JP2003166729A - Air-conditioning system of communication unit and information processor room - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air-conditioning system which saves on the space and the energy on the whole by locally treating the waste heat of high density from a communication unit and information processor room. <P>SOLUTION: A local cooling unit 21 is installed above each passage space part X between rack rows A and B, and rack rows C and D of the rack L with apparatuses 2 such as servers mounted thereon. The local cooling unit 21 is suspended from a ceiling part 25. An opening part 4 is formed in a side surface of the rack L, and a fan 1 is provided on an upper part of the rack L. The conditioned air at low temperature from the local cooling device 21 is taken into the rack L through the opening part 4 to locally treat the waste heat from the apparatuses 2. Since the local cooling unit 21 is installed in a separate and independent manner from the rack L, the static pressure is less fluctuated even when a trouble occurs in a part of the local cooling unit 21. This air-conditioning system can be easily adapted to an existing facility, and the maintainability thereof is excellent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for a room having a high heat generation density, such as a communication / information processing equipment room, and an operating method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a so-called computer room that accommodates a large number of computers, most of the air conditioning load is sensible heat load, and the average heat generation density per floor area is 500 w / m.
It is about ² . In such facilities, all sensible heat treatment type packaged air conditioners are often used because of their ease of construction and maintenance, and the ability to disperse heat sources. In addition, the room structure of these facilities requires a large number of power cables and signal cables to be wired, so many of them have a double floor structure, and the underfloor chamber is used as a wiring space.

Since the underfloor chamber is also used as an air passage in the air conditioning by the package air conditioner, the package air conditioner has an upper intake / lower air blow system, and low-temperature air treated by the package air conditioner is passed through the underfloor chamber to a computer. Etc., and the low temperature air is supplied to the inside of the equipment casing from the opening provided at the bottom of the equipment to treat the heat exhausted from the equipment.

The configuration of such a conventional air conditioning system is shown in FIG. The all sensible heat treatment type packaged air conditioner 101 used has a direct expansion cooling coil 102 and a blower 103, and the direct expansion cooling coil 102 is an outdoor unit 104 installed outside the equipment room M and a refrigerant pipe. It is tied at 105. The temperature of the air blown out from the packaged air conditioner 101 of the total sensible heat treatment is usually 15 to 20 ° C.,
Exhaust from computer 106 (double floor underfloor chamber 107
Through the opening 108 at the bottom of the computer 106) and the air blown into the equipment room M from the opening 109 on the floor surface F of the equipment room M, that is, return air to the package air conditioner 101. The temperature is about 25 ° C. Therefore, the total sensible heat treatment type package air conditioner 1
The processing temperature difference at 01 is about 5 to 10 ° C. The cooling capacity of one packaged air conditioner of all sensible heat treatment type currently commercialized is about 10 to 40 kW, and the number of packaged air conditioners according to the air conditioning heat load is installed along the outer peripheral wall surface in the equipment room M. To perform indoor air conditioning.

Further, the control target range of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the direct expansion type cooling coil 102 of a general package air conditioner such as the above-mentioned all heat treatment type package air conditioner 101 becomes a constant value at about 2 to 6 ° C., for example. There is. The indoor humidity when cooling the room using such an air conditioner depends on the amount of dehumidification in the direct expansion cooling coil 102. This amount of dehumidification depends on the operating time of the air conditioner, which is determined by the refrigerant evaporation temperature and the size of the cooling load. Therefore, in a room where it is necessary to maintain a constant indoor humidity, it is necessary to separately install a dehumidifier or humidifier to manage the humidity.

[0006]

By the way, with the spread of the Internet, businesses using the Internet are increasing. Many communication and information processing facilities have been built to develop these businesses. In the communication / information processing equipment room in these facilities, as shown in FIG. 10, a large number of racks L accommodating a plurality of communication / information processing equipment such as servers and routers are arranged in the equipment room. Most of the air-conditioning heat load in these facilities is also sensible heat load, and the heat generation density is much higher than that of general computer rooms. Inside has a heat generation density per floor area of 1000 W / m
^There are more than ^two facilities, and this trend is expected to continue for the time being.

In the case of performing air conditioning of the equipment room having such a high heat generation density, in the method of increasing the number of installed conventional all sensible heat treatment type package air conditioners 101 used in the computer room according to the heat load. ， Package air conditioner 10
The number of units installed in No. 1 will increase significantly, and it may not be possible to install indoor units only on the walls of the equipment room in the facility. In addition, the method of adding a packaged air conditioner not only makes it difficult to secure the installation space for the indoor unit, but also causes a significant increase in blast energy due to an increase in blast volume.
Further, when the floor area of the equipment room becomes large or the amount of communication cables in the underfloor chamber increases, it becomes impossible to uniformly blow air into the underfloor chamber 107, and the cooling capacity for the essential communication / information processing equipment varies. Further, when there is an area where the heat generation density is locally high in the equipment room, it is necessary to increase the air flow rate and lower the air flow temperature, but it is difficult for the conventional system to deal locally.

