JP2010206055A - Electronic equipment cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic equipment cooling device cooling electronic equipment even if power supply of a commercial power supply stops. <P>SOLUTION: In a server rack cooling device 100, an evaporator 21 is disposed in a server rack 10 for storing a server 3, a heat source unit 30 is connected to main refrigerant piping 31 extending from the evaporator 21, the heat source unit 30 is subjected to cooling operation, and the server 3 in a cabinet 11 is cooled by the evaporator 21. The server rack cooling device 100 is equipped with: a heat storage unit 40 storing cold heat supplied by cooling operation of the heat source unit 30; and a UPS 50 capable of supplying power independently of the commercial power supply 300. When the stop of power supply from the commercial power supply 300 to the heat source unit 30 is detected, a compressor 32 is driven as a heat transport pump by operating a compressor motor 33 by the UPS 50, a refrigerant is sent out, and cold heat stored in the heat storage unit 40 is heat-transported to the evaporator 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device cooling apparatus for cooling an electronic device.

In general, an air-water heat exchanger is arranged on the air outlet side of a cabinet for housing electronic equipment, and the air blown by a fan attached to the electronic equipment housed in the cabinet is sent by the air-water heat exchanger. 2. Description of the Related Art An electronic device cooling device that cools and returns to the room is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This type of electronic device cooling apparatus is installed in a server room, for example, and cools electronic devices such as servers and network devices installed in the server room.
US Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0232945

  However, the above-described technique has a problem that the electronic device cannot be cooled when the power supply from the commercial power supply is stopped due to, for example, a power failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electronic device cooling apparatus capable of cooling an electronic device even when power supply of a commercial power supply is stopped.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a commercial power supply in which an evaporator is disposed in a cabinet containing electronic equipment, and a refrigerant pipe extending from the evaporator has a compressor and a condenser driven by an electric motor. In the electronic device cooling apparatus that connects the heat source unit driven by the cooling unit, causes the cooling operation of the heat source unit, and cools the electronic device in the cabinet by the evaporator, the cooling heat supplied by the cooling operation of the heat source unit A heat storage unit capable of storing heat, a backup power source capable of supplying power independently of the commercial power source, and a detection means for detecting a stop of power supply from the commercial power source to the heat source unit, the detection means When the stop of power supply is detected by the operation, the compressor is operated by the heat transfer pump by operating the electric motor by the backup power source. And it is driven, by sending the refrigerant of the refrigerant pipe, to heat-carrying cold thermal energy stored in the heat to the heat storage unit to the evaporator, to provide an electronic device cooling apparatus according to claim.
According to the above configuration, the electronic device cooling apparatus that cools the electronic device by the evaporator of the cabinet with the commercial power supply includes the heat storage unit that stores the cold supplied from the heat source unit by the cooling operation, and the power supply of the commercial power supply is stopped. In that case, the compressor is driven as a heat transfer pump by operating the electric motor with the backup power source, the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe is sent out, and the cold stored in the heat storage unit is transferred to the evaporator, thereby Cool the electronic equipment stored in the cabinet. For this reason, even if the power supply of the commercial power supply is stopped due to a power failure or the like, the electronic device can be cooled by the operation of the compressor. Furthermore, by using the cold energy stored during the cooling operation, it is not necessary to generate the cold energy when the power supply is stopped, so the backup power supply only needs to be able to carry heat by the compressor, and the power consumption when the power supply is stopped. Is small. In particular, when the refrigerant is sent out and transported by heat, it is not necessary to compress the refrigerant to high temperature and high pressure by the compressor, so the power consumption of the motor is smaller than that during cooling operation. The amount of power is small. As a result, the power consumption of the backup power supply can be suppressed, and a long-time power failure can be handled. In addition, the capacity of the backup power supply can be suppressed without reducing the capability to cope with a power failure, and the cost and installation space can be saved.

