JP2011108015A - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for supplying cold air to each IT apparatus stored in a rack in just proportion so that the cold air reaches the upper part of the rack at a temperature required for cooling an information processing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioning system includes an air conditioning unit 3, a blowing port 9, a blowing amount adjusting means 4 adjusting the air flow of the blowing cold air from the blowing port 9 for every rack 2 based on the temperature difference between the air flowing into an upper part of each rack 2 and the air flowing into a lower part, or based on the temperature difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper part, a generation amount adjusting means 5 for adjusting the air flow of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit 3 based on the maximum value or minimum value of the control amount of the blowing amount adjusting means 4 of each rack 2, and the average value of temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part and the air flowing into the lower part, and a generation temperature adjusting means 5 adjusting the temperature of the cold air generated by air conditioning unit 3 based on the average value of temperature of air flowing into the upper part of each rack 2 and the air flow of the cold air generated by air conditioning unit 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning system.

  With the development of IT (Information Technology), the amount of heat generated by IT equipment is steadily increasing. Along with this, the power consumption of the air conditioning system for cooling the IT equipment is also increasing, and the development of air conditioning technology capable of efficiently cooling the IT equipment is being carried out.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling the air volume of an exhaust fan attached to a rack according to the exhaust temperature of the server in order to reliably exhaust the heat of the server. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for performing thermal management of a computer room by installing a plurality of temperature sensors in a machine room and controlling a floor fan (fan tile). Patent Document 3 discloses a rack management device that detects the temperature in the rack and controls the fan. Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for controlling the fan speed using the temperature in the unit, the equipment rack, or the enclosure. In Patent Document 5, the air volume of each server is calculated from the rotation speeds of a plurality of fans of the server, the air flow is detected together with the server position information, and the cooling in the data center is performed according to the air flow. An air flow distribution device and a ventilation system having a controller for controlling the air flow are disclosed. Patent Document 6 discloses a technique for controlling air recirculation by increasing / decreasing the amount of supplied air.

JP 2009-140421 A Special table 2008-538406 gazette JP 2002-319082 A Special table 2009-524253 gazette JP 2006-208000 A Special table 2007-505285 Japanese Patent No. 4294560

  In a large-scale information processing facility such as a data center, a large number of racks accommodating IT devices are arranged in an information processing device room. In order to efficiently cool the IT equipment accommodated in these racks, it is important to supply the cool air to the minimum necessary for each equipment. This is because, in the case where the cold air is not supplied evenly, a phenomenon occurs in which the air volume of the entire air conditioning system is excessively supplied against energy saving in order to prevent the occurrence of equipment exceeding the allowable temperature. However, the flow of cool air in an air conditioning system that cools information processing equipment is easily affected by the installation state and operating state of IT equipment, and it is not easy to supply cool air evenly.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and the information processing equipment accommodated in the rack reaches the upper part of the rack at a temperature necessary for cooling the information processing equipment without excess or deficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for supplying the product.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, while adjusting the amount of cool air blown based on the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion of each rack and the air flowing into the lower portion, the upper portion of each rack The air volume of the cool air generated is adjusted based on the average value of the temperature difference of the air flowing into the lower part.

  Specifically, the air conditioning system performs air conditioning in an information processing equipment room in which racks that contain information processing equipment are aligned, and includes an air conditioning unit that supplies cold air to the information processing equipment room, and a floor side of the information processing equipment room Alternatively, the temperature difference between the air outlet provided on the ceiling side through which the cool air supplied by the air conditioning unit blows out, and the air flowing into the upper part of each rack and the air flowing into the lower part, or between the temperature difference and the upper part Based on the inflowing air temperature, the amount of cool air blown out from the outlet is adjusted for each rack, the maximum or minimum value of the control amount of the outlet amount adjusting means of each rack, and the upper part Based on the average value of the temperature difference between the inflowing air and the air flowing into the lower part, the generation amount adjusting means for adjusting the air volume of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit, Based on the air volume of cold air the average value of the temperature of the air flowing into the side portions air conditioning unit generates, and a generation temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature of the cool air that the air conditioning unit is generated.