Furthermore, as described above, when the indoor air conditioner 101 is used for cooling the room, if the sensible heat load is small and the moisture entering from the outside air is large, the sensible heat load is increased. Since it is small, the room temperature reaches the set temperature relatively quickly, so the air conditioner will stop without sufficient dehumidification. When the sensible heat load increases,
The air conditioner operates continuously, and dew condensation occurs on the cooling coil built into the air conditioner, and dehumidification is performed until the dew point temperature of the indoor air reaches the surface temperature of the cooling coil. As described above, in a general packaged air conditioner, the amount of dehumidification changes depending on the magnitude of the sensible heat load, so it is necessary to maintain a constant indoor humidity in the computer room and the communication / information processing machine room as described above. Separate dehumidifiers must be installed in each room, increasing the initial cost.

When the sensible heat load is large,
The operating time of the air conditioner will be longer, but the amount of dehumidification will depend on the operating time of the air conditioner and other factors. When the amount of dehumidification is excessive, wasteful energy may be consumed, such as dehumidifying the cooling coil and humidifying the humidifier.

The present invention has been made in view of the above point, and effectively treats the exhaust heat of the equipment in the rack in which the communication / information processing equipment is mounted to reduce the air-conditioning heat load, and The purpose is to solve the above problems by devising the installation space of equipment. Further, according to the present invention, when the air conditioner such as a packaged air conditioner is used to perform the air conditioning of the entire communication / information processing machine room, by devising a control target value or an operating method between these air conditioners,
Its purpose is to perform humidity adjustment (adjustment related to dehumidification) without using special equipment such as a dehumidifier.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, racks on which communication / information processing devices are vertically mounted are aligned to form a rack row, and a plurality of the rack rows are installed. A system for air conditioning a communication / information processing equipment room, etc., in which a local cooling device for cooling the space section is provided above the space section formed between the rack rows. Structurally separated,
The local cooling device has an air outlet provided so as to face the floor of the communication / information processing equipment room, and an inlet for taking in air in the upper space of the communication / information processing equipment room. An air conditioning system for communication / information processing equipment rooms is provided.

In this way, the hot air in the air outlet and the upper space of the equipment chamber, which is structurally separated from the rack row and is structurally separated from the rack row, is taken in only above the space formed between the rack rows. By arranging a local cooling device having a suction port for this, racks can be freely exchanged and moved, and only the space formed between the rack rows can be locally cooled. It is possible to reduce the heat load on the rack through the space.
Furthermore, since the local cooling device is structurally separated and arranged independently from the rack row, the degree of freedom in arranging the indoor unit and the rack row is improved. For example, even when the rack is replaced in an existing facility, It is possible to respond promptly. Also, since the area around the local cooling device is an open space, there is no need to balance the ventilation air volume of the rack with the indoor unit installed in the equipment room. There is a high degree of freedom in changing the air volume of the blowers installed in the indoor units and racks. Therefore, for example, even if the blower provided in the local cooling device fails, the static pressure in the space does not change, so that the rack ventilation amount hardly changes and the cooling performance of the rack is not significantly deteriorated. In addition, even if only a part of the equipment room is installed in the rack row, or if the rack rows are added sequentially in a staggered manner, it is sufficient to add local cooling devices corresponding to the added rack rows. Can be reduced. Furthermore, since the local cooling device is installed above the space formed between the rows of racks, there is no increase in the area occupied by the floor. Furthermore, since the surrounding area of the local cooling device is an open space, the maintainability of the local cooling device is good.

The communication / information processing equipment room referred to in the present specification does not mean only the room in which the above-mentioned communication / information processing equipment is installed. The room where is installed is also the target. Therefore, it may be a computer room. Also communication
The information processing equipment includes various computer devices such as servers, communication equipment, and arithmetic processing units.

When the local cooling device is arranged only above the space formed between the rack rows, a room having a very large heat generation density can be dealt with, but in a room having a heat generation density somewhat smaller than that, By installing the local cooling device only above the passage space, rack cooling can be performed efficiently. In other words, when there are a plurality of rack rows, the local cooling device is not installed in all the space portions formed between the rack rows, but only every other space portion, that is, above the passage space portion, is locally cooled. By installing the equipment, it is possible to handle the rack heat load of all rack rows.