Moreover, the said structure WHEREIN: The said heat storage unit may be provided in the said heat-source unit.
In this case, by providing the heat storage unit in the heat source unit, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the cabinet and the indoor space in which the cabinet is installed.
In the above configuration, the heat storage unit includes a heat storage tank containing a heat storage body, one end connected to the discharge side of the condenser via an expansion valve, and the other end sucked into the compressor. And a refrigerant pipe connected to the side.
In this case, the heat storage tank includes a heat storage body and a refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve from the condenser flows to the suction side of the compressor through the refrigerant pipe, so that heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the heat storage body in the refrigerant pipe. Therefore, cold heat can be efficiently and quickly stored in the heat storage body.
In the above configuration, the heat storage unit is provided in the ice heat storage tank and the ice heat storage tank, and one end is connected to the discharge side of the condenser via an expansion valve, and the other end is connected to the suction side of the compressor. The refrigerant pipe may be provided.
In this case, by using water (ice) having a large heat capacity as a heat storage body, a large amount of cold energy can be stored quickly and efficiently, and the electronic device can be reliably cooled when the power supply of the commercial power supply is stopped by this large amount of cold heat. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device cooling apparatus that can cool an electronic device even when the power supply of the commercial power supply is stopped due to a power failure or the like, and consumes less power when the power supply is stopped.

Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a server rack cooling device 100 (electronic device cooling device) according to an embodiment.
A server room 2 shown in FIG. 1 is a room in which a server rack 10 in which a server 3 (FIG. 2) as an electronic device to be cooled is accommodated is cooled (air-conditioned) by an air conditioner 1 for indoor cooling. Is done.

The indoor cooling air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit (not shown) and an indoor unit 130 installed in the ceiling space of the server room 2, and the indoor unit 130 includes an indoor heat exchanger 131 and an indoor fan 132. ing.
When the server room 2 is cooled, the indoor cooling air conditioner 1 causes the indoor heat exchanger 131 to function as an evaporator, and a plurality of air conditioners 1 provided on the ceiling via the duct 144 by the negative pressure generated by the indoor fan 132. Air in the room is sucked from (in this embodiment, three) inlets 142, passed through the indoor heat exchanger 131, cooled, and then led to the underfloor space 146 through the duct 145. The air guided to the underfloor space 146 blows out into the room from the air outlet 147 provided on the floor, cools the server room 2, and is then sucked in through the air inlet 142 again. In this way, air circulates between the server room 2 and the indoor unit 130, and the inside of the server room 2 is cooled.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the server rack 10.
The server rack 10 includes a cabinet 11 whose front and rear surfaces are open. A caster 13 is provided at the bottom of the cabinet 11 so that the server rack 10 can be easily moved.

  Inside the cabinet 11, a plurality of servers 3 are stacked one above the other with their backs facing the rear surface of the cabinet 11. The server 3 includes, for example, a blade server and includes a cooling fan 4. When the temperature in the server 3 exceeds a predetermined temperature, the server 4 drives the fan 4 and introduces outside air into the server 3. 3 is provided with a forced air cooling function for exhausting air from the back surface. For this reason, by disposing the back surface of the server 3 toward the back surface of the cabinet 11, when the fan 4 is driven, the fan 4 causes the indoor air in the server room 2 to be discharged from the cabinet front opening 64 by the fan 4, as indicated by a broken line arrow in FIG. After being sucked in and the server 3 is cooled, it passes through the rear door 12 and is discharged into the server room 2.

  The server 3 is supplied with power from a UPS (Uninterruptible Power supply), causing a power failure in the commercial power supply 300 due to a lightning strike or the like, or from the commercial power supply 300 to the heat source unit 30. When the power supply from the commercial power supply 300 is stopped due to the operation of a safety device (shutoff device) disposed between them, the server 3 and the fan 4 operate in response to the supply of power from the UPS. continue. The power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is stopped for a very short time (so-called momentary power failure) to a power outage for a long time. In any case, power is supplied by UPS. This UPS incorporates a battery (not shown) and supplies power from a commercial power source during normal operation, and supplies power from the battery when the commercial power source stops. More specifically, the UPS keeps the battery in a charged state with a commercial power source, supplies power to the server 3 based on the commercial power source when commercial power is supplied, and immediately turns off the battery when the commercial power source stops power supply. Switch to a DC power source based on power or an AC power source generated by an inverter from this DC power source.