  The air conditioning system is premised on air conditioning in an information processing equipment room in which racks whose airflow changes according to the load state and suction temperature of the information processing equipment are arranged. The rack accommodates information processing equipment, and the amount of cooling air changes according to the load state of the equipment. Air that cools these devices passes through the rack from the periphery of the rack and flows to the opposite side. For example, the air is sucked from the front of the rack and discharged to the back. The air passing through the rack flows by a cooling fan provided in the information processing apparatus main body or a cooling fan attached inside or outside the rack. Of the four side surfaces of the rack, the surface on the intake side of the rack row (in other words, the surface on the intake side of the IT equipment installed in the rack) and the surface on the exhaust side, which is the opposite side, are all over. It may be open and the other surface may be opened or closed by a plate-like member or the like, or may have a specific intake / exhaust port or the like. In the information processing equipment room, such racks are aligned so that at least one of the intake surface and the exhaust surface of the cooling air is aligned. The information processing equipment room is provided with a path for flowing cool air to at least one of the floor side and the ceiling side, and the cool air is blown out to each rack through this path.

  The air conditioning system is provided with an outlet from which cool air supplied from the air conditioning unit blows. Such an outlet is provided on the floor side or the ceiling side of the information processing equipment room, and cool air is provided to the intake surface of the rack. The amount of cool air blown out from the blowout port can be controlled by the blowout amount adjusting means, and the blowout amount is the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion of the rack and the air flowing into the lower portion, or the temperature It is adjusted based on the difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper part. The adjustment of the blowout amount is performed so that the information processing device is effectively cooled, and for example, the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion of the rack and the air flowing into the lower portion is reduced. Adjusted.

Further, in the above air conditioning system, the amount of cool air generated by the air conditioning unit is controlled by the generation amount adjusting means, the maximum value or the minimum value of the control amount of the blowout amount adjusting means of each rack, the air flowing into the upper part and the lower side It is adjusted based on the average value of the temperature difference with the air flowing into the part. Here, for example, an opening adjustment mechanism such as a shutter or a damper or a blower such as a small fan can be applied as the blowing amount adjusting means. The small fan can be exemplified by a propeller fan installed as a fan unit at the floor outlet. Further, the maximum and minimum values of the control amount of the blowing amount adjusting means are the opening degree when the blowing amount adjusting means is based on the opening degree adjusting mechanism, and the blowing amount or the sending amount when the blowing amount adjusting means is based on the blower. The maximum value and the minimum value such as the rotational speed of the blower correlated with the air volume are shown. The air volume adjustment of the generated cold air is performed so that the supply of cold air to each rack does not become excessive and insufficient, and the pressure in the air supply path from the air outlet unit under the floor to the floor outlet to the rack suction surface For example, when the control amount of the blowing amount adjusting means is small, the amount of cool air generated is reduced so that the pressure loss during ventilation is small. Furthermore, if the average value of the temperature difference is reduced, the air volume of the generated cool air is reduced. On the other hand, when the control amount of the blowout amount adjusting means is large, the amount of cool air generated is increased because more cool air is required. Further, in the air conditioning system, the temperature of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit is based on the average value of the air temperature flowing into the upper part of each rack by the generated temperature adjusting means and the air volume of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit. Adjusted. For example, when the average value of the inflowing air temperature is low and the amount of cold air is small, the cooling capacity is excessive, and therefore the temperature of the cold air is increased.

  With this air conditioning system, the temperature of the inflowing air is substantially uniform from the upper part to the lower part for each rack, so that the air conditioning efficiency can be improved. As a result, the amount of cool air supplied to the information processing equipment room can be reduced to the minimum required amount, and an efficient air conditioning system can be realized.