In the case of claim 1, the rack has an opening in a portion facing the space formed between the rack rows, and in the case of claim 2, the rack facing the passage space. It is desirable to have an opening only at the top and to provide a blower at the top of the rack to exhaust the atmosphere inside the rack to the outside of the rack. By operating the blower, the conditioned air of the local cooling device that is supplied to the space portion or the passage space portion can be positively taken into the rack from the opening, and the communication / information processing installed in the rack Exhaust heat treatment of equipment and the like can be carried out more effectively. When a rack having such a structure is used, it is possible to effectively carry out heat treatment for exhausting heat from communication / information processing equipment installed in the rack even in a room without a double floor.
Therefore, the cost for installing the double floor can be reduced, and the existing equipment room without the double floor can be easily repaired.

Even if there is no blower at the top of the rack, for example, the communication / information processing device mounted on the rack has its own blower, and the direction of air supply / exhaust by each blower is related to each communication mounted on the rack. -It may be a configuration in which the information processing devices are arranged. In this case, the operation of such a unique blower (usually a small blower is generally used) installed in the communication / information processing equipment such as the server is used to supply the conditioned air from the space portion or the passage space portion. Can be taken into the rack and exhausted. This communication
It is also possible to carry out waste heat treatment of the information processing equipment.

In view of the above operation, the air blowers installed in the communication / information processing devices are arranged such that the air blowers are arranged in a specific side face of each communication / information processing device. It is preferable that all the communication / information processing devices mounted on the rack are prepared.

When the rack is installed on a double floor that constitutes an underfloor chamber, an opening communicating with the underfloor chamber is formed on the lower surface of the space formed between the rows of racks. As described above, it is preferable that a blower for exhausting the atmosphere in the rack to the outside of the rack is provided at the upper part of the rack, or that the blower provided in each communication / information processing device has the same air supply / exhaust direction. . In this case, the static pressure in the underfloor chamber needs to be higher than the static pressure in the equipment room, and conditioned air is supplied to the underfloor chamber by an air conditioner other than the local cooling device. Therefore, the conditioned air is blown out of the double floor into the equipment room at the opening communicating with the underfloor chamber. Of the space formed between the rack rows,
In the space or passage space where the local cooling device is installed in the upper space, the conditioned air blown out from the local cooling device and the conditioned air blown out from the floor opening are mixed, and the opening formed on the side of the rack is mixed. After being sucked in from the section and cooling the equipment stacked inside the rack, it is exhausted by the blower in the upper part of the rack or the blower of the communication equipment.
In the space where the local cooling device is not installed in the upper space, the conditioned air blown out from the floor opening is used for air conditioning the indoor atmosphere. When the racks are installed on the double floor and the openings leading to the underfloor chambers are formed in the space formed between the rows of racks and the underside of the racks, conditioned air is introduced into the rack from the side of the rack. it can. Since the communication devices are mounted horizontally on the racks and slots in the rack, they can be cooled directly by introducing them from the side, which is efficient.

It is preferable that the opening communicating with the underfloor chamber is provided with an air amount adjusting mechanism for adjusting the amount of air passing through the opening. The air amount adjusting mechanism can be adjusted for each floor panel, for example, and the amount and the pattern of the conditioned air blown out from the floor opening can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, in the space portion where the local cooling device is installed in the upper space and the passage space portion, it is possible to arbitrarily change the mixing pattern and the air flow shape of the conditioned air. As the air amount adjusting mechanism, for example, a shutter that can change the aperture ratio of the opening portion stepwise or continuously can be used.

When a plurality of air blowers for exhausting the atmosphere inside the rack to the outside of the rack are installed on the upper part of the rack, these air blowers are operated by, for example, a unit number control device in order to keep the temperature of the exhaust gas below the installation temperature. By controlling the number of units, it is possible to reduce excess air-carrying energy in a rack where the heat generation of equipment is low.

If the local cooling device controls the cooling capacity of each local cooling device based on the temperature of the space or passage space formed between the lower rack rows for each local cooling device, It is possible to efficiently perform the air conditioning of the space portion or the passage space portion formed between the rack rows and perform the exhaust heat treatment of the rack. Further, in an area where the heat generation density is high, it is possible to operate so as to partially increase the cooling capacity of the local cooling device, so that it is possible to cope with spatial variations in the heat generation load. In addition, even if a part of the local cooling device fails and stops, by performing an operation that partially increases the cooling capacity of the local cooling device,
It is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the space portion and the passage space portion formed between the rack rows.

