JP2009293851A - Control method of air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control method of an air conditioning system suitable for cooling an information-communication machine room in which concentration-dispersion control of sharing of data processing is performed by virtual technique and the like. <P>SOLUTION: A management server 7b operates an estimated value of power consumption on the basis of distributed processing amount to each server on the next time span (S203), and transmits the power consumption estimated value (Wtf) of a zone unit to an air conditioner control device 8 through an integration control server 7a (S204). At an air conditioner control device 8 side, the total cooling output Wp(=Wa+Ws) of a zone Z1 at the present time is operated, and compares the estimated value (Wtf) of the power consumption (corresponding to heating value) in the next time span with the total cooling output Wp at the present time (S223). When Wtf>Wp+α, a compressor frequency of an air conditioner 5-1 or/and fan air volume is increased by one stage to increase the cooling output (S225). When Wtf<Wp-α, the control to constantly control to a safety side is performed (S226-S228). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for controlling an air conditioning system, and more particularly to a method for controlling an air conditioning system suitable for cooling an information communication machine room in which centralized / distributed control of data processing sharing is performed by virtualization technology or the like.

In recent years, “virtualization technology” has attracted attention as an energy-saving measure for ICT devices and apparatuses (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as servers). In this case, when a large number of servers perform distributed processing at a low operation rate, data processing is concentrated on some servers, which greatly contributes to reduction of power consumption of the server group. However, for servers targeted for centralized processing, the power consumption per rack can reach 10-20 kW, and the occurrence of local high-temperature areas due to heat generated by the servers becomes a problem.
In addition, the latest ICT equipment / device controls the rotation speed of the fan provided in the housing in accordance with the CPU operation rate. However, when multiple devices increase the fan rotation speed at the same time, There is a risk that the supply of air volume cannot follow, and the airflow balance in the room is lost, which hinders server cooling. In particular, in a room that employs aisle capping, a local high temperature area is generated in the cold aisle due to a lack of cold air supply, resulting in a problem of high temperature failure of equipment.

On the other hand, in an information communication machine room (data center), a system that uses a base (ambient) air conditioner and / or a spot air conditioner to control the cooling capacity and the air volume based on the intake air temperature or the blowout temperature is common. There is (for example, Patent Document 1). In this case, since the operation status of the server group is not taken into consideration, the present situation is that the progress of the ICT technology such as the virtualization technology cannot be followed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-26500

It is possible to cope with such changes in the operating load of the server group by maintaining the entire machine room at a low temperature in advance, or by supplying an air volume that matches the maximum air volume of the server from the air conditioner. This leads to an increase in cooling or blower power, which is against the demand for energy saving.
The present invention is for solving such problems, and generates a local high-temperature region even if the server operation load is unevenly distributed due to the concentration / distribution of data processing due to the application of virtualization technology. The present invention provides a method for controlling an air conditioning system without any problems.

The gist of the present invention is as follows. That is, the control method of the air conditioning system according to the present invention is:
(1) The ICT equipment group housed in the information communication machine room is cooled by one or more air conditioners, and the temperature sensor provided in the room or the temperature sensor possessed by the air conditioner detects high and low temperatures. The cooling capacity or / and the air volume of the air conditioner are controlled based on the operation load information of one or more ICT devices belonging to the cooling target zone shared by one air conditioner earlier than the above.
In the present invention, “ICT equipment” refers to information communication equipment / devices such as servers, storages, and routers.
In the present invention, the “air conditioner” includes one or both of a base (ambient) air conditioner and a spot (local) air conditioner.

(2) The operating load information includes an operating load fluctuation value after switching the data processing sharing to the one or more ICT devices.
(3) The operation load information includes an operation load fluctuation prediction value that accompanies switching of data processing sharing to the one or more ICT devices.
By controlling the air conditioning function based on the predicted operating load fluctuation value, it is possible to cool the room in advance before the device generates heat.
(4) The operating load information of the ICT device is power consumption information of the one or more ICT devices.
(5) The operating load information of the ICT device is cooling fan air volume information of the one or more ICT devices.
(6) The operating load information of the ICT device is temperature information measured by a temperature sensor included in the one or more ICT devices.
As “operating load information”, it is effective to use power consumption information, cooling fan airflow information, and temperature information, which are direct indicators for grasping or predicting a device heat generation state.

