JP6787807B2 - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system that air-conditions a server room in which an information and communication technology device is installed.

For example, in the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, indoor air is sucked from the ceiling of the server room, the sucked air is cooled, and then the air is blown out from the wall and supplied to the server room. In the server room, a shelf-shaped rack on which a plurality of information and communication technology devices (hereinafter referred to as ICT devices) are mounted is installed.

Japanese Patent No. 5263840

In the air conditioner system described in Patent Document 1, the cold air blown from the wall takes heat from each ICT device, and then is sucked from the ceiling and returned to the air conditioner. The air returned to the air conditioner is cooled by the air conditioner and then blown out from the wall into the server room again.

Since the server room is installed in a plurality of ICT devices, it is necessary to supply a sufficient amount of cold air (hereinafter referred to as a required air volume) to the server room to cool the ICT devices.
Therefore, the wind speed of the cold air blown from the wall toward the server room is a wind speed that can secure the required air volume, and the external static pressure for returning to the air conditioner via the ceiling after being blown from the wall. It is necessary to set the wind speed so that it can be secured.

Therefore, in the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, since the passage cross-sectional area of the supply path such as the cold aisle that supplies cold air to the ICT equipment is small, the wind speed of the cold air blown from the wall must be increased. If the wind speed of the cold air blown from the wall increases, there is a high possibility that workability during maintenance work will deteriorate.

That is, at the time of maintenance work, the maintenance work is performed while the worker confirms the work items and inspection items described on the work sheet or the like. At this time, when the wind speed is high, the work sheet flutters and a large noise is likely to be generated, so that there is a high possibility that workability is deteriorated.

In view of the above points, the present application provides an example of an air conditioning system capable of securing a required air volume while reducing the wind speed in the server room.

In the present application, there is a machine room (MR) partitioned from a server room (SR) via a wall portion (6) that horizontally partitions the space, and a suction port (6A) provided in the wall portion (6). A machine room (MR) that communicates with the server room (SR) through) and a cold air introduction path (13) provided on the ceiling side of the machine room (MR) for guiding cold air to the server room (SR). A heat exchanger that is arranged on the machine room (MR) side with respect to the cold air introduction path (13) and the suction port (6A) and cools the air flowing from the server room (SR) to the machine room (MR). (7) and the first axial flow fan (9) that sucks the air in the server room (SR) and generates an air flow toward the cold air introduction path (13), and is the heat exchanger (7). The first axial flow fan (9) that generates the first airflow passing above, and the second axis that sucks the air in the server room (SR) and generates the airflow that flows toward the cold air introduction path (13). The second axial flow fan (11), which is a flow fan (11) and generates a second air flow that passes below the portion of the heat exchanger (7) through which the first air flow passes, and the first air flow. A first air guide member (15A) that diverts and guides the first airflow to the cold air introduction path (13), and a second air guide that guides the second airflow to the cold air introduction path (13) while turning the second airflow. A second air guide member (15B) whose lower end located on the inlet side of the second air flow is 155 cm or more from the floor surface (F) of the machine room (MR). Be prepared.

As a result, the entire ceiling side can be used as the cold air introduction path (13), so that the passage cross-sectional area is larger than the passage cross-sectional area of the cooling air passage in the "wall blowing type air conditioning system" described in Patent Document 1. Can be secured. Therefore, the required air volume can be secured without increasing the wind speed, and the wind speed in the server room (SR) can be made smaller than that of the "wall blowing type air conditioning system".

Further, since the lower end located on the inlet side of the second air flow is located at a position of 155 cm or more from the floor surface (F) of the machine room (MR), the head of the worker or the like is placed on the second air guide member (2) during maintenance work. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconveniences such as hitting 15B).

Incidentally, the reference numerals in the parentheses are examples showing the correspondence with the specific configurations and the like described in the embodiments described later, and the present invention is limited to the specific configurations and the like shown in the symbols in the parentheses. It's not something.

It is a top view of the server room SR and the machine room MR in the embodiment of the present invention. It is an elevation view of the server room SR and the machine room MR in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an elevation view of the server room SR and the machine room MR in the second embodiment of the present invention. It is an elevation view of the server room SR and the machine room MR in the second embodiment of the present invention.

