JP4699496B2 - Energy saving system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an energy saving system that increases cooling efficiency by an air conditioner.

  Conventionally, in an Internet data center, a plurality of servers are centrally managed in a server room, and in this server room, an air conditioner for cooling the apparatus is provided.

  This server room is provided with an underfloor fan for supplying cold air from the air conditioner from under the floor, and a rack fan is provided in a rack accommodating a plurality of servers. Thereby, it is comprised so that the heating of the server at the time of operation | movement can be suppressed.

  Further, in a server room that centrally manages a plurality of servers in this way, the load on a specific server may increase depending on the time zone. In this case, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor of the server or the rack that houses the server indicates an abnormal value.

  In this case, the monitoring device is configured to detect this and notify the user, and the user who has received this notification can change the server by manually changing the set temperature or the wind direction of the air conditioner, for example. It is configured to cool and prevent server overheating.

  However, in such a system, the entire server room is cooled by operating the air conditioner regardless of temperature changes in various places.

  For this reason, the rack maintained at a low temperature is further cooled, power consumption is wasted, and energy is wasted.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a conventional subject, and it aims at providing the energy-saving system which can aim at energy saving.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the energy saving system according to claim 1 of the present invention, a floor on which a plurality of racks for storing electronic devices are arranged, an air conditioner for supplying cold air to the lower part of the floor, and the floor And an air outlet that blows out the cold air supplied to the lower part of the floor to the vicinity of the corresponding rack, and appropriately controls the temperature in each rack, and is based on the temperature of each rack. And adjusting means for individually adjusting the temperature of the corresponding rack by controlling the electric louver that opens and closes the air outlet, and the adjusting means inputs the temperature detected by the temperature sensor provided in each rack. Then, the opening degree of the electric louver corresponding to the level of the temperature in each rack is controlled to adjust the air volume from the outlet, and the cooling air blown out through the electric louver is adjusted. Blowing direction is controlled so as to be directed to the corresponding rack.

  In other words, an electronic device such as a server accommodated in a rack may increase a load on a specific electronic device depending on a time zone. In this case, the temperature of the rack containing the electronic device is higher than that of the other racks.

  At this time, in the plurality of racks arranged, the electric louver that opens and closes the outlet is controlled based on the temperature of each rack, and the amount of cool air blown from each outlet is adjusted. Thereby, the temperature of the rack corresponding to each blower outlet is adjusted separately.

Further , by detecting an input from a temperature sensor provided in each rack, the temperature in each rack is input, and the temperature distribution as a whole is grasped.

  And according to the temperature level in each said rack, the air volume from the said blower outlet is adjusted by controlling the opening degree of the said corresponding electric louver.

  Thereby, in the rack having a temperature higher than the predetermined temperature, the temperature of the rack is lowered by increasing the air volume from the air outlet in the vicinity thereof. On the other hand, in a rack having a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, overcooling of the rack is prevented by reducing the air volume from the air outlet in the vicinity thereof.

Furthermore, in the energy saving system according to claim 2 , by the input from the temperature sensor provided in each rack, the opening degree of the electric louver provided in each outlet, and the electric louver provided in each outlet. The direction of the cold air is obtained, and the temperature at each location obtained from the input from each temperature sensor, the air volume at each location obtained from the opening degree of each electric louver, and the operating state of each electric louver are obtained. The fluid analysis is performed on the basis of the cool air blowing direction at each place, and the electric louvers are controlled based on the analysis result.

  That is, the temperature in each place is acquired by the input from the temperature sensor provided in each rack, and the temperature distribution can be grasped.

  Moreover, the air volume in the installation location of the blower outlet provided with each electric louver can be grasped | ascertained from the opening degree of the electric louver provided in each said blower outlet.

  Further, the direction of the cold air blown from the air outlet provided with each electric louver is obtained from the direction of the cold air blown by the electric louver provided at each air outlet, and by performing a fluid analysis based on these directions, Flow and temperature distribution can be analyzed.