  Compared with a conventional air conditioning method in which a temperature sensor in a room or an air conditioner indirectly detects a heat generation state of an ICT device and cools the device, the present invention directly grasps or predicts the heat generation state and cools the device. Therefore, quicker control is possible, and the risk of high temperature failure of equipment / devices can be avoided.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control method for an air conditioning system according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. In order to avoid redundant description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the respective drawings. Needless to say, the scope of the present invention is described in the claims and is not limited to the following embodiments.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, a change in power consumption of each server accompanying server-side data processing sharing switching is fed back to control the cooling capacity of the corresponding spot air conditioner (FB control).
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the cooling target zone Z1 of the rack-type air conditioner 5-1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an air conditioning control flow in the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioning system 1 is housed in an information communication machine room 2 and a plurality of server racks (hereinafter referred to as racks) 4 constituting a rack row 6 are connected to an air conditioner 3 that is an ambient air conditioner, and The system is cooled by rack type air conditioners 5-1 to 5-4 which are spot air conditioners arranged in each rack row 6.

The air conditioner 3 is mainly composed of an indoor unit 3a provided with an evaporator, a blower, etc. (not shown) and an outdoor unit 3b provided with a compressor, a condenser, etc., and sucked into the indoor unit 3a. The indoor air is cooled by using a heat exchanger and heat generated in the refrigeration cycle operation, and supplied to the room through a double floor space 2a (see FIG. 2) by a blower.
Referring also to FIG. 2, the rack row 6 is composed of a plurality of server racks 4 of the same module arranged in a horizontal row. A plurality of servers 4a are stacked in the rack 4, and each server 4a has a cooling fan 4b. As a result, the entire rack is configured to suck in cool air from the front, cool the inside of the equipment, and then exhaust hot air from the back.

Each rack 4 is arranged so that the intake surface and the intake surface of the adjacent rows face each other, and the exhaust surface and the exhaust surface face each other, so that the cold aisle 9 is provided on the intake surface side and the hot aisle is provided on the exhaust surface side. 10 is formed. A perforated panel 2 d is laid in the opening 2 c of the floor surface of the cold aisle 9, and the cold air supplied from the air conditioner 3 is blown out to the cold aisle 9.
In each rack row 6, rack type air conditioners 5-1 to 5-4 are arranged as spot air conditioners in the vicinity of a rack that stores a server having a large internal heat generation. Each rack type air conditioner is placed in the same module as the rack 4, and the intake / exhaust direction is opposite to that of each rack 4. That is, it is arranged so as to suck in high-temperature exhaust in the hot aisle space and blow out cooling air to the cold aisle side.

The rack type air conditioner 5-1 includes an indoor unit 5a including an evaporator 5e, a blower 5b, and a control unit 5d as main components, and an outdoor unit including a compressor and a condenser (not shown) as main components (see FIG. And a refrigerant pipe 5c for connecting them. The control unit 5d is configured to calculate the cooling output based on the compressor frequency and the rotation speed of the blower 5b and to output the cooling output to the air conditioner control device 8. The air conditioners 5-2 to 5-4 have the same configuration. The compressor may be arranged on the indoor unit side.
In the left cold aisle 9, there are set cooling target zones Z1 and Z2 which the rack type air conditioners 5-1 and 5-2 share. Each rack-type air conditioner supplies cold air so as to maintain a cold / air balance in the control target space to be shared. Taking the zone Z1 as an example, the cooling output Wa of the ambient air conditioner 3 supplied from the floor is constant, while the cooling capacity Ws of the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is the server group in the zone as will be described later. It is set variably according to the power consumption.

The control system of the air conditioning system 1 includes, as main components, an ICT equipment management server (hereinafter referred to as a management server) 7b, an air conditioner control device 8, and an integrated control server 7a that performs integrated control in cooperation with both. Yes. The management server 7b distributes the data processing instructed from the host server (not shown) to each server by applying the virtualization technology, and the operation load information (CPU operation rate information, Power consumption information, fan rotation speed information, and the like) are transmitted to the air conditioner control device 8 via the integrated control server 7a.
The air conditioner control device 8 instructs the control units of the air conditioners 5-1 to 5-4 to control the cooling capacity based on the operating load information transmitted from the management server 7b via the integrated control server 7a. It is configured.