The local cooling device has a direct expansion coil as a cooling means, and if the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the direct expansion coil is controlled to be higher than the dew point temperature of the treated air, condensed water is generated. In this way, it is possible to prevent unforeseen circumstances from being caused by water leaks etc. to the communication / information processing equipment mounted on the rack or the like. In this case, if necessary, the outside air conditioner that dehumidifies the outside air to supply it indoors so that the atmosphere inside the equipment room matches the set dew point temperature, or the dew point temperature of the indoor air may be a failure of the outside air conditioner. Such a so-called thirst coil operation control can be easily performed by providing a dehumidifying device for dehumidifying to a set value when the set value is exceeded.

According to the air conditioning method proposed by the present invention,
The so-called thirst coil operation control can be easily performed without providing the above-mentioned dedicated dehumidifier, that is, the communication /
A plurality of air conditioners for supplying air-conditioned air are separately provided in the information processing equipment room, etc., and these air conditioners have a built-in direct expansion type cooling coil. The control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of is set lower than the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the other air conditioner, and when the dew point temperature of the indoor air becomes higher, the part of the air conditioning is given priority. The cooling coil of the device may be condensed. This makes it possible to change the dew point temperature of indoor air without installing a dedicated dehumidifier, and to easily control the operation of the thirst coil of the local cooling device and other air conditioners.

In this case, for example, the dew point temperature of the room air is changed by changing the set value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the one part of the air conditioners within a range lower than the set value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the other air conditioners. You may change it. Further, some of the air conditioners may be continuously operated regardless of the room temperature except when the dew point temperature of the room air is lower than the set value. At this time, the other air conditioners adjust the cooling capacity when the room temperature approaches the set value, and operate in accordance with the sensible heat load to adjust the cooling capacity of the entire air conditioning system.

Such an air-conditioning method is particularly suitable for a communication equipment humidity / computer room in which the sensible heat load is significantly larger than the latent heat load. When the sensible heat load is further reduced, the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the air conditioner gradually decreases, and the dew point temperature of the indoor air also decreases accordingly. Then, when both the indoor air temperature and the dew point temperature are lower than the set values, the operation is performed so that the part of the air conditioners is stopped, so that it is possible to eliminate energy consumption due to excessive dehumidification and cooling.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a state in an equipment room R such as a communication / information processing equipment room having an air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. In the illustrated example, a rack L in which communication / information processing equipment is mounted indoors
4 are installed, and a passage space X is formed between the rack rows A and B and between the rack rows C and D. A space Y formed between the rack rows B to C is formed.

A rack L that has been conventionally used in a communication / information processing equipment room of this type is provided with a freely openable / closable door (not shown) for maintenance and inspection on the front and back sides. Often the dimensions are the same in the same row. Devices such as servers mounted on the rack L are fixed on rails (not shown) provided in the rack L and are stacked in multiple stages.

Further, in the present embodiment, the front surface or the back surface of each rack L is opposed to each other in each row of racks, but the front surfaces of the racks L are opposed to each other in the passage space X in this way. It is desirable to install in Such a passage space portion X usually has a width of about 900 mm. A blower 1 for exhausting the atmosphere inside the rack L to the outside of the rack is installed on the top plate portion of each rack L.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rack L itself has a casing 3 for accommodating various communication / information processing equipment 2 such as a server, and the passage space X of the casing 3 Openings 4 are formed on the side surfaces facing each other. The opening 4 may be a hole of punching metal, or may be formed by a slit or the like. When there is an opening / closing door on the side surface, the opening / closing door itself may be formed of punching metal, or the opening / closing door may be provided with a slit to create the opening 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the equipment room R has a double floor structure, and an underfloor chamber 11 is formed below the floor surface F. Each rack L is installed on the floor surface F, and the floor surface F below the rack L is provided with an opening 12 communicating with the underfloor chamber 11. Further, if necessary, the underfloor chamber 11 may be placed in a place other than the rack installation section on the floor surface F as well.
There are openings 13 and 14 communicating with each other.

Each of the openings 12, 13, 14 on the floor F is provided with an air amount adjusting mechanism capable of arbitrarily changing the opening ratio, for example, a shutter or the like, and a rack that requires more cooling air. Air-conditioned air can be supplied to nearby areas. Further, by adjusting the opening ratio, it is possible to adjust the shape of the air flow in the passage space portion X, and it is possible to uniformly supply the conditioned air to all the racks L.

