Abstract
The present disclosure describes a rack-level thermal management architecture that enables in-service access to rear-mounted components in high-density, air-cooled systems. A dynamic baffle system is positioned between rear-facing electronic modules and a set of external fan units and is configured to selectively redirect airflow within the rack. During normal operation, the baffle permits nominal airflow to maintain thermal performance. During maintenance operations involving removal of one or more fan modules, the baffle transitions to a modified configuration that diverts airflow to prevent thermal degradation. The baffle may be fixed to the rack and include movable elements actuated manually or automatically in response to airflow conditions. The architecture supports partitioning of the rack into multiple airflow zones to localize thermal impact. This approach enables fan replacement and rear access operations without requiring system shutdown or traffic interruption, and is applicable to networking, compute, and storage systems.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Anonymous, "Dynamic Rack-Level Airflow Baffle for In-Service Access to Rear-Mounted Modules in High-Density Air-Cooled Systems", Technical Disclosure Commons, (April 21, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/9881