The air conditioning system 1 is configured as described above. Next, an FB control flow of the rack type air conditioner 5-1 performed based on a change in the CPU operating rate will be described with reference to FIG.
The management server 7b grasps the current CPU operating rate of each server for each predetermined time span (S101). Next, for the next time span, the optimum data processing sharing that maximizes the entire data processing capacity or minimizes the overall power consumption is calculated (S102), and the shared data processing is instructed to each server (S102). S103). Further, the actual power consumption value of each server based on the command after switching is grasped (S104), and the total power consumption in the zone Z1 (this value can be regarded as the server group heat generation amount in the zone Z1) is calculated. Subsequently, the power consumption actual value (Wt) information of a zone unit is transmitted to the air conditioner control apparatus 8 via the integrated control server 7a (S105).

On the other hand, on the air conditioner control device 8 side, the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is operated with default values for both the compressor frequency and the blower air volume in the initial state (S121). Further, feedback control is performed based on the intake air temperature (or the blown air temperature). When the power consumption information for each zone in S104 is transmitted, the current total cooling output Wp (= Wa + Ws) of the ambient air conditioner 3 and the rack type air conditioner 5-1 in the zone Z1 is calculated (S122). Next, the power consumption value (heat generation amount) Wt of the server group in the zone Z1 is compared with the current total cooling output Wp (S123, S124). When Wt> Wp + α, the compressor frequency of the air conditioner 5-1 and / or the fan air volume is increased by one step to increase the cooling output (S125). When Wt <Wp−α, the compressor frequency or / and the fan air volume are decreased by one step to decrease the cooling output (S126). Α is a differential for avoiding chattering.
By performing the above control for each data processing sharing switch, it is possible to quickly cool the periphery of the server whose power consumption has increased.

In the present embodiment, the example in which the cooling output of the rack type air conditioner is adjusted based on the power consumption information is shown, but the cooling output of the ambient air conditioner 3 may be adjusted.
Further, if the relationship between the CPU operating rate and the power consumption is clarified, the cooling output of the air conditioner may be adjusted based on the CPU operating rate.
Moreover, although the management server 7b calculated the power consumption of a zone unit, and showed to the air-conditioner control apparatus 8 via the integrated control server 7a, the power consumption information of each ICT apparatus sent from the management server 7b was shown. Based on the above, the integrated control server 7a may calculate the power consumption for each zone. Furthermore, it is good also as a form which calculates the power consumption of a zone unit by the air-conditioner control apparatus 8 side based on the power consumption information of each ICT apparatus transmitted via the integrated control server 7a from the management server 7b.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the first embodiment controls the cooling capacity of the corresponding air conditioner in accordance with the FB control, that is, the power consumption change of each server after switching the data processing sharing. On the other hand, this embodiment is feedforward (FF) control, that is, predicting a change in power consumption of each server due to switching, and controlling the cooling capacity of the corresponding air conditioner in advance.

  Since the configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, redundant description is omitted. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an air conditioning control flow of the present embodiment. S201 and S202 are the same as S101 and S102 of the above-described embodiment. Next, for the next time span, a predicted power consumption value is calculated based on the amount of processing distributed to each server (S203), and the predicted power consumption value (Wtf) for each zone is calculated via the integrated control server 7a. 8 (S204). Subsequently, it instructs each server to process the allocated data (S205).

On the other hand, on the air conditioner control device 8 side, the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is operated with default values for both the compressor frequency and the blower air volume in the initial state (S221). When the predicted power consumption value (Wtf) for each zone in S204 is transmitted, the current total cooling output Wp (= Wa + Ws) of the ambient air conditioner 3 and the rack type air conditioner 5-1 in the zone Z1 is calculated (S222). . Next, a predicted value (Wtf) of power consumption (corresponding to heat generation amount) in the next time span is compared with the current cooling output total Wp (S223, S224). When Wtf> Wp + α, the compressor frequency of the air conditioner 5-1 and / or the fan air volume is increased by one step to increase the cooling output (S225). When Wtf <Wp−α, the cooling output is excessive, but the following control is performed to always control to the safe side. First, the cooling output (Wp (−)) when the cooling output is lowered by one step is calculated (S226), and then Wtf and Wp (−) are compared (S227). If Wp (−) ≧ Wtf (YES in S227), the cooling capacity of the air conditioner 5-1 is lowered by one step (S228). When Wp (−) <Wtf (NO in S227), feedback control is continued.
By performing the above control at the timing of data processing sharing switching, it is possible to pre-cool the server periphery where power consumption increases before heat generation.

