Manifold · Rack · UQD / UQDB Ports

Rack Manifolds with Configurable Port Maps

Name: DryLink Liquid Cooling Rack Manifold
Brand: DryLink

No industry standard fixes a manifold's port count — published class systems span 42 to 52 ports on a full rack. So DryLink machines your port map to the rack drawing: supply and return banks, flow balanced per tray, sized so the manifold stays under 1/40 of the IT equipment loop's pressure drop per the LBNL open specification.

Hydraulic Targets

Sized against your loop, not a catalog row.

Two cards hold the whole engagement: the hydraulics we design to, and the build evidence that ships with every batch.

Hydraulics

Flow and ΔP the manifold must hold

Planning figures from published rack references — we check your tray count and CDU position against them before machining begins.

Flow basis1.2 L/min per kW of rack load
Worked example80 kW rack ≈ 96 L/min ≈ 25 GPM
Per-tray feed≈ 12 L/min per server
Manifold ΔPsupply + return < 1/40 of IT loop
Rack allowance≤ 18 psi total loop budget

Build & Evidence

Body, ports, proof

Machined and welded in-house on the same cells that make our couplings, so manifold ports and mating sockets share one tolerance chain.

BodySS316 or brass
PortsUQD / UQDB native, color-coded
Layoutvertical or horizontal · top / bottom feed
Codingred hot supply · blue cool return
Test100% pressure tested · report per batch

Supply and return rack manifolds with UQD ports mounted along server trays

Inside the Rack

Balance the trays first — then the numbers hold.

A manifold is a flow-distribution guarantee. At the industry planning figure of 1.2 L/min per kW, an 80 kW rack moves roughly 96 L/min — about 25 GPM — and every tray must see its share. Banks are machined so each port presents the same effective area, and red-hot / blue-cool coding keeps supply and return from ever being swapped during service.

1.2 L/min/kW — rack flow planning basis
≈ 12 L/min — typical single-server tray feed
< 1/40 — manifold ΔP share of the IT loop, LBNL open spec

Specifications

What we need from you, and what we machine.

Where the industry has a reference number it appears in the right-hand column; where it does not, the port map rules.

Parameter	DryLink rack manifold	Industry reference
Port map	configurable per rack drawing	no fixed standard
Port count	set by drawing	class full-rack systems 42–52 ports
Rack formats	EIA 42U / 48U / 52U · ORV3 44OU layouts	class configurations
Flow basis	1.2 L/min per kW	planning figure
Manifold ΔP	supply + return < 1/40 of IT loop	LBNL open spec
Rack ΔP allowance	≤ 18 psi loop budget	rack reference
Body material	SS316 / brass	corrosion-resistant class
Coupling ports	UQD hand-push or UQDB blind-mate	OCP UQD interface
Feed position	top or bottom inlet	rack-dependent
Sides served	single-side or dual-side banks	rack-dependent
Orientation	vertical (PDU-style) or horizontal	rack-dependent
Color coding	red hot / blue cool	service convention
Vent & drain	manual points; auto-vent circuit option	class feature
Test evidence	100% pressure test per batch	report in carton

Configuration Matrix

Four decisions define your manifold.

The same four configuration axes published rack-manifold vendors organize around — answer them on the drawing and quoting is same-week.

01 · Orientation

Mounting

Vertical manifolds mount along the rack post the way a PDU does; horizontal manifolds span above or below the tray band where rails block the posts.

VerticalPDU-style post mount
Horizontaltray-band span
Heightset by U-position drawing

02 · Inlet

Feed position

Top feed pairs with overhead piping drops from the CDU; bottom feed suits under-rack routing and floor manifolds in retrofit rooms.

Topoverhead CDU drops
Bottomunder-rack routing
Redundant inletoptional per bank

03 · Coupling

Port interface

Hand-push UQD ports wherever a person services the tray; blind-mate UQDB ports where trays slide into a fixed plane and no hands reach.

UQDhand-push service ports
UQDBblind-mate tray ports
Codingred / blue per bank

04 · Sides

Served faces

Single-side banks keep all service in one aisle for colocation rows; dual-side banks feed trays front and rear at high density.

Singleone service aisle
Dualfront + rear trays
Mixedper-bank on one body

FAQ

Manifold questions we answer daily.

How many ports can one rack manifold carry?

There is no fixed industry standard — published class systems span 42 to 52 ports on full-rack manifolds. We size the port map from your drawing and verify it against the ΔP budget before quoting, so port count is a design output, not a guess.

How is the pressure drop verified?

The design target is manifold supply + return under 1/40 of the IT equipment loop, per the LBNL open specification. Every batch is 100% pressure tested with the record shipped in the carton, and a flow-curve datasheet is available on request.

Can one manifold mix UQD and UQDB ports?

Yes — the port interface is set per bank in the port map: hand-push UQD ports for cold-plate service, blind-mate UQDB ports for sliding trays. Both follow the OCP UQD envelope, so sockets interchange across compliant brands.

What are the MOQ and lead times?

Couplings start at MOQ 50 pieces. Manifolds are quoted per configuration: standard builds ship in 15 days, custom configurations in 30–45 days after drawing approval, on FOB, CIF or DDP terms.