  In the information processing equipment room, rack rows in which racks are arranged are arranged in parallel across a plurality of rows, and the outlet is on the floor side or ceiling side of a passage formed between a pair of rack rows. The blowing amount adjusting means is provided with the temperature of the rack having the larger temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion and the air flowing into the lower portion of the pair of racks facing each other across the passage. Based on the difference or the temperature difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper portion, the air volume of the cool air blown out from the outlet may be adjusted. In this case, even if there is a temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part of the rack and the air flowing into the lower part of only one of the pair of racks facing each other, this temperature is controlled by the air flow control. Can correct the difference.

  The air conditioning system blows out from the outlet based on the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion of each rack and the air flowing into the lower portion, or the temperature difference and the air temperature flowing into the upper portion. You may further provide the blowing angle adjustment means which adjusts the blowing angle of cold air for every rack. With the air conditioning system configured as described above, the direction of the cold air blown out from the air outlet is appropriately adjusted, so that the air volume of the cold air adjusted by the air flow amount adjusting means is further suppressed, and efficient air conditioning is achieved. A system can be realized.

  In an information processing facility where a large number of racks containing IT devices are arranged, each information processing device accommodated in the rack reaches the upper part of the rack at the temperature required for cooling the information processing devices without excess or deficiency. Can be supplied as. Furthermore, the supply of cold air eliminates the need for a shielding plate that prevents hot air from wrapping around the intake surface of the rack, reduces material costs and construction costs, eliminates the feeling of pressure on maintenance personnel, and increases the degree of freedom of work. be able to.

It is a block diagram of an air conditioning system. It is equipment arrangement drawing of an air-conditioning system. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a damper and a rack. It is a flowchart of opening degree control. It is a flowchart of rotation speed control. It is a flowchart of temperature control. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of decreasing the opening degree of a damper. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of increasing the opening degree of a damper. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of reducing the rotation speed of an electric fan. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of increasing the rotation speed of an electric fan. It is a state figure when a part of warm air is circulating. The graph which shows temperature distribution when a part of warm air is circulating. It is a state figure when the amount of blowing is excessive. It is a figure which shows the example of application of the air conditioning system in case a rack row | line | column is two rows. It is a block diagram of the air conditioning system in the case of supplying cold air from a ceiling. It is a flowchart of the opening degree control which the control apparatus concerning a modification performs. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of reducing a blowing angle. It is a figure which shows the change at the time of increasing a blowing angle.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioning system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 is connected to a rack 2 in which IT devices (corresponding to information processing devices in the present invention) such as servers and communication devices for performing various arithmetic processes and database management are accommodated. Based on the temperature of the air conditioning unit 3 that generates the cool air to be supplied and the cold air flowing into the upper part and the lower part of the rack 2, the rotational speed of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3 and the damper 4 (in the blowout amount adjusting means in the present invention) A control device 5 for adjusting the opening degree of the The air conditioning unit 3 supplies cold air to the entire rack row. The blowout amount adjusting means may be a shutter-type damper 4, for example, a floor-mounted small fan that relays cool air supplied from the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3 (hereinafter also referred to as an auxiliary blower). It may be.

  FIG. 2 is a device layout diagram of the air conditioning system 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning system 1 is provided in a server room 6 in which a number of racks 2 are arranged. The air conditioning unit 3 installed on the floor 7 of the server room 6 is configured to send the air taken from the server room 6 into a space under the floor provided between the floor 7 and the concrete slab 8. .