The "embodiment of the invention" described below is an example of an embodiment belonging to the technical scope of the present invention. That is, the matters specifying the invention described in the claims are not limited to the specific configuration, structure, etc. shown in the following embodiments.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The arrows and the like indicating the directions attached to each figure are described in order to make it easier to understand the relationship between each figure. The present invention is not limited to the directions attached to each figure.

At least one member or part described with a reference numeral is provided, except when otherwise specified such as "one". That is, if there is no notice such as "one", two or more of the members may be provided.

(First Embodiment)
In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an air conditioning system for a data center. The data center is provided with a server room in which a plurality of information and communication technology devices (hereinafter referred to as ICT devices) are installed. The air conditioning system according to the present embodiment air-conditions the server room.

1. 1. Schematic configuration of air conditioning system One or more ICT devices (not shown) are installed in the server room SR in a state of being mounted on the rack 3 shown in FIG. In the server room SR, a plurality of racks 3 are installed side by side in a row. Hereinafter, the plurality of racks 3 arranged in a row are also referred to as rack rows R.

A cooling air passage (cold aisle) 3A for supplying cold air for cooling each ICT device is provided on one side of the rack row R. The cold air is supplied to the cooling air passage 3A via the cold air introduction path 13 (see FIG. 2) provided on the ceiling side of the server room SR.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a cold air outlet 13A for blowing cold air is provided at least on the ceiling side (cold air introduction path 13 side) of the cooling air passage 3A. In the cooling air passage 3A, both ends of the rack row R in the extending direction are closed by the closing member 3C.

A partition member (not shown) for partitioning the cooling air passage 3A and the passage 3B (see FIG. 1) is provided on the ceiling side of each rack row R. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the cold air supplied from the cold air introduction path 13 to the cooling air passage 3A passes through each rack row R and flows to the passage 3B opposite to the cooling air passage 3A.

The passage 3B is not provided with a cold air outlet. Therefore, air whose temperature has risen after heat exchange with the ICT device flows through the passage 3B. That is, the passage 3B becomes a hot air passage (hot aisle) through which heated air (warm air) flows.

The air conditioner 5 that supplies cold air to the server room SR is installed in the machine room MR. The machine room MR is provided adjacent to the server room SR. The machine room MR is partitioned from the server room SR via a wall portion 6 that horizontally partitions the space.

The wall portion 6 is provided with a suction port 6A. The suction port 6A is a communication port for communicating the server room SR and the machine room MR, and is provided on one end side in the extension direction of the rack row R. Both ends of the cooling air passage 3A in the extending direction are closed. Therefore, the suction port 6A communicates with the hot air passage (hot aisle) 3B in the server room SR.

The suction port 6A according to the present embodiment is open in almost the entire area of the wall portion 6, that is, substantially the entire horizontal direction and the substantially entire vertical direction of the wall portion 6. On the SR side of the server chamber of the suction port 6A, an armor window-shaped louver composed of a plurality of blade plates (not shown) formed in a strip shape is provided.

In FIG. 1, one air conditioner 5 is installed in the machine room MR. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the number of air conditioners 5 is a value determined according to the air conditioning capacity required in the server room SR.

The air conditioner 5 is installed at a position separated from the suction port 6A by a predetermined dimension or more. The predetermined dimension is, for example, a dimension that can secure a space sufficient for a worker who maintains the air conditioning system to work.

2. Configuration of air conditioner, cold air introduction path, etc. As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 5 has at least a heat exchanger 7 and a blower 8. In the air conditioner 5 according to the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 7 and the blower 8 are housed in the case 5A to form an air handling unit.

The heat exchanger 7 is arranged on the machine room MR side with respect to the suction port 6A, and cools the air flowing from the server room SR to the machine room MR. The heat exchanger 7 according to the present embodiment includes a core portion having a tube (not shown) or the like through which cold water circulates.

Then, when the air passes through the core portion, the cold water and the air exchange heat with each other to cool the air. That is, the core portion is a portion for heat exchange between cold water and air. Cold water is generated in a chiller unit such as a vapor compression refrigerator.

The heat exchanger 7 is arranged on the suction side of the blower 8, that is, on the upstream side of the air flow from the blower 8. The blower 8 sucks the air in the server room SR and blows the air toward the cold air introduction path 13. The cold air introduction path 13 is an air passage for guiding the air cooled by the heat exchanger 7, that is, the cold air to the server room SR.

