FluidSensing

Engineering guides

Engineering guides for rack manifolds.

Start with the cooling path. Then work through measurements, valve behaviour and the details that make a manifold fit the rack.

Explore the details
The manifold specification, in contextAn engineering drawing connects the rack envelope, port arrangement, fluid path and control interface. No dimensional ratings are shown.FLUIDSENSINGRack integrationRackenvelopePort spacingInterfacesLayoutFluid pathControls

Start here

How to specify a rack manifold.

Work from the tray requirements to the rack connections, hydraulic boundary, sensing and acceptance evidence.

Read the guide
Parallel branches between the manifold and three server traysA cooling unit connects to a supply header and a return header. Three server trays have separate parallel supply and return paths. Flow, temperature and pressure are measured at the manifold. SupplyReturnServer trays Coolingunit FTP One separate branch per tray
Supply
Coolant to each server tray.
Return
Coolant back from the trays.
F · P · T
Flow, pressure and temperature.
Read the signals

Flow, temperature and pressure

What each measurement describes, and why location and operating conditions matter.

Understand control

Valve position and flow

Why a command is not a flow measurement, and how to check the response.

Plan integration

Making the manifold fit

Bring the fluid, hoses, rack layout and control interfaces into one review.

Product details and rack requirements.

Read the product brief and use the specification guide to define the requirements for your rack.

Configure your manifold Specification guide

FluidSensing product brief

Smart coolant manifold for liquid-cooled server racks

The smart rack manifold

FluidSensing brings supply and return distribution, rack-level sensing and integrated valve control into one assembly. Its control architecture is designed around measured flow, automated valve response and glycol compensation.

The coolant path

The supply header feeds server trays through separate parallel branches. Each branch passes through a tray's cold plates and returns to the return header. The headers connect only through those tray loops. Capped ports carry no coolant. The connected CDU or cooling system removes the heat.

Flow management and automated control

The intended feedback loop compares measured rack flow with an agreed flow target, adjusts the control valve and measures again. Valve position is a command or actuator-feedback value, never a substitute for measured flow. Supply and return temperatures add thermal context; pressure measurements describe the hydraulic conditions at defined points.

Glycol compensation

Use the confirmed fluid type, concentration and concentration basis, together with temperature-dependent fluid properties. Measured flow and paired supply and return temperatures support a fluid-aware thermal estimate. Any correction of the flow measurement depends on the selected sensor and its calibration. Automatic concentration detection is a separate sensing capability.

At the rack

Commission against an agreed flow target and operating envelope. Compare readings after trays or hoses change. A rack total cannot establish flow in every tray, and rack-level control does not imply individual branch actuation or balancing.

Engineering specification

Confirm the coolant, wetted materials, operating limits, sensor locations and calibration, control logic, actuator feedback, communication interface, override and loss-of-signal behaviour for the installation.