  The air-conditioning unit 3 is a package cooler that incorporates a cooling coil and an electric fan. The air-conditioning unit 3 cools the air in the server room 6 by sucking air from an opening provided on the upper surface, and sends it to the space under the floor from the bottom outlet. In addition, each damper 4 is provided on the floor surface of the passage along the rack row of the racks 2 and in a 1: 1 relationship with each rack, and the amount of cool air blown out from under the floor into the server room 6 Adjust. The air conditioning unit 3 may be one in which a coil and a fan are housed in separate casings, and both are connected by a duct.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the damper 4 and the rack 2. As shown in FIG. 3, air outlets 9 are provided on the floor surface in front of each rack 2, so that the amount of cool air blown from the air outlets 9 can be adjusted for each rack 2. Eight dampers 4 are provided under the front floor. The blowout port 9 is an opening provided in the floor 7 of the server room 6 and is provided with a net-like grating so that a person or the like can pass through the air. In addition, each rack 2 is provided with a suction surface 10 for taking in air for cooling the IT equipment accommodated in the rack, and a discharge surface for discharging the taken-in air is provided on the back. . As described above, the passage having the air outlet 9 provided on the floor and the suction surface 10 of the rack 2 through which the cool air supplied to the rack 2 flows is called a cold aisle. Further, a passage adjacent to the cool air passage, in other words, a passage having the discharge surface of the rack 2 and flowing warm air exhausted from the rack 2 is referred to as hot aisle.

  Each rack 2 is provided with a cooling fan for cooling the IT equipment, and the intake / exhaust amount of each rack changes from moment to moment according to the load state and suction temperature of the IT equipment accommodated. In other words, the number of rotations of the cooling fan built in or attached to each IT device or the cooling fan mounted inside or outside the rack 2 changes according to the load state of the IT device, etc. The amount of air that is drawn into the suction surface 10 or discharged from the discharge surface changes. For this reason, the intake and exhaust amount of each rack may be different from each other. Therefore, the blowout amount of each damper 4 also needs to be adjusted appropriately according to the load state of the IT device and the suction temperature.

  Therefore, in the air conditioning system 1, the control device 5 performs the following control. FIG. 4A shows a flowchart of control performed by the control device 5 on each damper 4, and FIG. 4B shows a flowchart of control performed by the control device 5 on the air conditioning unit 3. Hereinafter, the control performed by the control device 5 will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

The control device 5 uses the upper temperature sensor 11 provided at the upper part of the suction surface 10 of each rack 2 and the lower temperature sensor 12 provided at the lower part to allow air to flow into the upper part and the lower part of each rack 2. Detect the temperature of The upper temperature sensor 11 and the lower temperature sensor 12 are provided at least on a flow path through which cool air for cooling the equipment in the rack passes and when a temperature difference is likely to occur between the two sensors when intake into the rack is insufficient. For example, it is installed around 100 mm from the upper end and the lower end of the intake mesh of the rack 2. Then, for each rack 2, a temperature difference ΔT (i) between the temperature of the air flowing into the upper portion and the temperature of the air flowing into the lower portion is calculated. Assuming that the temperature detected by each upper temperature sensor 11 is Tu (i) and the temperature detected by the lower temperature sensor 12 is Td (i), the temperature difference ΔT (i) is expressed by the following formula (1).
Formula (1): ΔT (i) = Tu (i) −Td (i)

  Here, i corresponds to the number of temperature sensors. In this embodiment, it is assumed that one upper temperature sensor 11 and one lower temperature sensor 12 are attached to each of eight racks. Is a natural number from 1 to 8. The upper limit value of i is appropriately determined according to the number of upper temperature sensors and lower temperature sensors.

  When the air conditioning system 1 is activated, the control device 5 detects whether or not the temperature difference ΔT (i) between the upper temperature and the lower temperature of each rack is equal to or less than the C value −α, as shown in FIG. 4A ( S101). This C value indicates that the air blown after the blowout amount adjusting means of each rack, such as the damper 4 and the auxiliary fan of the fan unit, does not reach the suction surface 10 of the rack 2, and the warm air from the other on the suction surface 10 of the rack 2 This is a temperature difference that occurs when (for example, part of the exhaust discharged to the rear of the rack) flows into the upper part of each rack 2, and in this embodiment, for example, an allowable range of set value ± 3 ° C. as a control allowable value Then, it is set to 3 ° C. Further, the α value is a dead zone in consideration of control stability, and is set to 1 ° C. in this embodiment. These values differ depending on the IT equipment accommodated in the rack.

