US20080160902A1

US20080160902A1 - Apparatus, system and method for providing high efficiency air conditioning

Info

Publication number: US20080160902A1
Application number: US11/966,660
Authority: US
Inventors: Joerg Desler
Original assignee: Stulz Air Tech Systems Inc
Current assignee: Stulz Air Tech Systems Inc
Priority date: 2006-12-29
Filing date: 2007-12-28
Publication date: 2008-07-03

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for improving the provision of air conditioning, is disclosed. The system and method optimize air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, and may include a cabinet and a separation barrier. The cabinet may be operative to house a plurality of any type of plug fans, including for example, AC plug fans and/or electronically commutated (EC) plug fans. The separation barrier is operable to separate or isolate the EC fans from one another. The system may include any of a floor-mounted, raised-floor, computer room, precision air conditioner and/or data center, where the EC fans may be fixedly disposed within the cabinet. The system may also include a V-shaped coil having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end, with a fan operable to receive the dispelled air flow from the V-shaped coil. The V-shaped coil may include interlaced coil elements disposed in the “V” shape where the coil elements meet in the substantially closed end. Air flow may flow from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel from the coil being drawn by one or more of the EC fans. The coil may be provided on top of the EC fans within the cabinet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/877,646, entitled “Method and apparatus for placing air conditioning fans,” to Stulz et al., filed Dec. 29, 2006, of common assignee to the present application, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to air conditioning systems and more particularly to floor mounted, computer room/data center air conditioning systems.
2. Related Art
Computer room data centers are often constructed with a raised floor and are equipped with, among other environmental subsystems, air conditioning systems.
Raised floor air conditioning systems have certain shortcomings.
The present invention aims to overcome shortcomings of conventional computer room/data center air conditioning systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention sets forth a system for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption. The system may include a cabinet operable to house a plurality of plug fans; and a separation barrier operable to separate the EC fans from one another. The system may further include the one or more plug fans, where the plug fans may include any one of alternating current (AC) plug fans and/or electronically commutated (EC) plug fans. The system may further include at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center. The fans may be at least one of floor-mounted and/or fixedly disposed within the cabinet. The fans may be disposed within a portion of the cabinet. The fans may include EC fans, including one or more electronically commutated permanent magnets. The fans may include any one of one or more direct driven plug fans and technology associated with direct driven plug fans. The separation barrier may include a resilient material including at least one of: a metal material and/or metallic material; and/or a plastic and/or resin material. The separation barrier may include a metal and/or metallic materials, including at least one of: an aluminum material; and/or a steel material. In an embodiment, the horizontal floor space between a given plurality of the fans is less than a horizontal floor space established by placing a given pair of the fans at a separation greater than or equal to the diameter of one of the fans. In an embodiment, the horizontal floor space between a given pair of the fans is less than a distance of separation recommended by a manufacturer of the fans.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a method for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption includes: passing an air flow through a cabinet operable to house a plurality of plug fans; and passing the air flow downward through at least one of the fans, and outward and upward thereform such that the air flow does not pass through a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another. The method may further include passing the air flow between the cabinet and at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a system for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption includes: a coil comprising a shape having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end (“V-shaped coil”); and a fan operable to receive the dispelled air flow from the V-shaped coil. In an exemplary embodiment, the V-shaped coil includes an interlaced coil including one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape where the coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, where the coil elements are operable to permit the air flow from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom.
The latter system may further include a filter disposed at the open end of the V-shaped coil in a manner to provide a substantial seal therebetween. It may include a drain pan disposed beneath the coil elements to collect a moisture residue therefrom. The system may further include at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center. The V-shaped coil and at least one of the air conditioner, the computer room, and the data center may be disposed to permit an air flow therebetween. In an embodiment, the fan is a plug fan, and includes any one of an alternating current (AC) plug fan and/or an electronically commutated (EC) plug fan. The V-shaped coil may be fixedly disposed within a cabinet operable to house a plurality of the fans. The system may further include a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another. The fans may be at least one of floor mounted and/or fixedly disposed within the cabinet. The fans may be disposed within a portion of the cabinet. The coil elements may permit parallel liquid flow circuits therebetween having independent operation.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a method for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption may include: passing an air flow through a coil, the coil comprising a shape having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end (“V-shaped coil”); and passing the air flow from the V-shaped coil through a fan operable to receive the air flow as the air flow is dispelled from the V-shaped coil. In an exemplary embodiment, the V-shaped coil includes an interlaced coil comprising one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape wherein the coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, and wherein the air flows from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom. The air flow may be passed between the V-shaped coil and at least one any one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center. The air flow may be passed between a cabinet housing the V-shaped coil and at least one of the raised-floor, precision air conditioner and/or data center, and/or the V-shaped coil.
In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, a system for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, further includes: a coil comprising a shape having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end (“V-shaped coil”); and a fan operable to receive the dispelled air flow from the V-shaped coil. The V-shaped coil may include an interlaced coil including one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape wherein the one or more coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, wherein the coil elements are operable to permit the air flow from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom. The system may further include a filter disposed at the open end of the V-shaped coil in a manner to provide a substantial seal therebetween. It may further include a drain pan disposed beneath the coil elements to collect a moisture residue therefrom. The system may include at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center. The V-shaped coil and at least one of the air conditioner, the computer room, and/or the data center are disposed to permit an air flow therebetween. The fan may be a plug fan, and include any one of an alternating current (AC) plug fan and/or an electronically commutated (EC) plug fan. The V-shaped coil may be fixedly disposed within a cabinet operable to house a plurality of the fans. The system may further include a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another. The fans may be at least one of floor mounted and/or fixedly disposed within the cabinet. The fans may be disposed within a portion of the cabinet. The coil elements may permit parallel liquid flow circuits therebetween having independent operation.
Further features and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of various exemplary embodiments of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of various exemplary embodiments including a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The left most digits in the corresponding reference number indicate the drawing in which an element first appears.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary electronically commutated (EC) fan including a cut-away view of the EC fan motor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary computer room air handler (CRAH) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary improved computer room air handler (CRAH) including separation barriers and isolated individual compartments for each of the plurality of EC fans according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary A-frame coil design for comparison to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary V-frame coil design according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary coil design detail for comparison to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary chilled water/chilled water dual circuit coil design, including interlacing with fin stock according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A depicts an exemplary schematic illustration of an exemplary chilled water coil assembly;