A plurality of local cooling devices 21 are installed above each passage space X, structurally separated from the rack row. The local cooling device 21 has an outlet 22 facing the lower floor surface F, an inlet 23 for taking in high temperature air in the upper space of the equipment room R, and a blower 24.
The low-temperature conditioned air is supplied to the lower passage space X, and the high-temperature air exhausted from the rack L is sucked and processed. The number of the local cooling devices 21 installed is determined by the heat generation density of the rack L facing the passage space portion X.

The local cooling device 21 is hung from the ceiling 25 of the room R, for example, and is structurally separated from the rack row. Therefore, the area around the local cooling device 21 is an open space. Not limited to this, for example, a local cooling device 21 is installed on a support or a stand that is erected from the floor F independently of the rack L.
May be installed.

The local cooling device 21 has a cooling coil 26. The cooling coil 26 is a direct expansion type cooling coil, and is connected to an outdoor unit 27 installed outside the equipment room R by a refrigerant pipe 28 as shown in FIG. The refrigerant passes through an electronic expansion valve 29 for adjusting the refrigerant flow rate and is supplied to the cooling coil 26.
The refrigerant pipe 28 passes through, for example, the upper part in the equipment room R, and several local cooling devices 21 are provided for one outdoor unit 27.
It is possible to connect. The outdoor unit 27 is air-cooled,
Both types of water cooling can be used.

Each of the local cooling devices 21 has a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the lower passage space X and a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the refrigerant evaporation temperature. It also has a controller / power supply box (not shown) for controlling these signals and adjusting the opening of the electronic expansion valve 29. Further, the outdoor unit 27 is equipped with a controller (not shown) for controlling and monitoring the operation of each local cooling device 21 as a whole and for determining the operating capacity of the compressor.

The outdoor unit 27 and the controllers of the local circulation devices 21 perform stable operation control by sequentially exchanging data. At this time, the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the cooling coil 26 is controlled to be higher than the room dew point temperature in the equipment room R, and normally, it is operated as a dry coil. In addition, the housing bottom plate of the local cooling device 21 also serves as a waterproof pan at least immediately below the cooling coil 26, and should dew condensation occur due to dew condensation, it will be collected in this bottom plate and the lower rack. L
Care is taken to prevent condensation water from splashing on the equipment 2 inside. Further, when dew condensation water collects in the bottom plate and exceeds a certain amount, a dew condensation sensor (not shown) performs an alarm and a forced operation, a forced closing of the electronic expansion valve 29, a stop of the compressor of the outdoor unit 27, and the like. Built into the program.

In order to reliably perform such dry coil operation of the local cooling device 21, an outside air processing unit 31 is installed in the equipment room R. The outside air processing unit 31 includes, for example, a cooling coil 32 and a blower 33, and is configured to supply the introduced outside air OA into the equipment room R after humidity adjustment.

In the equipment room R, a package air conditioner 34 is further installed. This package air conditioner 34
Is a conventional all sensible heat treatment type package air conditioner, which includes a direct expansion coil 35 and a blower 36, and is connected to an outdoor unit 37 by a refrigerant pipe 38. And the underfloor chamber 1
For example, conditioned air having a temperature of about 15 ° C. to 20 ° C. is supplied to the inside of the unit 1. The packaged air conditioner 34 is disposed on the wall surface of the equipment room R, and plays an auxiliary role for air conditioning other than the passage space portion X and for cooling the passage space portion X.

The air conditioning system according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the exhaust heat from each rack L is
The blower 1 on the upper part of the rack L discharges the upper part of the rack L and, together with the air on the upper part of the equipment room R, the local cooling device 21.
Is sucked in through the suction port 23 and cooled by the cooling coil 26. Cooled air, eg 18 ° C
The cooling air is blown out toward the floor surface F of each passage space portion X by the blower 24.

The cooling air is introduced into the rack L through the opening 4 provided on the front surface of the rack L to process the exhaust heat of the equipment 2. On the other hand, in the underfloor chamber 11, conditioned air from the package air conditioner 34, for example, 15 ° C. to 20 ° C.
Air is blown out, and the conditioned air flows into the rack L through the opening 12 at the bottom of the rack L, and the equipment 2
To handle the exhaust heat. The conditioned air from the underfloor chamber 11 is also blown to the passage space X from the opening 14 provided on the floor F of the passage space X, and the rack L is opened from the opening 4 provided at the front of the rack L. It is introduced into the inside to treat the exhaust heat of the device 2. Therefore, the device 2 inside the rack L
The cooling effect of is improved at each stage compared to the conventional one. The static pressure in the underfloor chamber 11 in this case is higher than the static pressure in the equipment room R.