(Third embodiment)
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in that it is not based on the power consumption change, but by feeding back the fan rotation speed (air volume) change of each server and controlling the supply air volume of the spot air conditioner. is there. Since the configuration of the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment, redundant description is omitted.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the air volume balance in the zone Z1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioning control flow according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, S301 to S303 are the same as S101 to S103 in the above-described embodiment. Next, the management server 7b grasps the fan rotation speed actual value (gi) of each server based on the command after switching (S304), and transmits it to the air conditioner control device 8 via the integrated control server 7a (S305). .
On the other hand, referring also to FIG. 6, on the air conditioner control device 8 side, in the initial state, the blower 5b of the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is operated with the default air volume (S321). When the fan rotation speed information of S302 is received, the fan air volume of each server is integrated to calculate the total air volume (Gt = Σgi) of the zone Z1 (S322). Further, the total air volume Gp (= Ga + Gs) of the ambient air conditioner 3 and the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is calculated (S323). Next, the two are compared (S324). When Gp> Gt + β, it is determined that the server cooling is hindered due to insufficient cold air supply, and the fan air volume of the air conditioner 5-1 is increased by one level (S325). When Gp <Gt−β, the supply of cool air is excessive, so the fan air volume of the air conditioner 5-1 is decreased by one step (S126). Note that β is a differential for avoiding chattering.
By performing the above control at the switching timing of data processing sharing, it is possible to quickly increase the amount of cool air supplied around the server where the fan rotation speed has increased.

(Fourth embodiment)
Still another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The difference between this embodiment and the third embodiment is that it does not control the supply air volume of the corresponding air conditioner in response to changes in the fan rotation speed (air volume) of each server, but instead of each server associated with data processing sharing switching. Predicting a change in the number of rotations of the fan and controlling the air volume supplied to the air conditioner in advance.
Referring to FIG. 7, S401 and S402 are the same as S301 and S302 in the above-described embodiment. Next, the management server 7b calculates a predicted power consumption value of each server after the sharing switching, further obtains a predicted fan rotation number (gif) corresponding to this (S403), and sends the information via the integrated control server 7a. To the air conditioner control device 8 (S404). Subsequently, it instructs each server to process the allocated data (S405).

On the other hand, on the air conditioner control device 8 side, the blower 5b of the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is operated with a default air volume in the initial state (S421). When the fan rotation speed prediction value information in S405 is received, the fan air volume of each server is integrated to calculate the total air volume (Gtf = Σgif) in the zone Z1. Further, the total air volume Gp (= Ga + Gs) of the ambient air conditioner 3 and the rack type air conditioner 5-1 is calculated (S422). Next, the two are compared (S423). When Gp> Gtf + β, there is a problem with server cooling due to insufficient cold air supply, and the fan air volume of the air conditioner 5-1 is increased by one step (S425). When Gs <Gtf−β, the supply of cold air is excessive, but the following control is performed in order to always maintain the safe side. First, the air volume (Gp (−)) when the fan air volume is decreased by one step is calculated (S426), and then Gtf and Gp (−) are compared (S427). If Gp (−) ≧ Gtf (YES in S427), the fan air volume of the air conditioner 5-1 is decreased by one step (S428). When Gp (−) <Gtf (NO in S427), feedback control is continued.
By performing the above control prior to data processing sharing switching, it becomes possible to avoid in advance the air volume shortage in the cooling target zone where the operation rate increases.