On the rear surface of the cabinet 11, a rear door 12 is provided that opens and closes the rear surface opening 65 so as to be freely closed. By opening the rear door 12, the server 3 in the cabinet 11 can be accessed. The rear door 12 is configured to be freely ventilated, and an evaporator 21 is disposed therein.
As shown in FIG. 2, the evaporator 21 is configured integrally with the rear door 12 of the server rack 10, extends substantially vertically above and below the rear door 12, and is an upper evaporation portion with a substantially middle portion between the upper and lower sides as a boundary. 22 and the lower evaporator 23, and the upper evaporator 22 is responsible for cooling the upper half server 3 of the cabinet 11, and the lower evaporator 23 is responsible for cooling the lower server 3. The server rack 10 of the present embodiment does not include a blower fan, and air heated by the exhaust heat of the server 3 by the fan 4 built in the server 3 circulates through the evaporator 21. In this configuration, since the depth dimension of the rear door 12 is shortened because the blower fan is not incorporated, there is an advantage that the depth dimension of the server rack 10 itself can be shortened. Thus, the indoor air may be introduced into the cabinet 11 and the air passing through the server 3 may be circulated to the evaporator 21.

  The evaporator 21 is configured by, for example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger including a copper tube and aluminum plate fins. As shown in FIG. 1, a main refrigerant pipe 31 (liquid pipe 31A and gas pipe 31B) extending from the heat source unit 30 is connected to the copper pipe of the evaporator 21 via flexible pipes (flexible liquid pipe 25 and flexible gas pipe 26). As a result, the refrigerant circuit 18 is formed.

  The main refrigerant pipe 31 is routed in the underfloor space between the upper floor 2A and the lower floor 2B of the server room 2, and the flexible liquid pipe 25 and the flexible gas pipe 26 connected to the main refrigerant pipe 31 are connected to the upper floor 2A. It connects with the evaporator 21 in the rear door 12 through the opening hole 2C (FIG. 2). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2, after the flexible liquid pipe 25 and the flexible gas pipe 26 extend downward from the evaporator 21, the flexible liquid pipe 25 and the flexible gas pipe are drawn so as to bend gently in the underfloor space. By giving a margin to the length of the pipe 26, only the flexible liquid pipe 25 and the flexible gas pipe 26 move in accordance with the movement of the rear door 12 when the rear door 12 is opened and closed. Accordingly, no force is applied to the other pipes when the rear door 12 is opened and closed, and the steel pipes can be applied to the other pipes, for example, the liquid pipe 31A and the gas pipe 31B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat source unit 30 includes a variable capacity compressor 32, a compressor motor 33 (electric motor), an outdoor fan motor 34 that drives an outdoor fan 37, a condenser 35, an electric expansion valve 36, and a control unit. 80. The compressor motor 33, the outdoor fan motor 34, and other components are supplied with power from the commercial power supply 300.
Then, the compressor 32 driven by the compressor motor 33 compresses and discharges the refrigerant charged in the refrigerant circuit 18, whereby the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit 18 and performs a refrigeration cycle operation (cooling operation). . In this refrigeration cycle operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 32 is sent to the condenser 35 and exchanges heat with the outside air blown by the outdoor fan 37 in the condenser 35 to become a liquid refrigerant. Sent. In the expansion valve 36, the liquid refrigerant becomes a low-pressure liquid refrigerant and is sent to the liquid pipe 31 </ b> A, enters the evaporator 21 through the flexible liquid pipe 25, and evaporates in the evaporator 21. The low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 21 reaches the heat source unit 30 from the flexible gas pipe 26 through the gas pipe 31B, is sucked into the suction pipe 32A of the compressor 32, and is compressed again.

  The heat source unit 30 includes a heat storage unit 40. The heat storage unit 40 of the present embodiment includes a heat storage tank 41 that stores water as a heat storage body, and a refrigerant pipe 42 that passes through the heat storage tank 41. The refrigerant that passes through the refrigerant pipe 42 and the water in the heat storage tank 41. This is an ice heat storage unit that stores cold energy with ice in the heat storage tank 41 by exchanging heat with each other. As the heat storage body accommodated in the heat storage tank 41, water (ice), paraffin, synthetic resin, or the like can be used, and the liquid or solid phase changes. Either of the ones to keep. Moreover, as a heat storage body, you may use not only what performs latent heat heat storage but what performs sensible heat storage. In the present embodiment, water is used as an example to increase the heat storage capacity and reduce the cost.