Further, FIG. 3 shows a case where the static pressure in the underfloor chamber 11 becomes lower than the static pressure in the equipment room R.
This occurs when the total exhaust amount of the blowers 1 of all the racks L is increased and exceeds the total blow amount of all the sensible heat treatment type package air conditioners 34. In this case, the air flow in the openings 13, 14 on the floor that communicates with the underfloor chamber 11 is directed from the inside of the equipment room R to the underfloor chamber 11. The conditioned air in the passage space portion X is sucked into the rack L from the opening 4 provided on the side surface of the rack L, and once sucked into the underfloor chamber 11 from the opening 14 on the floor surface, and then the rack L is again sucked. There is a flow of air sucked into the rack L through the opening 12 at the bottom of the. In this case, the opening 14 on the floor surface F of the passage space portion X
By increasing the area and the aperture ratio, it is possible to form more local air circulation, and thus the air mixing loss is reduced.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the outside air processing unit 31 is installed in the equipment room R, the dry coil operation of the local cooling device 21 can be surely performed, and dew condensation occurs. Is suppressed as much as possible.

In the present embodiment, the local cooling device 2
1 is structurally separated from each rack row, so it is also excellent in workability when it is added to an existing facility. In addition, a rack L in a part of the equipment room R
If the amount of heat generated by the device is increased, the local cooling device 21 may be installed only in the area where the amount of generated heat is increased.
It is possible to deal with uneven distribution of heat load. Even in such a case, the construction is easy. Further, even when the local cooling device 21 itself is maintained, workability is good because the surrounding area of the local cooling device 21 is an open space.

FIG. 4 shows the local cooling device 21 in the passage space portion X.
The temperature control method and the example of adjusting the air flow shape are shown, and the inside of a certain passage space portion X is shown. In this example, the local cooling devices 21a to 21e are installed at equal intervals along the rack row. Then, the temperature inside the passage space portion X below that is detected by the temperature sensor T, and control is performed by a control device (not shown) so that the cooling capacity is adjusted so as to approach the set temperature. For example, one local cooling device 2
When 1b fails, the temperature of the passage space X around it also rises, but by increasing the cooling capacity of other local cooling devices 21a and 21c adjacent to the failed local cooling device 21b. The temperature rise in the passage space portion X is slight. Further, in this example, the blowout position of the opening 14 of the floor surface F in the passage space portion X is arranged exactly between the local cooling devices 21 when viewed from the plane, and the conditioned air from the local cooling devices 21a to 21e is arranged. It is possible to supplement the conditioned air amount in an area where the supply amount of the The temperature of exhaust gas from the rack L may be adjusted by controlling the operating number of the blowers 24 of the local cooling devices 21a to 21e. For example, when the load is low, it can be dealt with more practically.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which a package air conditioner 41 for latent heat treatment is installed in addition to the external air conditioner 31. Normally, the intake outside air OA is supplied to the equipment room R after the humidity is adjusted by the outside air conditioner 31. In order to perform the dry coil operation of the local cooling device 21, indoor dew point temperature control is important,
A small number of package air conditioners 41 for latent heat treatment are installed in case the external air conditioner 31 fails or its performance deteriorates.

The refrigerant evaporation temperature T _S in the cooling coil of the latent heat treatment package air conditioner 41 is set lower than the refrigerant evaporation temperature T _E of the local cooling device 21 and higher than the set dew point temperature T _R (T _E > T). by _{S> T R)} that, outside conditioning equipment 3
It is possible to adjust the humidity in case of abnormality 1. The number of package air conditioners 41 for latent heat treatment is, for example, 1
If the external air intake rate is 000 W / m ² and the ventilation rate of the equipment room R is about 0.5 times per hour, it is sufficient to install the latent heat treatment package air conditioner 41 having a capacity of about 5% of the cooling capacity of the entire room. As shown, the latent heat treatment package air conditioner 41 may be installed by replacing a part of the entire sensible heat treatment type package air conditioner 35 installed on the wall surface.

In the above example, the floor on which the rack L is installed is a double floor, but the present invention can be applied to a room without a double floor as shown in FIG. is there. In this case, the packaged air conditioner 34, like the external air conditioner 31, is configured to blow out from the upper portion and suck into the lower portion. By applying the present invention to a room without such a double floor, it is possible to cope with an increase in cooling capacity. Therefore, the present invention can easily cope with the existing equipment room.

In the above example, in order to ensure the dry coil operation of the local cooling device 21, the package air conditioner 41 for latent heat treatment is installed in the equipment room R together with the outside air processing unit 31. By changing the operation control of a part of the package air conditioners 34a, as shown in FIG. 7, without installing such an outside air processing unit 31 for dehumidification,
The dry coil operation may be performed to prevent dew condensation on the cooling coil of the local cooling device 21.