The cold air introduction path 13 according to the present embodiment communicates the ceiling side of the machine room MR and the ceiling side of the server room SR. The cold air introduction path 13 is a spatial air passage extending over the entire ceiling of the server room SR. A cold air outlet 13A is provided at a portion of the cold air introduction path 13 corresponding to the cooling air passage (cold aisle) 3A.

The blower 8 according to the present embodiment is composed of a first axial fan 9 and a second axial fan 11. The first axial fan 9 and the second axial fan 11 are composed of an axial blower (JIS B 0132 1010) in which air passes through an impeller in the axial direction.

The axial direction L1 of the first axial fan 9 and the axial direction L2 of the second axial fan 11 are parallel to each other. The axial directions L1 and L2 of the first axial fan 9 and the second axial fan 11 are parallel to the horizontal direction from the server room SR to the machine room MR. The first axial fan 9 and the second axial fan 11 are the same blowers. Hereinafter, the first axial fan 9 and the second axial fan 11 are collectively referred to as a blower 8.

The first axial fan 9 and the second axial fan 11 are arranged at positions shifted in the vertical direction. Specifically, the first axial fan 9 is arranged above the horizontal virtual line (not shown) passing through the center of the core in the vertical direction, and the second axial flow is below the virtual line. A fan 11 is arranged.

That is, the first axial fan 9 is arranged downstream of the air flow of the first core portion 7A, and the second axial fan 11 is arranged downstream of the air flow of the second core portion 7B. The first core portion 7A refers to a portion of the core portion on the upper side of the virtual line. The second core portion 7B refers to a portion of the core portion below the first core portion 7A.

Then, the first axis L1 penetrates the first core portion 7A. The second axis L2 penetrates the second core portion 7B. The first axial line L1 is a virtual line that coincides with the axial direction of the first axial fan 9, that is, the rotation center axis of the first axial fan 9. The second axial line L2 is a virtual line that coincides with the axial direction of the second axial fan 11, that is, the rotation center axis of the second axial fan 11.

In this embodiment, the first axis L1 is substantially orthogonal to the first core portion 7A. Therefore, the mainstream of air passing through the first core portion 7A (hereinafter referred to as the first airflow) passes through the first axial fan 9 in a direction substantially parallel to the first axial line L1 and flows to the cold air introduction path 13 side. ..

The second axis L2 is substantially orthogonal to the second core portion 7B. The mainstream of air passing through the second core portion 7B (hereinafter referred to as the second airflow) passes through the second axial fan 11 in a direction substantially parallel to the second axial line L2 and flows to the cold air introduction path 13 side.

The "state in which the first axis L1 is orthogonal to the first core portion 7A" means that the first core portion 7A is projected onto a virtual plane orthogonal to the first axis L1. It means a state in which the area of the first core portion 7A projected on is the largest. The same applies to "a state in which the second axis L2 is orthogonal to the second core portion 7B".

The "mainstream of air passing through the first core portion 7A" means that the air flows in a direction substantially parallel to the first axis L1 in the "state in which the first axis L1 is orthogonal to the first core portion 7A". Refers to airflow. Similarly, the "mainstream of air passing through the second core portion 7B" is a direction substantially parallel to the second axis L2 in the "state in which the second axis L2 is orthogonal to the second core portion 7B". The airflow that circulates in.

A first air guide member 15A, a second air guide member 15B, and a third air guide member 15C are provided at a portion extending from the air conditioner 5 to the cold air introduction path 13. The first air guide member 15A guides the first air flow to the cold air introduction path 13 while turning the air blown from the first axial fan 9, that is, the first air flow.

The second air guide member 15B guides the second air flow to the cold air introduction path 13 while turning the air blown from the second axial fan 11, that is, the second air flow. Therefore, the first airflow and the second airflow blown upward from the air conditioner 5 are introduced by the first air guide member 15A and the second air guide member 15B by turning their flow directions by 180 degrees. It flows into the road 13.

The first wind guide member 15A is located outside the first airflow that is turned approximately 180 degrees. The second air guide member 15B is located outside the second airflow that is turned approximately 180 degrees. "Outside the airflow" means the side opposite to the center of curvature of the streamline across the streamline of the airflow.