The refrigerant circuit 18 of the heat source unit 30 is branched into two on the discharge side of the expansion valve 36, one of which is connected to the liquid pipe 31 </ b> A via the electromagnetic valve 46, and the other is the refrigerant pipe 42 of the heat storage unit 40. Are connected at one end.
The other end of the refrigerant pipe 42 is branched, and one is connected to a suction pipe 32A of the compressor 32, and an electromagnetic valve 47 is provided at a connection portion between the refrigerant pipe 42 and the suction pipe 32A. The other end of the refrigerant pipe 42 is connected to the liquid pipe 31A. A check valve 48 is provided between the refrigerant pipe 42 and the liquid pipe 31A to prevent the refrigerant from flowing from the liquid pipe 31A to the suction pipe 32A on the outlet side of the refrigerant pipe 42.
The solenoid valves 46 and 47 are valves that open when energized (ON state) and close when not energized (OFF state). The control unit 80 controls ON / OFF of the solenoid valves 46 and 4. Switching is possible.
Further, an electric valve 38 that is opened and closed by the control of the control unit 80 is provided between the refrigerant pipe on the discharge side of the expansion valve 36 and one end of the refrigerant pipe 42, while the electric valve 38 is opened. The refrigerant flows from the expansion valve 36 to the refrigerant pipe 42.

The indoor cooling air conditioner 1 can execute a cooling operation for cooling the server rack 10 by the evaporator 21 and a cold storage operation for accumulating cold heat in the heat storage unit 40 when the above-described refrigeration cycle operation is executed.
When only the server rack 10 is cooled during the cooling operation, the expansion valve 36 is adjusted to an opening degree corresponding to the cooling load, and the electromagnetic valve 46 is opened. The motor-operated valve 38 between the discharge side of the expansion valve 36 and the refrigerant pipe 42 is closed, and the electromagnetic valve 47 provided at the other end of the refrigerant pipe 42 is also closed. As a result, the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 35 as described above flows from the liquid pipe 31 </ b> A to the evaporator 21 through the expansion valve 36 and the electromagnetic valve 46. At this time, since the motor-operated valve 38 is closed, the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 36 does not flow to the heat storage unit 40.

  On the other hand, in the cold storage operation in which the server rack 10 is cooled together with the cooling, the expansion valve 36 is adjusted to the opening degree corresponding to the cooling load, and the electric valve 38 and the electromagnetic valve 47 are opened. For this reason, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 32 flows into the refrigerant pipe 42 through the condenser 35 and the expansion valve 36. In the refrigerant pipe 42, the high-pressure refrigerant evaporates and exchanges heat with the water in the heat storage tank 41 to cool the water and generate ice, whereby cold heat is stored in the heat storage tank 41. The refrigerant having exchanged heat in the refrigerant pipe 42 flows through the solenoid valve 47 to the suction pipe 32A, and returns from the suction pipe 32A to the compressor 32. Since the electromagnetic valve 46 is opened during the cold storage operation, the remainder of the refrigerant that has flowed out of the expansion valve 36 to the refrigerant pipe 42 flows to the liquid pipe 31A through the electromagnetic valve 46, and the server rack. 10 is used for cooling.

The cold energy stored in the heat storage unit 40 is used to cool the server rack 10 when the supply of commercial power to the indoor cooling air conditioner 1 is stopped. At the time of this power failure, the expansion valve 36 is fully opened and the motor-operated valve 38 is opened by the power of the UPS 50 described later. On the other hand, the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47 are turned off when the power supply is cut off, and are automatically closed.
Here, under the control of the control unit 80, the compressor 32 is driven with an output capable of causing the refrigerant to flow. By the operation of the compressor 32, the refrigerant is sent to the refrigerant pipe 42 through the condenser 35, the expansion valve 36, and the electric valve 38. This refrigerant takes the cold stored in the heat storage tank 41 and flows from the refrigerant pipe 42 through the heat storage tank 41 to the liquid pipe 31A. The refrigerant that has flowed from the liquid pipe 31 </ b> A to the evaporator 21 returns to the suction pipe 32 </ b> A through the gas pipe 31 </ b> B and is sent out again by the compressor 32.

  Since the expansion valve 36 is fully opened and the compressor 32 is driven in this way, the compressor 32 does not compress the refrigerant as in the cooling operation and the cold storage operation described above, and acts as a simple refrigerant transport (flow) pump. The In other words, at the time of a power failure when the power supply is stopped, the compressor 32 is operated as a pump so as to be in a heat transfer operation rather than a so-called refrigeration cycle operation, so the load applied to the compressor 32 is compared with that in the refrigeration cycle operation. And get smaller. For this reason, the cooling operation of the server rack 10 can be continued even during a power failure while keeping the power consumption small.