  When it is determined in the process of S101 that the temperature difference ΔT (i) is equal to or lower than (C−α), the control device 5 detects whether the upper temperature is equal to or lower than the Tsp value (S102). This Tsp value is a value close to the set value of the suction temperature of the IT equipment. When the IT equipment changes the air flow rate according to the suction temperature, the air volume of the cool air is adjusted according to this to the rack. Cool air is supplied without excess or deficiency. In this embodiment, the temperature is 25 ° C. This value varies depending on the type and manufacturer of the IT equipment accommodated in the rack.

  When the upper temperature Tu (i) is equal to or lower than Tsp, it is determined that the cooling air to the rack is excessive, and the air volume is reduced by the blowout amount adjusting means. In this embodiment, the opening degree is reduced by operating the opening degree R (i) of the damper 4 in the closing direction by γ (S105).

  On the other hand, if the temperature difference ΔT (i) is not (C−α) or less (S101) and is (C + α) or more (S103) and the upper temperature Tu (i) is Tsp or more (S104), Since it is determined that the air volume is insufficient, the air volume is increased by the blowing volume adjusting means. In this embodiment, the opening degree is increased by operating the opening degree R (i) of the damper 4 in the opening direction by γ (S107). If it is determined to be false in S102, S103, and S104, it is determined that the airflow to the rack is appropriate, and the opening degree of the damper 4 is left as it is (S106).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the control device 5 detects whether or not the minimum value R-min of the blowing amount adjusting means is equal to or less than the D value (S201). The blowing amount adjusting means is an opening adjusting mechanism such as a shutter or a damper or a blower such as a small fan installed in the vicinity of the blowing outlet. The maximum value and the minimum value correspond to the opening adjusting mechanism. In the case of the auxiliary blower, the maximum value and the minimum value such as the blower amount or the rotational speed of the blower correlated with the blower amount are shown. In this embodiment, the opening R (i) of a plurality of dampers 4 that supply cold air to each rack, and the maximum value R-max and the minimum value R-min of the blowing amount of the auxiliary blower. Further, the D value is a value for determining that the damper 4 is controlled to be throttled because the rotational speed of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3 is excessive, and is 60% in this embodiment. When the minimum value R-min of the air volume control means is smaller than the D value, it is detected whether or not the average value ΔT-ave of the temperature difference ΔT (i) of each rack is equal to or less than (C−β) (S202). This C value is the same value as in FIG. 4A, and the β value is a dead zone in consideration of control stability. Unlike the control object of FIG. 4A, the controller can be different, and different values can be set. In this embodiment, it is 1 degreeC.

  When the average value ΔT-ave of the temperature difference is equal to or less than (C−β), it is determined that the amount of cold air generated is excessive, and the control device 5 determines the number of rotations per unit time (rotational speed) of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3. ) Is decreased by δ (S205). The rotational speed of the electric fan is adjusted by changing the frequency of the inverter that supplies power to the electric motor that drives the fan. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6A, the amount of air blown from the damper 4 that is excessively large as a whole is reduced. When the maximum value R-max of the air volume control means is larger than the E value (S203) and the average value ΔT-ave of the temperature difference is equal to or greater than (C + β) (S204), the control device 5 The rotational speed of the electric fan is increased by δ (S207). In this embodiment, the E value is 95%. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the amount of blowout of the damper 4 that has been insufficient as a whole increases. If the determination is false, since the cool air is supplied to each rack without excess or deficiency, the number of rotations of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3 is maintained as it is (S206).