  And by controlling each said electric louver based on this analysis result, temperature control appropriate as a whole is performed.

In the energy saving system according to claim 3 , feedback control is performed to feed back an adjustment result by the adjustment unit by repeatedly executing the adjustment unit.

  Thereby, after the adjustment by the adjustment means, it is possible to perform control based on the adjustment result by repeatedly executing the adjustment means. Thereby, the effect by the said adjustment means is heightened more.

  As described above, in the electronic device housing rack according to claim 1 of the present invention, in the plurality of racks, each electric louver that opens and closes the air outlet is controlled based on the temperature of each rack. The amount of cool air blown out from the air outlet can be adjusted, and the temperature of the rack corresponding to each air outlet can be adjusted individually.

  Therefore, when the temperature of a specific rack rises due to time, etc., only the location where the temperature has risen is concentrated compared to the conventional case where the set temperature of the air conditioner must be lowered to cool the whole. Can be cooled.

  Thereby, it is possible to suppress the power consumption of the air conditioner and to save energy as compared with the conventional case where cooling is performed to a place where cooling is unnecessary.

Further, by detecting the pre-Symbol input from a temperature sensor provided in each rack receives the temperature in each rack, it is possible to grasp the temperature distribution as a whole.

  And the air volume from the said blower outlet can be adjusted by controlling the opening degree of the said corresponding electric louver according to the level of the temperature in each said rack.

  Thereby, the temperature of the said rack can be lowered | hung by increasing the air volume from the blower outlet of rack vicinity higher temperature than predetermined temperature. On the other hand, in a rack having a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, it is possible to prevent the rack from being overcooled by reducing the air volume from the air outlet near the rack.

  Thus, by appropriately controlling the amount of cool air blown from each outlet, it is possible to increase the amount of blowout at a necessary location while maintaining the overall amount of blowout. Moreover, since the fall of the blowing pressure in a required location can be prevented by reducing the amount of blowing from an unnecessary location, the cooling effect of a high temperature part can be heightened.

Furthermore, in the energy saving system according to claim 2 , the temperature distribution can be grasped by acquiring the temperature at each place by the input from the temperature sensor provided in each rack, and the electric motor provided in each outlet. From the opening of the louver, it is possible to grasp the air volume at the installation location of the air outlet provided with each electric louver.

  In addition, it is possible to obtain the cold air blowing direction from the air outlet provided with each electric louver from the cold air blowing direction by the electric louver provided in each air outlet, and by performing a fluid analysis based on these, The flow of cold air and temperature distribution can be analyzed.

  And by controlling each said electric louver based on this analysis result, it becomes possible to perform appropriate temperature control as a whole.

In the energy saving system according to claim 3 , the control based on the adjustment result can be repeatedly performed by repeatedly executing the adjustment unit after the adjustment by the adjustment unit. Thereby, the effect by the said adjustment means can be heightened more.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an energy saving system 1 according to the present embodiment, and the energy saving system 1 is an energy system that enhances cooling efficiency by an air conditioner.

  That is, a server room 11 is provided in the Internet data center, and server computers 12 as a plurality of electronic devices are centrally managed in the server room 11. The floor 13 of the server room 11 is formed of a free access board, and a lower space 14 that allows a power cable and a data line to be routed as shown in FIG. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner 21 that is an air conditioner for cooling the apparatus is installed in the server room 11, and the air conditioner 21 is connected to a temperature monitoring control device 22. The air conditioner 21 is configured to cool air and supply the air to the lower space 14, and the cool air is configured to be sent to the lower space 14 by an underfloor fan 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of racks 31 are arranged on the floor 13, and a plurality of air outlets 33,... Is provided. Each air outlet 33,... Communicates with the lower space 14, and its opening is covered with a metal lattice 34,. Each of the air outlets 33,... Is arranged close to each of the racks 31,... Arranged in each rack row 32, 32 so that the adjacent rack 31 and the air outlet 33 correspond to each other. It is configured. Thus, the cool air supplied to the lower space 14 is configured to be blown out in the vicinity of the corresponding rack 31.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an electric louver 41 is provided inside each of the air outlets 33,..., And each electric louver 41,. A plurality of slats 42 arranged in parallel at the lower part, and a motor (not shown) for rotating the slats 42,. The motor is connected to the temperature monitoring control device 22, and the electric louver 41 is configured to operate according to a control signal from the temperature monitoring control device 22.