  The heat source unit 30 is provided with a UPS 50. The UPS 50 as a backup power source is supplied from the commercial power source 300 due to a power failure of the commercial power source 300 caused by a lightning strike or the like, or an operation of a safety device disposed between the commercial power source 300 and the heat source unit 30 as described above. When the power supply is stopped, power is supplied from the UPS 50 to each part of the heat source unit 30. There are various ways to stop the power supply of the commercial power supply 300, such as an instantaneous power failure for a short time or a power outage for a long time. In any case, power supply by the UPS 50 is performed. The UPS 50 incorporates a battery (not shown), supplies power from a commercial power source to each part of the heat source unit 30 during normal times, and supplies power from the battery when the commercial power source stops. More specifically, the UPS 50 keeps the battery in a charged state with a commercial power supply, supplies power to the server 3 based on the commercial power supply when the commercial power is supplied, and immediately stops the battery power supply when the commercial power supply stops. Switch to a DC power source based on power or an AC power source generated by an inverter from this DC power source. The UPS 50 included in the heat source unit 30 may also serve as a UPS that supplies power to the server 3 in a power supply stop state as described above, or the UPS described above may be provided separately from the UPS 50.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the server rack cooling apparatus 100. In this figure, the solid line indicates the control line, and the broken line indicates the power supply line.
The control unit 80 centrally controls each part of the server rack cooling device 100 and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like.
Server temperature sensors 29E and 29F (FIG. 2) that are provided in the server rack 10 and detect the temperature in the server rack 10 are connected to the control unit 80, and the server rack 10 is connected to the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F. A detection signal indicating the temperature inside is input to the control unit 80. The server temperature sensor 29E is provided at a position corresponding to the upper evaporation unit 22, and the server temperature sensor 29F is provided at a position corresponding to the lower evaporation unit 23. The control unit 80 obtains the temperature in the server rack 10 by using, for example, a statistical technique based on the detection signals input from the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F.

The control unit 80 controls the compressor motor 33, the expansion valve 36, the electric valve 38, the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47, and the outdoor fan based on the temperature of the evaporator 21 obtained from the detection signals input from the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F. The motor 34 is controlled to perform a cooling operation. The control unit 80 controls the motor-operated valve 38 and the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47 based on the temperature of the evaporator 21, and switches supply / stop of supply of the refrigerant to the refrigerant pipe 42, thereby cooling the heat storage tank 41. A heat storage operation is performed to store heat.
Electric power is supplied from the commercial power source 300 to the compressor motor 33, the expansion valve 36, the electric valve 38, the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47, the outdoor fan motor 34 and the control unit 80. Further, the control unit 80, the expansion valve 36, the electric valve 38, and the compressor motor 33 can be supplied with power by the UPS 50.

  When the power supply from the commercial power supply 300 is normal, the control unit 80 selects the commercial power supply 300 as a power supply source to the heat source unit 30 by a switch circuit (not shown). On the other hand, when the supply of electric power from the commercial power supply 300 to the heat source unit 30 is stopped, the UPS 50 is selected as a supply source of electric power to the heat source unit 30, and the compressor motor 33, the expansion valve 36, and the electric valve 38 are selected from the UPS 50. , And power is supplied to the control unit 80. The control unit 80 is always supplied with electric power from the UPS 50, and the operation continues even when the supply of electric power from the commercial power source 300 to the heat source unit 30 is stopped.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server rack cooling apparatus 100.
In the operation shown in this flowchart, the control unit 80 functions as detection means for detecting the occurrence of a power supply stop state from the commercial power supply 300 to the heat source unit 30.

While the server rack cooling device 100 is normally supplied with power from the commercial power supply 300, the control unit 80 performs normal operation related to cooling of the server 3 (step S11) and drives the compressor motor 33. At the same time, the opening degree of the expansion valve 36 is adjusted, the electromagnetic valve 46 is opened, the electromagnetic valve 47 is closed, and a cooling operation for cooling the evaporator 21 of the server rack 10 is performed (step S12). At the same time, the control unit 80 monitors the power supply state from the commercial power supply 300 (step S13).
In this cooling operation, the control unit 80 detects the temperature in the server rack 10 (the temperature of the evaporator 21) based on the detection signals input from the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F, and also the temperature in the server rack 10. The compressor motor 33 and the outdoor fan motor 34 are controlled based on the difference between the target rack temperature and the target temperature, so that the server rack 10 is set to the target temperature. This target temperature is a value set in advance as a suitable operating environment temperature of the server 3. The operating environment of electronic devices such as general servers and network devices is set to an appropriate temperature of 17 to 26 ° C., and the target temperature is set to 20 ° C., for example.