FIG. 8B depicts an exemplary isometric drawing of an exemplary V-shaped chilled water coil design, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8C depicts an exemplary embodiment of a v-shaped chilled water coil design according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary two single circuit coil assembly;

FIG. 10 depicts a cross section view of an exemplary two single circuit coil assembly;

FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary dual circuit interlaced coil assembly;

FIG. 12 depicts a cross section view of an exemplary dual circuit interlaced coil assembly; and

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a computer system as may be used as part of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Various exemplary embodiments of the invention including preferred embodiments are discussed in detail below. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Overview of Various Exemplary Embodiments

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention sets forth an apparatus, system and method of providing a high efficiency computer room air handler (CRAH) 300, as described further below with reference to FIG. 3. According to an exemplary embodiment, an exemplary CRAH system as depicted in FIG. 3 may provide, e.g., but not limited to, an exemplary cabinet adapted to provide, e.g., but not limited to, separation of, e.g., but not limited to, direct driven plug fans. In an exemplary embodiment, the fans may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, electronically commutated (EC) fans 100 as discussed further below with reference to FIG. 1.
According to one exemplary embodiment, an exemplary V-shaped Chilled Water coil design may be used as discussed further below with reference to FIG. 5. In an exemplary embodiment, the V-shaped chilled water coil design 500 may be optionally accompanied by an exemplary V-shaped Dual Chilled Water exemplary interlaced coil design, as discussed further below with reference to FIG. 7.

Exemplary Embodiment of an Electronically Commutated (EC) Fan

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a fan. The fan may include, but not be limited to, for example, plug fans. In an exemplary embodiment, the plug fan is an alternating current (AC) plug fan. In another exemplary embodiment, the plug fan is an electronically commuted (EC) plug fan. While a number of the embodiments described herein refer to electronically commuted (EC) plug fan 100, it will be understood that the present embodiments may apply to any type of fan or fan related device, including corresponding methods.
Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may include cabinets housing fans, such as for example electronically commutated (EC) fans 100, as described further below. An exemplary EC fan 100 may include, according to an exemplary embodiment, an electronically commutated permanent magnet direct current (DC) motor 102, and a plurality of fan blades (not labeled).
In one exemplary embodiment, electric motor 102, may include, e.g., but not be limited to, a stator 104, a rotor 106, a bearing 108, and/or an electronic control circuit board 110. EC motor 102 technology, according to an exemplary embodiment, may be insensitive to voltage fluctuations, may run extremely quietly, and may have continuously adjustable speeds and may include reduced power consumption, as compared to other fan technologies. In essence, according to an exemplary embodiment, the EC fan motor 102 may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, a direct current (DC) motor with shunt characteristics. The rotary motion of the exemplary motor 102 may be achieved by supplying power via a switching device (i.e., a commutator). In other motors, the commutator may include brushes, having a much shorter and limited service life of only a few thousand hours, as compared to an EC fan motor. With EC fan motor 102, according to an exemplary embodiment, commutation may be performed using solid state electronics (including, e.g., but not limited to, control circuit board 110) and may therefore be inherently wear-free by design.
According to an exemplary embodiment, EC fan 100 may include an EC fan available from ebm-papst Inc. of 100 Hyde Road, Farmington, Conn. 06034. Unlike alternating current (AC) fans, EC fans 100, according to an exemplary embodiment, may include an electronically commutated permanent magnet DC motor 102. This EC permanent magnet technology is insensitive to voltage fluctuations, may provide for extremely quiet operation and long life and may enable continuously adjustable fan speeds. EC motors 102 may help to minimize operating costs with high efficiencies of up to 92%, according to an exemplary embodiment.
Exemplary EC fans 100 from ebm-papst may comply with the strictest EMC standards including, e.g., but not limited to: emissions EN50081-1, interference immunity, EN61000-6-4 and harmonic, and current emissions EN61000-3-2.
Furthermore, the exemplary EC fans may have been granted all important international approvals in accordance with Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik (VDE) (the German certification mark of the VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies), Underwriters' Laboratory (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), China Compulsory Certification (CCC) and the Russian state standard Gosudarstvennyy Standart (GOST) (Russian:Γocy
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Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH)