  Accordingly, by making the blades 42,... Horizontal based on the control signal, the corresponding outlet 33 is fully closed and the blades 42,. Thus, the corresponding outlet 33 can be fully opened. Further, by tilting each of the blades 42,... According to the control signal, it is configured to set the cool air blowing direction 45 from the corresponding outlet 33, and each of the blades 42,. By tilting toward the corresponding rack 31, the cool air is ejected toward the corresponding rack 31 and the rack 31 can be cooled.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the racks 31,... Includes a rectangular casing 51, in which a plurality of electronic devices are accommodated. Examples of the electronic device include the server computer 12 (hereinafter referred to as a server 12), and the load of the server 12 increases depending on the content to be provided, for example, during weekdays or on Saturdays and Sundays. There is a tendency.

  A suction port 61 for sucking air into the rack 31 is formed by a plurality of slits 62,... At the lower part of the casing 51. A discharge port 63 for discharging air is formed by a plurality of slits 64. The rack 31 is provided with a rack fan 65 (see FIG. 3). When the rack fan 65 is operated, air sucked from the suction port 61 is circulated through the rack 31 and then the discharge port. It is comprised so that it can discharge from 63.

  Each electronic device provided in the rack 31 is also provided with a fan so that the inside of the electronic device can be cooled.

  The rack 31 is provided with a plurality of temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of the rack 31. For example, an intake air temperature sensor 71 for measuring the intake air temperature is provided in the vicinity of the intake port 61, and an exhaust gas temperature sensor 72 for measuring the exhaust gas temperature is provided in the vicinity of the exhaust port 63. It has been. The top surface 73 of the rack 31 is provided with a top temperature sensor 74 for measuring the temperature in the vicinity of the top, and these temperature sensors are controlled by the temperature monitoring control via a wiring not shown. It is connected to the device 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature monitoring control device 22 includes the temperature sensors 71, 72, 74, the air conditioner 21, the rack fan 65, the electric louver 41, and the underfloor fan 23. Are connected so that the temperature in each rack 31 can be input and the air conditioner 21, the rack fan 65, the electric louver 41, and the underfloor fan 23 can be controlled.

  Here, the ports to which the air conditioner 21, the rack fan 65, the electric louver 41, and the underfloor fan 23 are connected can be configured by contact outputs. In this case, the devices 21, 65, 41, and 23 can be turned on by turning on the contact output.

  The temperature monitoring control device 22 is configured by a personal computer or the like, and is configured to operate according to a program stored in storage means such as a hard disk.

  Accordingly, the temperature detected by each temperature sensor 71, 72, 74 provided in each rack 31,... Is input, and the corresponding temperature is changed depending on the temperature of each rack 31,. By controlling the opening degree of the electric louver 41 and adjusting the air volume from the outlet 33, the temperature of the corresponding rack 31 can be individually adjusted.

  At this time, by repeatedly executing this adjustment process, feedback control for feeding back the adjustment result of the adjustment process is performed.

  Further, the temperature management control device 22 has inputs from the temperature sensors 71, 72, 74 provided in the racks 31,... And the temperatures provided in the outlets 33,. .. Are obtained from the opening degree of each electric louver 41,... And the tilt angle of the electric louvers 41,... Provided at each outlet 33,. The temperature at each location acquired from the input from the sensors 71, 72, 74, the air volume at each location acquired from the opening of each electric louver 41, ..., and the operation of each electric louver 41, ... The fluid analysis is performed on the basis of the cool air blowing directions 45,... Obtained at various locations from the state, and the electric louvers 41,.