  When the control unit 80 detects the stop of power supply (power supply stop state) (step S13; Yes), the control unit 80 shifts each part of the heat source unit 30 to the stop state (step S14). In step S14, the compressor motor 33 and the outdoor fan motor 34 that have been stopped due to the stop of the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 shift to a stopped state, and the control data of the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F are initialized. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the compressor motor 33 and the outdoor fan motor 34 from suddenly operating when the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is restored, and the operation can be resumed normally from the initial state. At this time, the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47 are automatically turned off and closed when the supply of the commercial power supply 300 is stopped.

Subsequently, the control unit 80 sets the opening of the expansion valve 36 to be fully open based on the power source of the UPS 50, drives the compressor motor 33 using the UPS 50 as a power source, and starts the operation of the compressor 32 (step S15). ). Here, the compressor 32 performs a pressure feeding operation in which the refrigerant is delivered at a pressure much lower than that during the refrigeration cycle operation. In this pumping operation, the pressure for compressing the refrigerant is much lower than in the refrigeration cycle operation, so the load on the compressor motor 33 is significantly lighter and the amount of power consumption is small.
The refrigerant pumped to the compressor 32 flows in the refrigerant circuit 18, the cold heat of the heat storage tank 41 is transferred by heat through the refrigerant, and the evaporator 21 is cooled. Further, since the opening degree of the expansion valve 36 is fully opened, the resistance when the refrigerant passes through the expansion valve 36 is small, and the refrigerant can be circulated by the compressor 32 with a small amount of electric power. Further, the control unit 80 monitors whether or not the power supply of the commercial power source 300 has been restored during the operation of the compressor 32 (step S16). If the power supply is restored, the process proceeds to step S17. Return to the operation.

While the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is not stopped (step S13; No) and after the power supply is restored (step S16; Yes), the control unit 80 is based on the detection signals of the server temperature sensors 29E and 29F. The cooling load a is detected based on the temperature of the evaporator 21 and the like obtained in step S17 (step S17).
Subsequently, the control unit 80 compares the cooling load a with the cooling capacity b by the heat source unit 30 (step S18). If the cooling load a is equal to or greater than the cooling capacity b (step S18; No), the control unit 80 returns to step S12. When the cooling operation is continued and the cooling load a is less than the cooling capacity b (step S18; Yes), the motor-operated valve 38 and the electromagnetic valves 46 and 47 are opened, and together with the cooling operation, the refrigerant pipe 42 The refrigerant is supplied to the heat storage tank 41 to perform cold storage operation for storing cold heat (step S19).
Thereafter, the control unit 80 continues the cold storage operation until a predetermined time set in advance (step S20), and returns to step S12 after the predetermined time elapses.

  In the above operation, the control unit 80 has been described as determining that the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is stopped in step S13. However, the control unit 80 constantly monitors the commercial power supply 300 to stop the power supply of the commercial power supply 300. If it is detected, the operation after step S14 may be started by interrupt processing, and the processing that has been executed until then may be stopped or interrupted.

  As described above, the server rack cooling apparatus 100 according to the embodiment to which the present invention is applied cools the server 3 by the evaporator 21 of the cabinet 11 with the commercial power supply 300 and stores the cold supplied from the heat source unit 30. In the case where the heat storage unit 40 is provided and the cold storage operation is performed during the cooling operation to store heat in the heat storage unit 40 and the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is stopped, the compressor motor 33 is operated using the UPS 50 as a power source, and the compressor 32 is Driven as a heat transfer pump, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 18 is sent out and the cold energy stored in the heat storage unit 40 is transferred to the evaporator 21 to cool the server 3 housed in the server rack 10. For this reason, the server 3 can be cooled even when the power supply of the commercial power supply 300 is stopped due to a power failure or the like. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to generate cold when the power supply is stopped by using the cold stored in the heat storage unit 40 during the cooling operation, the UPS 50 only needs to be able to drive the compressor motor 33. In this case, the compressor motor 33 The power consumption is very small compared to the refrigeration cycle operation. This is because it is not necessary to compress the refrigerant to a high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 32 when the refrigerant is sent out for heat conveyance. In addition, the expansion valve 36 is fully opened at the time of heat conveyance, so that the compressor The load of the motor 33 is made smaller. Accordingly, since the amount of power consumption required for the UPS 50 when driving the compressor motor 33 is small, even a small UPS 50 can cope with a long-time power supply stop state. Further, the capacity of the UPS 50 can be suppressed without reducing the capability to cope with a power failure, and the cost and installation space related to the UPS 50 can be saved.