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary diagram illustrating an exemplary computer room air handler (CRAH) 200 for comparison to a CRAH 300 depicted in FIG. 3, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 depicts a computer room air handler (CRAH) 200, including an exemplary floor mounted, air conditioner.
Also, in CRAH 200, as shown, exemplary fans 202 may be provided. CRAH 200 includes, three exemplary fans 202 a, 202 b, and 202 c sharing a common space 204.
CRAH 200, may include, a down-flow or an up-flow version. A down-flow version may pull air into the top of the unit, through a filter and a coil, and may discharge air at the bottom of the unit. The air typically may be discharged into a raised floor. An up-flow version may pull air into a lower front or a lower rear of the unit, through, a filter and a coil, and may discharge air at the top of the unit.
It is important to note that the CRAH 200 provides that all three fans 202 share a common space 204 (i.e., there are no barriers separating the three fans); thus all three exemplary fans share a common compartment 204 of cabinet 206. For such a configuration to work at the intended efficiency, fans 202 must conventionally be spaced quite far apart, taking a substantially large amount of floor space to provide a given unit of air handling.
Even EC fans used in a Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) 200 operate inefficiently. For example, EC fans 202 a-202 c of CRAH 200 are shown performing at 17,000 scfm at 0.1″ external static pressure. In the CRAH 200, the EC fans 202 must, for example, typically operate at 100% capacity which results in energy consumption of approximately 9.0 kW, at substantially greater energy consumption than the improved CRAH 300 described further below with reference to FIG. 3, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Exemplary Embodiment of a High Efficiency Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH)

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary diagram 300 illustrating an exemplary improved CRAH design, including fan separation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. An exemplary and non-limiting system 300 may include fan separation barriers 304 a, 304 b (collectively herein as 304), according to an exemplary embodiment. Improved CRAH 300 is available from the Assignee of the present invention, Stulz Air Technology Systems Inc. (Stulz-ATS) of 1572 Tilco Drive, Frederick, Md. 21704 USA. CRAH 300, according to an exemplary embodiment, may, e.g., but not be limited to, perform at 17,000 scfm at 0.5″ external static pressure. According to an exemplary embodiment, the EC Fans 302 may operate at 70% capacity which results in energy consumption of approximately 5.5 kW, as compared to other CRAHs.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention sets forth an apparatus, system and method of providing a high efficiency computer room air handler (CRAH). According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the exemplary apparatus, system and method may include a CRAH 300, which may include, e.g., but not limited to, an exemplary vertical, floor-mounted, precision air conditioner which may be used in a, e.g., but not limited to, raised-floor, computer room and/or a data center(s).
CRAH 300, in an exemplary embodiment may include a cabinet 306, including a plurality of vertically placed EC fans 302 a, 302 b and 302 c. Resulting benefits of the CRAH according to the exemplary embodiment, may include a significant reduction in unit energy consumption, as well as, a reduction in the amount of floor space required for installation. According to an exemplary embodiment, the CRAH 300, as discussed herein, may refer to, an exemplary vertical, floor mounted, precision air conditioner as depicted in FIG. 3. In an exemplary embodiment, CRAH 300 may include a plurality of exemplary EC fan(s) 302 a-302 c (described further above with reference to EC fan 100 of FIG. 1). As depicted, according to an exemplary embodiment, cabinet 306 of CRAH 300 may include, e.g., but not be limited to, a plurality of EC centrifugal fans. According to an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary EC fan(s) 100 may include direct driven plug fan technology. As shown, according to an exemplary embodiment, cabinet 306 of CRAH 300 may include separation barriers 304 a, 304 b, which may isolate each of fans 302 a, 302 b, and 302 c in separate compartments 308 a, 308 b, and 308 c, respectively, formed by the separation barriers 304 a, 304 b and/or walls of cabinet 306, according to an exemplary embodiment.
According to an exemplary embodiment, separation barriers 304 a, 304 b may be constructed of a sturdy resilient material, such as, e.g., but not limited to, a metal or plastic plate. According to an exemplary embodiment, the exemplary separation barriers 304 may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, a resilient barrier, a plate, a metal plate, an aluminum plate, a steel plate, a galvanized steel plate, a plastic plate, a fireproof barrier, and/or an air interrupting barrier, etc. A barrier of any other material may also be used.
CRAH 300, according to an exemplary embodiment, can include, e.g., but not be limited to, a down-flow or an up-flow version of the CRAH. An exemplary down-flow version may pull air into the top of the unit, through a filter and a coil, and may discharge air at the bottom of the unit. The air may typically be discharged into a raised floor. An exemplary up-flow version may pull air into an exemplary lower front or an exemplary lower rear of the unit, through, e.g., but may not be limited to, a filter and a coil, and may discharge air at the top of the unit.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the EC fan 100 of FIG. 1, as described herein, may be used as one of the plurality of EC fans 302 inside the exemplary CRAH 300. According to an exemplary embodiment, EC fans 302 of various exemplary diametric dimensions may be used in the exemplary CRAH 300. In an exemplary embodiment, EC fans 302 may have a diameter ranging from, e.g., but not limited to, 400-750 mm, etc., according to various exemplary embodiments.