  The operation of the present embodiment according to the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  That is, when the temperature management control device 22 operates according to the program stored in the storage means, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature management control device 22 receives the input from each temperature sensor 71, 72, 74 installed in the first rack 31a. The temperature of the first rack 31a is input (S1), and it is determined whether or not the input temperature of the first rack 31a is equal to or higher than a preset upper threshold (S2).

  In this step S2, if the temperature of the first rack 31a is lower than the upper limit threshold, the process branches to step S4, whereas if the temperature of the first rack 31a is equal to or higher than the upper limit threshold, the first rack An open signal is output to the electric louver 41 of the first air outlet 33a provided in the vicinity of 31a, and the electric louver 41 is opened (S3).

  At this time, in the temperature management control device 22, when the difference between the temperature of the first rack 31a and the upper limit threshold is large, the opening operation by the electric louver 41 is increased, while the temperature of the first rack 31a is increased. And the opening threshold by the electric louver 41 is reduced. In addition, the blowing direction 45 of the cold air blown out from the electric louver 41 is made to face the first rack 31a side.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the first rack 31a is equal to or lower than a preset lower limit threshold (S4).

  In step S4, when the temperature of the first rack 31a exceeds the lower limit threshold, the process branches to step S6, while when the temperature of the first rack 31a is equal to or lower than the lower limit threshold, A close signal is output to the electric louver 41 of the first air outlet 33a provided in the vicinity of one rack 31a, and the electric louver 41 is closed (S5).

  At this time, in the temperature management control device 22, when the difference between the temperature of the first rack 31a and the lower limit threshold is large, the closing operation by the electric louver 41 is increased, while the temperature of the first rack 31a is increased. And the upper threshold value are small, the closing operation by the electric louver 41 is made small. Further, the blowing direction 45 of the cold air blown out from the electric louver 41 is maintained so as to face the first rack 31a side.

  Next, the temperature of the second rack 31b is input by input from the temperature sensors 71, 72, and 74 installed in the second rack 31b (S6), and the input temperature of the second rack 31b is preset. It is determined whether or not the upper threshold value is exceeded (S7).

  In step S7, if the temperature of the second rack 31b is lower than the upper limit threshold, the process branches to step S9. If the temperature of the second rack 31b is equal to or higher than the upper limit threshold, the second rack 31b is branched. An open signal is output to the electric louver 41 of the second outlet 33b provided in the vicinity of 31b, and the electric louver 41 is opened (S8).

  At this time, in the temperature management control device 22, when the difference between the temperature of the second rack 31b and the upper limit threshold is large, the opening operation by the electric louver 41 is increased, while the temperature of the second rack 31b is increased. And the opening threshold by the electric louver 41 is reduced. In addition, the blowing direction 45 of the cold air blown out from the electric louver 41 is directed to the second rack 31b side.

  Then, it is determined whether the temperature of the second rack 31b is equal to or lower than a preset lower limit threshold (S9).

  In step S9, when the temperature of the second rack 31b exceeds the lower limit threshold, the process branches to step S11. On the other hand, when the temperature of the second rack 31b is equal to or lower than the lower limit threshold, A close signal is output to the electric louver 41 of the second air outlet 33b provided in the vicinity of the two racks 31b, and the electric louver 41 is closed (S10).

  At this time, in the temperature management control device 22, when the difference between the temperature of the second rack 31b and the lower limit threshold is large, the closing operation by the electric louver 41 is increased, while the temperature of the second rack 31b is increased. And the upper threshold value are small, the closing operation by the electric louver 41 is made small. Further, the blowing direction 45 of the cold air blown out from the electric louver 41 is maintained so as to face the second rack 31b side.

  And after performing the temperature input of this rack 31 and the opening / closing operation | movement of the electric louver 41 corresponding to input temperature with respect to all the racks 31a-31j, it transfers to step S11.