Therefore, "inside the airflow" means the same side as the center of curvature of the streamline with respect to the streamline of the airflow. That is, the first airflow guiding member 15A is located inside the second airflow that is turned by approximately 180 degrees, so that the first airflow that is being converted and the second airflow that is being converted are separated from each other. The area from the blower 8 to the cold air introduction path 13 is partitioned so as to be converted.

The third wind guide member 15C is located inside the first airflow that is turned approximately 180 degrees. Then, the third ventilation member 15C suppresses the generation of loss (ventilation resistance) due to the generation of a vortex or the like inside the first airflow that is turned by approximately 180 degrees.

The lower end 15D of the second air guide member 15B located on the inlet side of the second airflow is located at a position of 155 cm or more from the floor surface F of the machine room MR. That is, the lower end height H of the second wind guide member 15B is set to 155 cm or more. In the present embodiment, the lower end 15D of the second wind guide member 15B is located higher than the lower end 15E of the first wind guide member 15A.

A turning guide 16 for turning the second airflow discharged from the second axial fan 11 toward the second air guide member 15B is provided in the vicinity of the outlet of the second axial fan 11. Therefore, the airflow guide surface 16A of the turning guide 16 is composed of an inclined surface inclined with respect to the second axis L2 so as to approach the lower end 15D toward the downstream side.

The turning guide 16 is configured so that the virtual tangent line at the downstream end 16B of the airflow guide surface 16A intersects the lower end 15D of the second air guide member 15B or the second air guide member 15B above the lower end 15D. It is desirable to do.

3. 3. Features of the air conditioning system according to the present embodiment In the present embodiment, the entire ceiling side can be used as the cold air introduction path 13. Therefore, it is possible to secure a large passage cross-sectional area as compared with the passage cross-sectional area of the cooling air passage in the “wall blowing type air conditioning system”. Therefore, it is possible to secure the required air volume without increasing the wind speed, and it is possible to reduce the wind speed in the server room SR as compared with the "wall blowing type air conditioning system".

Further, since the lower end located on the inlet side of the second airflow is located at a position of 155 cm or more from the floor surface F of the machine room MR, the head of the worker or the like may hit the second air guide member 15B during maintenance work. The occurrence of inconvenience can be suppressed.

The first air guide member 15A partitions a region from the heat exchanger 7 to the cold air introduction path 13 so as to divert the first air flow in a state where the first air flow being converted and the second air flow being converted are separated. .. As a result, it is possible to prevent a large pressure loss from occurring at the time of a large conversion due to a collision between the first airflow and the second airflow.

The first axial line L1, which is a virtual line that coincides with the rotation center axis of the first axial fan 9, penetrates the first core portion 7A. As a result, the mainstream direction of the first airflow and the mainstream direction of the airflow induced by the first axial fan 9 coincide with each other, so that cold air can be efficiently blown to the cold air introduction path 13.

The second axial line L2, which is a virtual line that coincides with the rotation center axis of the second axial flow fan 11, penetrates the second core portion 7B. As a result, the mainstream direction of the second airflow and the mainstream direction of the airflow induced by the second axial fan 11 coincide with each other, so that cold air can be efficiently blown to the cold air introduction path 13.

The second axial fan 11 is arranged on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 7 at a position closer to the heat exchanger 7 than the lower end 15D of the second air guide member 15B, and draws the second airflow to the second air guide member 15B. A turning guide 16 for turning to the side is provided.

As a result, the second airflow can be guided to the inlet side of the second airflow member 15B even if the second airflow member 15B does not extend to the second core portion 7B. Therefore, it is possible to secure a work space for workers while suppressing the occurrence of a large pressure loss in the machine room MR.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first core portion 7A and the second core portion 7B are each composed of independent heat exchangers, and at least the second core portion 7B faces a vertical surface. On the other hand, it is an air conditioning system that is tilted. Also in this embodiment, the first axis L1 is substantially orthogonal to the first core portion 7A, and the second axis L2 is substantially orthogonal to the second core portion 7B. The inclination of is such that the collision angle between the mainstream of the second airflow and the turning guide 16 becomes an acute angle. As described above, the mainstream of the second airflow is an airflow that circulates in a direction substantially parallel to the second axis L2 in the "state in which the second axis L2 is orthogonal to the second core portion 7B". To say.