(Fifth embodiment)
Furthermore, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the air conditioning system 20 according to this embodiment is different from the above embodiments in that the perforated panel 23 disposed in the double floor opening 22 of each zone Z <b> 1 to Z <b> 4. And floor panel fans 21-1 to 21-4, respectively. Since other configurations are the same as those of each embodiment, description thereof is omitted.
Next, the air volume control method of the air conditioning system 20 will be described with reference to FIG. It is the same as that of the third embodiment in that the change in the fan air volume of each server accompanying the sharing switching of the management server 7b is fed back to control the air volume of the rack type air conditioner. Furthermore, the present embodiment is different in that the air volume control is performed by operating the floor panel fan as necessary.

S501 to S505 and S521 to S524 are the same as S301 to S305 and S321 to S324 in the third embodiment (FIG. 3). In S521, both the floor panel fans 21-1, 21-4 are in a stopped state.
If Gp <Gt−β in S524, the amount of fan air in the air conditioner 5-1 is decreased by one step because of the excessive supply of cold air (S528). On the other hand, when Gp> Gt + β, the cold air supply is insufficient, and it is necessary to increase the cold air supply. In this case, it is determined whether or not the blower 5b of the air conditioner 5-1 has already reached the maximum air volume (S525). When the maximum air volume has not been reached, the air volume is further increased by one stage to increase the cold air supply amount (S526). When the maximum air volume has already been reached, the operation of the floor panel fan 21-1 is started in order to increase the amount of cold air supplied from the double floor space (S527). During this time, since the floor panel fan 21-4 is in a stopped state, comparing the amount of cold air supplied from the ambient air conditioner 3 to the cooling target zones Z1 and Z4 through the double floor space, Ga (1)> Ga ( 4).
As described above, by using the floor panel fan, the balance of the amount of air supplied from the ambient air conditioner to each zone can be appropriately changed. Thereby, even if it is a case where only the increase in the air volume of the spot air conditioner is insufficient for the specific cooling target zone, the supply air volume can be further increased.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the air volume is constant (ON-OFF) is shown for the operation of the floor panel fan. However, it may be variable according to the required air volume.
Moreover, although each server fan air volume change accompanying data processing sharing switching was fed back and the air-conditioner side air volume was controlled, it is also possible to adopt a form of feedforward control corresponding to the fourth embodiment.

  The present invention is widely applicable to an air conditioning system such as a machine room that houses ICT equipment / devices regardless of the type of heat source, refrigerant, air conditioning system, building structure, and the like.

It is a figure showing the whole air-conditioning system 1 composition concerning a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the cooling object zone Z1 of the rack type air conditioner 5-1. It is a figure which shows the air-conditioning control flow of 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the air-conditioning control flow of 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the air volume balance in the cooling object zone Z1 of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the air-conditioning control flow of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the air-conditioning control flow of 4th embodiment. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the air conditioning system 20 which concerns on 5th embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the air conditioning system. It is a figure which shows the air-conditioning control flow of 5th embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 20 ... Air-conditioning system 2 ... Information communication machine room 2a ... Double floor space 2d, 23 ... Perforated panel 3 ... Ambient air conditioner 4 ... Server rack 4a ... server 4b ... cooling fans 5-1 to 5-4 ... rack type air conditioner 6 ... rack row 7a ... integrated control server 7b ... ICT equipment management server 8 ... Air conditioner controller 9 ... Cold aisle 10 ... Hot aisle 21-1 to 21-4 ... Floor panel fan

Claims (6)

An air conditioning system control method for cooling an ICT equipment group housed in an information communication machine room by one or more air conditioners,
A control method for an air conditioning system, wherein one or both of the cooling capacity and the air volume of the air conditioner are controlled based on operating load information of one or more ICT devices belonging to a cooling target zone shared by one air conditioner . The method of controlling an air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the operating load information includes an operating load fluctuation value after switching the data processing sharing to the one or more ICT devices. 2. The method of controlling an air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the operating load information includes a predicted operating load fluctuation value associated with switching of data processing sharing to the one or more ICT devices. 4. The air conditioning system control method according to claim 1, wherein the operating load information of the ICT device is power consumption information of the one or more ICT devices. 4. The method of controlling an air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the operation load information of the ICT device is cooling fan air volume information of the one or more ICT devices. 4. The method of controlling an air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the operating load information of the ICT device is temperature information measured by a temperature sensor provided in the one or more ICT devices.

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