  As described above, the supercooling is determined from the minimum value R-min and the maximum value R-max of the opening degree R (i) of the damper 4 supplied to each rack and the average value ΔT-ave of the temperature difference ΔT (i). In such a case, the number of rotations of the electric fan decreases. When it is determined that the cooling is insufficient, the number of rotations of the electric fan is increased, so that the electric fan is necessary and sufficient to cool the IT equipment in each rack. Number of revolutions. That is, for each rack, the supply amount from the corresponding outlet is controlled from the difference in temperature between the upper and lower sides, and when any of the racks in the rack row deviates from the air supply limit on the mechanism of the blowout amount adjusting means, or in FIG. When a state in which the deviation from the schedule of the upper and lower temperature differences is not eliminated as a whole by the control is detected, the air supply amount to the entire rack row is adjusted by the control device 5 as the generation amount adjusting means. When the electric fan is driven by a DC motor, the number of rotations can be controlled by adjusting the applied voltage or voltage pulse.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the control device 5 detects whether or not the average value Tu-ave of the upper temperature Tu (i) of each rack is equal to or less than the T _−L value (S301). The _TL value is a temperature at which it is determined that the cold air necessary for cooling the IT equipment is too cold. If the temperature is equal to or lower than this temperature, the air conditioning unit 3 determines that excessive energy is consumed to generate the cold air. . In this embodiment, the temperature is set to 16 ° C. This value differs depending on the IT equipment accommodated in the rack.

When the average value Tu-ave of the upper temperature is equal to or lower than the T- _L value, it is detected whether the rotational speed N of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3 is equal to or lower than the F value (S302). This F value is a value for determining the excessive amount of cold air generated by the air conditioning unit 3, and is 20% in this embodiment.

When the rotational speed of the electric fan is less than or equal to the F value, it is determined that the capacity of the cold air is excessive, and the control device 5 determines the temperature of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit 3 by only θ due to an increase in the amount of heat medium flowing through the cooling coil. Increase (S305).

Further, the average value Tu-ave of the rack upper temperature is equal to or higher than the _TH value (which is a temperature for judging the lack of temperature of the cool air supplied to the upper part of the information processing equipment of each rack) (S303), and the air conditioning unit 3 is greater than or equal to the G value (S304), the control device 5 determines that the cooling capacity of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit 3 is insufficient, and the temperature of the generated cold air is set to θ. Lower (S307). If these determinations are false, it is determined that the cooling capacity of the cold air is appropriate, and the temperature of the cold air is left as it is (S306).

Note that ΔT (i), Tu (i), ΔT-ave, Tu-ave, T- _L value, and T- _H value are supplied from the blowing amount adjusting means, the generated amount adjusting means of the air conditioning unit, and the generated temperature adjusting means. Even if the temperature is the same, it fluctuates depending on the operating status of the information processing equipment. The reaching height of the cold air varies depending on the conditions. That is, for each rack, the supply amount from the corresponding outlet is controlled from the difference in temperature between the upper and lower sides, and when any of the racks in the rack row deviates from the air supply limit on the mechanism of the blowout amount adjusting means, or in FIG. When a state in which the deviation from the schedule of the upper and lower temperature differences is not eliminated as a whole by the control is detected, the air supply amount to the entire rack row is adjusted by the control device 5 as the generation amount adjusting means.

  According to the air conditioning system 1 configured as described above, since the cool air is provided to the IT equipment accommodated in each rack substantially evenly, the air conditioning efficiency can be increased. That is, when the air volume of the cool air blown from the floor is not properly controlled as in the air conditioning system 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the air volume is insufficient and the cool air into the rack is insufficient. There is a risk that a part of the warm air exhausted from the air will enter the intake side. FIG. 7B is a graph showing the suction temperature of the rack when the amount of cool air blown from the floor is insufficient. As shown in FIG. 7B, it can be seen that when the amount of cool air blown from the floor is insufficient, the suction temperature of the upper portion is higher than that of the lower portion of the rack. In order to prevent such warm air from wrapping around, it is unavoidably necessary to excessively set the entire blowing amount as shown in FIG. Setting the overall blowout amount in this way can prevent a specific IT device from overheating, but causes a reduction in the air conditioning efficiency of the entire air conditioning system. However, the amount of cool air blown from the floor as in the air conditioning system 1 is controlled based on the temperature difference between the cool air flowing into the upper portion of the rack and the cold air flowing into the lower portion, or the temperature difference and the air temperature flowing into the upper portion. By doing so, since the cool air supplied from the air conditioning unit is supplied to each rack without excess or deficiency, there is no need to make the air volume of the cool air supplied from the air conditioning unit excessive. The racks located at the end of the rack row are particularly prone to warm air. However, in the case of the air conditioning system 1, the end rack does not need to be increased because of such an end rack. A suitable amount of cold air is supplied.

