serviceability into a single unit. Quickly upgrade your installation with Eaton's streamlined design and global service team with decades of experience commissioning direct-to-chip liquid cooling systems.

Inspired by OCP’s fifth generation Project Deschutes CDU specification, the ROL4000-48U65 combines performance, reliability, lifetime, and serviceability into a single unit.

ROL4000 key specifications

Liquid-to-liquid cooling distribution units (L2L CDU)

High-impact cooling with facility water

Liquid-to-liquid CDUs require facility water to remove heat from rack and row equipment but come with a battery of benefits to offset added system complexity. Fully liquid cooled data centers maximize energy efficiency from the higher heat capacity of liquid throughout the full data center. L2L cooling distribution units support rack densities of 50 kW to 200+ kW per rack, which is required for NVIDIA H100/H200 and AMD MI300X GPU clusters. These liquid cooling systems enable smaller footprints and lower total cost of ownership, ideal for artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, blockchain and cryptocurrency, mainframe and gaming servers, and supercomputer applications.

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Liquid-to-air cooling distribution units (L2A CDU)

Eaton boyd coolant distribution

Self-contained liquid cooling systems

Many facilities are not designed for system-wide liquid cooling, so liquid-to-air coolant distribution units provide the benefits of liquid cooling without the full-scale implementation of facility water. L2A CDUs leverage data center air conditioning to dissipate heat from the server rack or row to enable localized liquid cooling for high output IT equipment. Liquid-to-air CDUs maximize possible cooling in established air-cooled data centers, minimize thermal management equipment and installation costs and cool at higher capacity than air alone would offer. Liquid-to-air CDU units are a practical choice for retrofitting existing air-cooled data centers, edge computing sites, and colocation environments where connecting to facility water is not practical or cost-effective.

In-rack coolant distribution units

Optimized to efficiently and seamlessly integrate into a high-power device

In-rack CDUs are optimized to efficiently and seamlessly integrate into a large, high-power device like a data center server chassis or medical imaging equipment. In-rack CDUs are configured in standard 2U and 4U cloud data center server configurations or common dimensions across standard medical and industrial models.

Designed for maximum performance and efficient installation or maintenance

Server rack cooling is easy to use with CDU installation instructions as simple as completing the liquid loop, filling the liquid reservoir tank and flipping the switch. These systems offer a fast option to upgrade to liquid cooling in a cost effective and reliable package and can be fully self-contained or integrated into available facility cooling systems.

Eaton cdu side
Eaton cdu

In-row cooling for greater power and compute density

In-row CDUs are full rack-sized Coolant Distribution Units installed alongside a row of server racks to provide efficient data center cooling. In-row CDUs circulate coolant in a closed loop system on the secondary, cooling side and utilize facility water on the primary, heat rejection side.  In-Row CDU cooling capacity is on the scale of 600-800KW, enough heat dissipation to cool 5-6 high power server racks.

Specifications
Part Number
10U CDU
2U CDU
4U CDU
In-Row CDU
LCS20
MCS20 – Stand Alone
MCS30 – Stand Alone
MCS40 – Stand Alone
MCS50 – Stand Alone
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