  In this step S11, the temperature of each rack 31a-31j is input from each temperature sensor 71, 72, 74 provided in each rack 31a-31j (S11), and the rack provided in each rack 31a-31j. After the operating state of the fans 65,... Is input, for example, by obtaining from the input data from the rack fans 65,... Or the rack fan flag stored in the RAM of the temperature monitoring control device 22 ( S12) The operating state of the underfloor fan 23 is input from the input data from the underfloor fan 23 or from the underfloor fan flag stored in the RAM of the temperature monitoring controller 22 or the like (S13). The state of each electric louver 41 provided at each of the air outlets 33a to 33j is the input data from the electric louver 41 or the temperature. Monitoring controller 22 and the like to obtain from Nino RAM electric louvers flag stored in such inputting (S14).

  And the temperature at each place acquired in step S11, the operating state of the rack fans 65 in the racks 31a to 31j acquired in step S12, and the underfloor fan 23 acquired in step S13. Analyzing the flow and temperature distribution of the cool air in the server room 11 by performing fluid analysis using the air volume, the amount of cool air blown from each of the outlets 33a to 33j and the blow direction 45 acquired in step S14. After that (S15), based on the analysis results, the electric louvers 41 and the fans of the outlets 33 are sent so that the cool air is sent to the places where the air stays and the places where the temperature is predicted to be high. The air volume and the blowing direction 45 by 23 and 65 are controlled (S16), and the temperature distribution in the whole server room 11 is improved.

  Then, it is determined whether or not there is an abnormality such as that there is a rack 31a to 31j that shows an abnormally high temperature in each of the racks 31a to 31j, or that the temperature of all the racks 31a to 31j is equal to or higher than the upper threshold ( S17). At this time, if there is no abnormality, the process branches to step S21. If an abnormality is found, the operating rate is increased by lowering the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 (S18), and the underfloor fan 23 is turned on. At the same time (S19), the rack fans 65 of the racks 31a to 31j showing abnormally high temperatures are turned on (S20).

  Further, it is determined whether or not there are racks 31a to 31j having a temperature equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature set in advance in each of the racks 31a to 31j (S21). At this time, if there are no racks 31a to 31j below the predetermined temperature, the process branches to step S1 and repeats the steps S1 to S21. On the other hand, if there are racks 31a to 31j below the predetermined temperature, The operating rate is lowered by increasing the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 (S22), the underfloor fan 23 is stopped (S23), and the rack fans 65 of the racks 31a to 31j below the predetermined temperature are stopped (S24). ), Returning to the step S1, the steps S1 to S24 are repeated.

  Here, the server 12 accommodated in each of the racks 31a to 31j may increase the load due to an increase in access to the specific server 12 depending on a time zone or the like. In this case, the temperature of the rack 31 that houses the server 21 is higher than that of the other racks 31.

  At this time, in the energy saving system 1 of the present embodiment, the electric louvers that open and close the air outlets 33,... Based on the temperatures of the racks 31a to 31j in a plurality of racks 31a to 31j. 41 is controlled, and the amount of cool air blown from each of the outlets 33,... Is adjusted. Thereby, the temperature of the rack 31 corresponding to each blower outlet 33, ... can be adjusted individually.

  Therefore, when the temperature of the specific racks 31a to 31j rises due to the time zone or the like, the temperature is lower than the conventional case where the set temperature of the air conditioner 21 must be lowered to cool the entire server room 11. Only the rack 31 of the raised server 12 can be concentrated and cooled.

  As a result, the power consumption of the air conditioner 21 can be suppressed and energy saving can be achieved as compared with the conventional case where cooling is performed to the rack 31 that does not require cooling.

  Further, the racks 31a to 31j are arranged by detecting the inputs from the temperature sensors 71, 72, and 74 provided in the racks 31a to 31j and inputting the temperatures in the racks 31a to 31j. It is possible to grasp the temperature distribution of the server room 11 as a whole.