As a result, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent a large pressure loss from occurring when the turning guide 16 is used to guide the direction of the airflow. Since the same configuration requirements and the like as those in the above-described embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those in the above-described embodiment, duplicate description will be omitted.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, the first blower 9 and the second blower 11 are the same blower. However, the invention disclosed in the present specification is not limited to this. That is, for example, the first blower 9 and the second blower 11 may be different blowers.

In the above-described embodiment, the heat exchanger 7 is installed on the upstream side of the blower 8. The invention disclosed in the present specification is not limited thereto. That is, for example, the heat exchanger 7 may be installed on the downstream side of the blower 8.

In the above-described embodiment, the first wind guide member 15A to the third wind guide member 15C are provided. However, the invention disclosed in the present specification is not limited to this.
That is, for example, (a) a configuration in which at least one of the first wind guide member 15A to the third wind guide member 15C and the turning guide 16 is abolished, and (b) the first wind guiding member 15A is abolished and the turning guide 16 is abolished. (C) The wall of the machine room MR may be used to form a portion corresponding to the second wind guide member 15B.

In the above-described embodiment, the suction port 6A is provided on one end side of the rack row R in the extending direction. The invention disclosed in the present specification is not limited thereto. That is, for example, it may be provided on both ends in the extending direction or at other parts.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is suitable for the server room SR of the data center. However, the present invention is also applicable to other server room SRs.
In the above embodiment, cold water is generated by a vapor compression refrigerator. However, the invention disclosed in the present specification is not limited to this. That is, for example, it may be a turbo chiller, an absorption type (adsorption type) chiller, or the like.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as long as it conforms to the gist of the invention described in the claims. Therefore, at least two of the plurality of embodiments described above may be combined.

3 ... Rack 5 ... Air conditioner 6 ... Wall 6A ... Suction port 7 ... Heat exchanger 7A ... 1st core 7B ... 2nd core 8 ... Blower 9 ... 1st axial fan 11 ... 2nd axial fan 13 ... Cold air introduction path 13A ... Cold air outlet 15A ... 1st air guide member 15B ... 2nd air guide member 15C ... 3rd air guide member 16 ... Turning guide

Claims (6)

In an air conditioning system that air-conditions the server room where information and communication technology equipment is installed
A machine room partitioned from the server room via a wall portion that horizontally partitions the space, and a machine room communicating with the server room through a suction port provided in the wall portion.
A cold air introduction path provided on the ceiling side of the machine room, and a cold air introduction path for guiding the cold air to the server room.
A heat exchanger that is arranged on the machine room side with respect to the suction port and cools the air that flows from the server room to the machine room.
A first axial fan that sucks air in the server room and generates an air flow that flows toward the cold air introduction path, and generates a first axial flow that passes above the heat exchanger. With fans
A second axial fan that sucks air in the server chamber and generates an air flow that flows toward the cold air introduction path, and passes below the portion of the heat exchanger through which the first air flow passes. A second axial fan that generates a second airflow and
A first air guide member that diverts the first air flow and guides the first air flow to the cold air introduction path.
A second air guide member that guides the second airflow to the cold air introduction path while turning the second airflow, and the lower end located on the inlet side of the second airflow is 155 cm from the floor surface of the machine room. An air conditioning system equipped with a second airflow member at the above position. The first air guide member is a region from the heat exchanger to the cold air introduction path so as to divert the first air flow in a state where the first air flow being converted and the second air flow being converted are separated. The air conditioning system according to claim 1. The first axial fan and the second axial fan are arranged on the downstream side of the heat exchanger.
The portion of the heat exchanger through which the first airflow passes is designated as the first core portion, and the portion of the heat exchanger through which the second airflow passes is designated as the second core portion, and the rotation of the first axial fan When the virtual line that matches the central axis is the first axis,
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the first axis line penetrates the first core portion. When the virtual line that coincides with the rotation center axis of the second axial fan is set as the second axis,
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the second axis penetrates the second core portion. The air conditioning system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the second core portion is inclined with respect to a vertical plane. The second axial fan is arranged on the downstream side of the heat exchanger at a position closer to the heat exchanger than the lower end of the second air guide member.
The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a turning guide for turning the airflow discharged from the second axial fan toward the second air guide member side.