Moreover, since the heat storage unit 40 is provided in the heat source unit 30, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the server rack 10 or the server room 2.
The heat storage unit 40 is provided with a heat storage tank 41 containing a heat storage body, one end connected to the discharge side of the condenser 35 via the expansion valve 36, and the other end connected to the suction side of the compressor 32. Since the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 36 from the condenser 35 flows to the suction side of the compressor 32 through the refrigerant pipe 42, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the heat storage body in the refrigerant pipe 42. Therefore, cold heat can be efficiently and quickly stored in the heat storage body.
Furthermore, since the heat storage tank 41 included in the heat storage unit 40 is an ice heat storage tank that stores water as a heat storage body, a large amount of cold energy can be stored quickly and efficiently by using water (ice) having a large heat capacity as the heat storage body. The large-capacity cooling heat can reliably cool the server 3 when the commercial power supply 300 stops supplying power.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the server 3 is housed in the server rack 10 as an electronic device and the server 3 is cooled. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and network devices, telephone switches, and the like are used. It can be applied to cooling various devices including communication devices. A conventionally known method can be used as a method for the control unit 80 to detect the stop of the power supply of the commercial power supply 300. Further, for example, in each of the above embodiments, the number of server racks 10 installed in the server room 2, the capacity of the condenser 35 in the heat source unit 30, and the like can be arbitrarily changed. Furthermore, although UPS was used as a backup power source, the backup power source is not limited to UPS, and any power source can be used as long as it can supply power independently of a commercial power source. A power supply can be used. Moreover, the specific shape etc. of the heat storage tank 41 which the evaporator 21 and the heat storage unit 40 have are arbitrary, and it can change arbitrarily also about another detailed structure.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the server rack cooling device which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of a server rack. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of a server rack cooling device. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a server rack cooling device.

3 Server (electronic equipment)
10 Server rack 11 Cabinet 21 Evaporator 30 Heat source unit 31 Main refrigerant piping (refrigerant piping)
32 Compressor 33 Compressor motor (electric motor)
35 Condenser 36 Electric expansion valve 40 Thermal storage unit 41 Thermal storage tank (thermal storage tank, ice thermal storage tank)
42 Refrigerant tube (refrigerant piping)
50 UPS (backup power supply)
80 Control unit (detection means)
100 Server rack cooling system (electronic equipment cooling system)
300 Commercial power supply

Claims (4)

An evaporator is disposed in a cabinet containing electronic equipment, a refrigerant pipe extending from the evaporator is connected to a heat source unit having a compressor and a condenser driven by an electric motor and driven by a commercial power source, and the heat source In an electronic device cooling apparatus that cools a unit and cools the electronic device in the cabinet by the evaporator,
A heat storage unit capable of storing the cold supplied by the cooling operation of the heat source unit; and
A backup power source capable of supplying power independently of the commercial power source;
Detecting means for detecting a stop of power supply from the commercial power source to the heat source unit,
When the stop of the power supply is detected by the detection means, the compressor is driven as a heat transfer pump by operating the electric motor by the backup power source, and the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe is sent out, and the heat storage unit An electronic device cooling apparatus, wherein the cold energy stored in the heat is transferred to the evaporator.   The electronic apparatus cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the heat storage unit is provided in the heat source unit.   The heat storage unit includes a heat storage tank containing a heat storage body, a refrigerant provided in the heat storage tank, one end connected to the discharge side of the condenser via an expansion valve, and the other end connected to the suction side of the compressor The electronic device cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a tube.   The heat storage unit includes an ice heat storage tank, and a refrigerant pipe provided at one end of the ice heat storage tank, connected to the discharge side of the condenser via an expansion valve, and connected to the suction side of the compressor. The electronic device cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus cooling apparatus is provided.

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