  In order to reliably catch such a lack of cool air in the rack with the upper temperature sensor 11 and the lower temperature sensor 12, a blank panel is installed in the gap in the rack, and the backflow of warm air does not occur in the gap in the rack. It is more preferable to do so. If the wraparound of warm air in the rack is sealed with a blank panel, the route in which the warm air flows back will go from the back of the rack to the upper side, and the temperature of the cold air sucked into the upper part of the rack and the cold air sucked into the lower part This is because the difference becomes prominent.

In the process of step S205 described above, the lower limit value of the rotational speed of the electric fan may be limited so as not to fall below a predetermined minimum air volume. The predetermined minimum air volume is the minimum air volume to be supplied to each rack even when there is no temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part of each rack and the air flowing into the lower part. The air volume is such that the heat generation amount of the operating equipment among all the IT equipment accommodated in each rack can be removed at a minimum. Such air volume may be determined at any time by sensing, for example, the power consumption and room temperature of all IT devices, the temperature of the air flowing into the air conditioning unit 3, or the like, and is determined in advance that does not vary depending on these parameters. It may be a fixed value.

  By the way, the air conditioning system 1 can be modified as follows. For example, the air conditioning system 1 may be applied not only to a case where the rack row is one row, but also to a two-row configuration as shown in FIG. . As shown in FIG. 9, when there are two rack rows, the racks are arranged so that the air intake surfaces of the rack rows face each other, and a cold aisle is formed between the two rack rows. Then, a grating is installed on the floor of the cold aisle to serve as a blowout port, and the above-described damper 4 is installed under the floor. The air conditioning system disclosed in the present application can also be applied to a server room having a plurality of rack rows as described above. The opening of each damper 4, the rotational speed of the electric fan of the air conditioning unit 3, and the generation temperature of the cold air are determined. By controlling as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, an amount of cool air necessary and sufficient to cool the IT equipment in the rack is blown out, and air conditioning efficiency is improved.

  For example, when the air conditioning system 1 is applied to a server room 6 having two rack rows as shown in FIG. 9, the determination process in steps S101 and S103 described above sandwiches a path between rack rows. It is desirable to detect whether or not ΔT (i) of the rack having the larger temperature difference between the upper temperature and the lower temperature out of the pair of opposing racks is out of the range of the C value ± α. If the determination process is performed using ΔT (i) of the rack with the smaller temperature difference, there is a possibility that the cool air cannot be properly supplied to the rack with the larger temperature difference, but ΔT (i of the rack with the larger temperature difference This is because the temperature difference can be corrected by properly supplying cold air.

  Moreover, in the said air conditioning system 1, although the air volume of the cold air supplied to each rack was controlled by adjusting the opening degree of the damper 4 arrange | positioned under the floor of a cold aisle, for example instead of the damper 4 An electric fan may be attached, and the air volume of cool air supplied to each rack may be controlled by adjusting the number of revolutions of the electric fan, or an air volume adjusting mechanism that combines an electric fan and a damper may be used.

  Moreover, in the said air conditioning system 1, although cold air was supplied from under the floor, it can also be supplied from a ceiling, for example. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of the air conditioning system 1 in the case of supplying cold air from the ceiling. As shown in FIG. 10, when the cool air is blown out from the ceiling, a duct 13 in which the cool air flows to the ceiling (a so-called ceiling chamber may be used in the back of the ceiling and the duct may be omitted) and a duct 14 in which the warm air flows (see FIG. 2). Similarly, the space in the server room may be omitted as a return air path). And the damper 4 and an auxiliary air blower are provided in the blower outlet from which cold air blows off. The control method described in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4B can be implemented as a ceiling blow-out type air conditioning system by applying the knowledge of those skilled in the art by replacing “upper part” with “lower part”. Even in the air conditioning system 1 configured as described above, since the cool air is evenly supplied to the IT equipment accommodated in each rack, the air conditioning efficiency can be improved.