That is, the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the package air conditioner 34a is set to the other package air conditioner 3
4 is set to be lower than the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature, and the moisture in the equipment room R is given priority to the package air conditioner 3
The cooling coil 4a is used for dew condensation. As a result, the rise in the dew point temperature in the equipment room R is suppressed, and the refrigerant evaporation temperature is controlled at a substantially constant value.
The dehumidifying temperature will not drop below the set value due to excessive dehumidification.

As another example of the operating method of these air conditioners, it is possible to use the package air conditioner 34 as a package air conditioner for dehumidification by reducing the amount of treated air. That is, even if the specifications of the cooling coil are the same, it is possible to easily maintain the refrigerant evaporation temperature lower than that of the packaged air conditioner 34 by reducing the processing air volume, which is a preferable operating state in the practice of the present invention. Further, since the packaged air conditioner 34a is provided with the air volume changing function and the function of changing the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature, the same air conditioner can be used in terms of hardware, so that the air conditioning load condition (sensible heat load and sensible heat load Ratio of latent heat load)
Accordingly, the package air conditioner 34 can be changed to a sensible heat treatment type or dehumidifying type at any time, and flexibility is enhanced.

In addition, in the high visible heat treatment type package air conditioner (multi-type) of the type in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one indoor unit, the number of operating indoor units should be reduced in addition to the above-mentioned change of the processing air volume. Thus, it is possible to easily keep the refrigerant evaporation temperature low.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the cooling coil surface temperature corresponding to the intake air temperature of a certain package air conditioner is calculated for each refrigerant evaporation temperature. The surface temperature of the cooling coil is mainly determined by the refrigerant evaporation temperature, the process air temperature, and the heat transfer coefficient inside and outside the cooling coil. The heat transfer coefficient outside the cooling coil changes depending on the air velocity passing through the cooling coil. The surface temperature of the cooling coil is expressed by equation (1), ignoring the heat transfer resistance. _{t w = t in + h out} / (h in + h out) × (T out -t in) ... (1) where, _{t w:} cooling coil surface temperature [℃] _{t in:} average temperature of the cryogen (coolant) [° C.] T _out : Average temperature of high temperature fluid (air) [° C.] h _in : Surface heat transfer coefficient in tube [kW] converted to outside standard
/ (M ² K)] h _out : Outer surface heat transfer coefficient [kW / (m ² K)]

For example, processing air temperature (suction air temperature)
When the refrigerant vaporization temperature of the dehumidifying package air conditioner 34a is operated at 6 ° C. under the condition of 27 ° C., the cooling coil surface temperature becomes 12 ° C. The passing air is cooled on the surface of the cooling coil and dehumidified until the dew point temperature reaches about 12 ° C. Therefore, if the same trial calculation is performed for the other packaged air conditioners 34 and the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature is set so that the cooling coil surface temperature is higher than 12 ° C.,
It can always be operated with a dry coil. Also, the dew point temperature of the room air can be changed by arbitrarily changing the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the packaged air conditioner 34a.

In addition, some of the packaged air conditioners 34a for dehumidification can be continuously operated regardless of the indoor temperature or the indoor air can be operated except when the dew point temperature of the indoor air is lower than the set value. The operation may be stopped only when the dew point temperature is below the set value and the temperature of the room air is below the set value.

The local cooling device used in the above embodiment has the suction ports 23 on both sides and has the cooling coil 26.
Also, although the structure was provided vertically in the same direction as the suction port 23, the local cooling device applicable in the present invention is
The configuration is not limited to this. For example, both the inlet and outlet are oriented in the direction facing the floor, and the inlet,
The air outlets are arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction of the space and passage space, and the cooling coil is also placed in the chamber of the local cooling device at a right angle to the direction of the air flow from the suction port to the air outlet. Of course, the existing type can also be used.
In this case, a sirocco fan can also be used as the blower. In the local cooling device having such a configuration, it is easy to install the drain pan installed under the cooling coil.