  And according to the level of temperature in each said rack 31a-31j, the air volume from the said blower outlet 33, ... is adjusted by controlling the opening degree of the said corresponding electric louver 41, .... be able to.

  Thereby, by increasing the air volume from the blower outlet 33 in the vicinity of the rack 31 having a temperature higher than the upper limit threshold, it is possible to blow cool air to a place where heat is accumulated and to lower the temperature of the rack 31. On the other hand, in the rack 31 lower than the lower limit threshold, it is possible to prevent the rack 31 from being overcooled by reducing the air volume from the air outlet 33 in the vicinity thereof.

  As described above, by appropriately controlling the amount of cool air blown from each of the outlets 33,..., The amount of blowout at a necessary location can be increased while maintaining the amount of blowout as a whole. Moreover, since the fall of the blowing pressure in a required location can be prevented by reducing the amount of blowing from an unnecessary location, the cooling effect of a high temperature part can be heightened.

  Moreover, from the blowing direction 45 of the cold air by the electric louvers 41 provided at the respective outlets 33, ..., the outlet 33 provided with the electric louvers 41, ... .. Are obtained, and the flow of the cold air and the temperature distribution can be analyzed by performing the fluid analysis based on these directions.

  And by controlling each said electric louver 41 ... based on this analysis result, cold air can be circulated to the place where heat is expected to stay, and it is appropriate as the server room 11 whole. Temperature control is performed.

  Further, the air outlets 33,... Provided with the electric louvers 41,... From the cold air blowing directions 45,... By the electric louvers 41,. ... Can be obtained, and the flow of cold air and the temperature distribution can be analyzed by performing a fluid analysis based on these directions.

  And by controlling each said electric louver 41 ... based on this analysis result, it becomes possible to perform appropriate temperature control as the server room 11 whole.

  Moreover, after adjustment by each said step S1-S10, it transfers to said step S1 from the said step S21 or the said step S24, and the adjustment result by the said step S1-S10 is repeatedly performed by each said step S1-S10 Control based on the above can be repeated.

  Thereby, while the effect by the adjustment process which said step S1-S10 comprises can be improved further, it can respond to the dynamically changing heat load.

It is explanatory drawing which shows one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part which shows the same embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the embodiment. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a flowchart following FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Energy saving system 11 Server room 13 Floor 21 Air conditioner 22 Temperature monitoring control apparatus 31 Rack 33 Outlet 41 Electric louver 45 Outlet direction 71 Intake temperature sensor 72 Exhaust temperature sensor 74 Top temperature sensor

Claims (3)

A floor on which a plurality of racks for storing electronic devices are arranged, an air conditioner that supplies cool air to the lower part of the floor, and a blower that is provided on the floor and blows cool air supplied to the lower part of the floor to the vicinity of the corresponding rack. An energy saving system that appropriately controls the temperature in each rack.
Based on the temperature of each rack, comprising an adjusting means for controlling the electric louver that opens and closes the outlet and individually adjusting the temperature of the corresponding rack ,
The adjustment means inputs a temperature detected by a temperature sensor provided in each rack, controls the opening degree of the electric louver corresponding to the temperature level in each rack, and controls the air volume from the outlet In addition, the energy saving system is characterized in that the cooling air blown out through the electric louver is controlled so as to face the corresponding rack . The input from the temperature sensor provided in each rack, the opening degree of the electric louver provided in each outlet, and the blowing direction of cold air by the electric louver provided in each outlet, Based on the temperature at each location obtained from the input from each temperature sensor, the air volume at each location obtained from the opening degree of each electric louver, and the blowing direction of cold air at each location obtained from the operating state of each electric louver energy-saving system according to claim 1 Symbol placement perform fluid analysis, and controlling the respective electric louvers on the basis of the analysis result Te. 3. The energy-saving system according to claim 1, wherein feedback control is performed to feed back an adjustment result by the adjustment unit by repeatedly executing the adjustment unit.

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