  In the air conditioning system 1, the blowout angle of the cold air is not particularly adjusted. For example, the airflow is blown according to the temperature difference between the upper temperature sensor 11 and the lower temperature sensor 12, or the temperature difference and the upper temperature sensor 11. The corner may be controlled. A control flow in this case is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the control device 5 detects whether or not the temperature difference ΔT (i) between the upper temperature and the lower temperature of each rack is equal to or less than the C value −α (S401). The C value and the α value may be the same as those in step S101 described above, or may be different values. When the temperature difference ΔT (i) is equal to or lower than (C−α), it is detected whether the upper temperature is equal to or lower than the Tsp value (S102). This Tsp value may be the same value as that in step S102 described above, or may be a different value. When the upper temperature Tu (i) is equal to or lower than Tsp, the control device 5 decreases the blowing angle Ω of the damper 4 by ω (S405). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12A, the excessive blow-off angle of the damper 4 is reduced (in other words, the blades of the damper 4 are inclined more than the rack 2). Further, if the temperature difference ΔT (i) is not (C−α) or less (S401) and is (C + α) or more (S403) and if it is Tsp or more (S404), the blowing angle to the rack is insufficient. Therefore, the blowing angle Ω of the damper 4 is increased by ω (in other words, the damper 4 is erected in the direction perpendicular to the blowing surface of the blowing port 4) (S407). Further, when it is determined to be false in S402, S403, and S404, it is determined that the blow angle to the rack is appropriate, and the blow angle of the damper 4 is left as it is (S406).

  The air conditioning system 1 can be realized not only as a newly installed facility but also by modifying an existing air conditioning system. For example, when an air-conditioning system in which only the air-conditioning unit 3 is provided is already provided, the air-conditioning system 1 is simply provided with the damper 4, the upper temperature sensor 11, the lower temperature sensor 12, and the control device 5. Therefore, versatility and practicality are extremely high.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air conditioning system 2 ... Rack 3 ... Air conditioning unit 4 ... Damper 5 ... Control device 6 ... Server room 7 ... Floor 8 ... Concrete slab 9 ... Blowout Port 10 ··· Suction surface 11 · · Upper temperature sensor 12 · · Lower temperature sensors 13 and 14 · · Duct

Claims (3)

An air conditioning system for air conditioning an information processing equipment room in which racks containing information processing equipment are arranged,
An air conditioning unit for supplying cold air to the information processing equipment room;
A blow-out port from which cool air supplied by the air-conditioning unit is provided on the floor side or ceiling side of the information processing equipment room;
Based on the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part of each rack and the air flowing into the lower part, or the temperature difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper part, the air volume of the cold air blown out from the outlet is determined for each rack. A blowing amount adjusting means to adjust;
The air conditioning unit generates based on the maximum value or the minimum value of the control amount of the blowing amount adjusting means of each rack and the average value of the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper portion and the air flowing into the lower portion. Generation amount adjusting means for adjusting the air volume of the cold air;
Generation temperature adjustment means for adjusting the temperature of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit based on the average value of the air temperature flowing into the upper part of each rack and the air volume of the cold air generated by the air conditioning unit;
Air conditioning system. In the information processing equipment room, rack rows in which racks are arranged are arranged in parallel over a plurality of rows,
The outlet is provided on the floor side or ceiling side of a passage formed between a pair of rack rows,
Of the pair of racks facing each other across the passage, the blowing amount adjusting means is the temperature difference of the rack having the larger temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part and the air flowing into the lower part, or the temperature Based on the difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper part, the amount of cool air blown from the outlet is adjusted,
The air conditioning system according to claim 1. Based on the temperature difference between the air flowing into the upper part of each rack and the air flowing into the lower part, or the temperature difference and the temperature of the air flowing into the upper part, the blowing angle of the cold air blown out from the outlet is determined for each rack. Further comprising a blowing angle adjusting means for adjusting to
The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

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