[0056]

According to the present invention, appropriate waste heat treatment can be carried out in a facility having high density waste heat from communication / information processing equipment while saving space and energy. Moreover, maintenance work is easy. Further, according to the air conditioning method of the present invention, it is possible to easily implement low-cost and high-flexibility humidity control in the facility by simply adding the function of the air conditioning equipment and devising the operation method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an equipment room to which an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state when conditioned air is taken into a rack in the air conditioning system according to the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow when the static pressure in the underfloor chamber becomes lower than the static pressure in the equipment chamber in the air conditioning system according to the embodiment in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in the passage space portion for explaining an example of operation control in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an equipment room to which an air conditioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to an equipment room without a double floor.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an equipment room to which an air conditioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between a dry-bulb temperature of treated air and a cooling coil surface temperature.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an outline of a general communication / information processing equipment room.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 blower 2 equipment 4 openings 11 Underfloor chamber 12, 13, 14 openings 21 Local cooling system 22 Outlet 23 Suction port 26 cooling coil 27 outdoor unit 31 Outdoor air treatment unit 34 Package Air Conditioner A, B, C, D rack row F floor L rack R equipment room X passage space Y space section

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A system for air-conditioning a communication / information processing equipment room or the like in which racks having communication / information processing equipment mounted vertically are aligned to form a rack row, and a plurality of such rack rows are installed. Above the space formed between the rack rows, a local cooling device for cooling the space is provided.
The local cooling device is structurally separated from the row of racks, and the local cooling device is provided in an outlet provided so as to face the floor of the communication / information processing equipment room, and in the communication / information processing equipment room. An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room or the like, which has a suction port for taking in air from the upper space. 2. The local cooling device is provided only above the passage space portion, among the space portions formed between the rack mutual rows, a space portion formed for every two facing rack rows. The air-conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room or the like according to claim 1, wherein 3. The rack has an opening at a portion facing the space, and a blower for exhausting an atmosphere inside the rack to the outside of the rack is provided at an upper portion of the rack. An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room according to claim 1. 4. The rack has an opening at a portion facing a passage space, and a blower for exhausting an atmosphere inside the rack to the outside of the rack is provided at an upper portion of the rack. An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room according to claim 2. 5. The communication rack mounted on the rack has an opening at a portion facing the space.
The information processing device has its own blower, and the air supply / exhaust direction by each blower is the same for each communication / information processing device mounted on the rack. Air conditioning system for communication / information processing equipment rooms, etc. 6. The rack has an opening at a portion facing the passage space, and the communication / information processing equipment mounted on the rack has its own blower, and air supply and exhaust by each blower are provided. The direction is the same for each communication / information processing device mounted on the rack.
An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room according to claim 2. 7. The rack is installed on a double floor constituting an underfloor chamber, and an opening communicating with the underfloor chamber is formed on a floor surface in a space formed between rows of racks. Claims 1, 2,
An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room or the like according to any one of 3, 4, 5 and 6. 8. The floor surface facing the lower surface of the rack,
The air-conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room according to claim 7, wherein an opening communicating with the underfloor chamber is formed. 9. The communication according to claim 7, wherein the opening communicating with the underfloor chamber has an air amount adjusting mechanism for adjusting the amount of air passing through the opening. Air conditioning systems for information processing equipment rooms, etc. 10. A plurality of blowers are installed for exhausting the atmosphere in the rack above the rack to the outside of the rack, and the number of the blowers is controlled in order to keep the temperature of the exhaust below a set temperature. Claims 3, 4, characterized
An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room or the like according to any one of 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 11. Based on the measurement results of the temperature of the space formed between the lower rack rows for each local cooling device,
The communication / information processing device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the cooling capacity of each local cooling device is controlled. Air conditioning system for rooms. 12. The local cooling device has a direct expansion coil as a cooling means, and the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the direct expansion coil is controlled to be higher than the dew point temperature of the treated air. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8. An air conditioning system for a communication / information processing equipment room or the like according to any one of 8, 9, 10 and 11. 13. The communication / information processing equipment room or the like according to claim 12, further comprising an air conditioner for adjusting the humidity of the atmosphere in the communication / information processing equipment room or the like. Air conditioning system. 14. Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
The communication according to any one of 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12
An air conditioning method using an air conditioning system for an information processing equipment room or the like, wherein a plurality of air conditioning devices for supplying air conditioning air are separately provided in the communication / information processing equipment room, etc. It has a built-in inflatable cooling coil,
When the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of some of the air conditioners is set lower than the control target value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of other air conditioners, and the dew point temperature of the room air becomes high. In the air conditioning method, the cooling coil of one of the air conditioners is preferentially condensed. 15. The dew point temperature of indoor air is changed by changing the set value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the part of the air conditioners within a range lower than the set value of the refrigerant evaporation temperature of the other air conditioners. The air conditioning method according to claim 14, characterized in that 16. The part of the air conditioner is continuously operated regardless of the room temperature except when the dew point temperature of the room air is lower than a set value. Air conditioning method described in. 17. The part of the air conditioner is stopped only when the dew point temperature of the room air is lower than a set value and the temperature of the room air is lower than the set value.
The air conditioning method according to claim 14, 15, or 16.