Separation of EC Fan Technology in Individual Compartments Yields Energy Savings

While the introduction of EC fans to precision air conditioning allows for measurable cost savings in energy usage and maintenance, quieter operation, and improved motor longevity; a truly innovative increase in EC fan efficiency may only be accomplished, when taking advantage of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, a substantial increase in EC fan efficiency may be experienced when the air pressure drops inside the CRAH 300 to a minimal level, i.e., as low as possible, where air-flow conditions are then optimized.
FIG. 3, depicts an exemplary embodiment of CRAH 300, including a separation barrier 304 a, 304 b, separating each of the plurality of EC fans 302 a-302 c within cabinet 306 into separate compartments 308 a-308 c, respectively. The unique, novel and non-obvious CRAH 300 cabinet design optimizes air flow and static pressure which in turn enables the unit to require decreased energy consumption. Stulz-ATS Inc. provides a CRAH 300 according to an exemplary embodiment, which includes separation, so as to realize the lowest unit energy consumption in the industry.
Through extensive testing, Assignee Stulz-ATS found that when EC Fans 100 are placed horizontally, side by side in close proximity to each other in a CRAH 200 without barriers, the air-flow between the fans impedes the performance of the fans and actually increases air pressure drop inside the cabinet, thus decreasing performance and efficiency of the CRAH. The loss of performance and efficiency was found to nullify energy saving benefits intended by EC fan technology.
EC fan manufacturers generally recommend installing EC fans at least as far apart as their own diameter to sustain a fan's optimal efficiency. Installing fans this far apart is less practicable for a CRAH as such a distance increases the CRAH's need for floor space substantially. Thus, the CRAH 200 of FIG. 2 requires a large amount of floor space to accommodate sufficient spacing between the plurality of EC fans 202 a-c in the shared compartment. As shown in FIG. 3, according to an exemplary embodiment, using Applicant's fan separation design 300, according to an exemplary embodiment, including, e.g., but not limited to, separation barriers 304 a, 304 b, may avoid the need for this additional floor space necessitated by fan separation, by individually separating EC fans so that the EC fans may operate without losing fan efficiency.
According to an exemplary embodiment, Applicant's method of FIG. 3 of locating and separating EC fans 302 by a separation barrier 304 may allow the benefits of the EC Fan technology to be realized even when multiple fans are mounted closer to one another than the fan manufacturers' recommendations. Applicant discovered that when EC fans are installed in close proximity to each other, the performance is substantially improved if the fans are separated with a physical separation barrier 304. Without adequate separation, it was discovered that EC fans may impede one another's performance significantly.
As depicted in the CRAH 200 of FIG. 2, without fan separation of an exemplary embodiment, EC fans 202 in a CRAH 200 must operate at 100% capacity resulting in energy consumption of 9.0 kW. On the other hand, using the fan separation method including a separation barrier of an exemplary embodiment of Applicant's invention, CRAH 300 of FIG. 3, performing at 17,000 scfm at 0.5″ external static pressure, EC fans 302 operate at 70% capacity, which results in energy consumption of only approximately 5.5 kW. Thus an energy savings of 3.5 kW may be obtained, according to one exemplary embodiment.
The unique Stulz-ATS method, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, of separating EC fans 302 with a barrier 304 may allow a CRAH 300 to operate with a compact cabinet 306 (i.e., a smaller footprint than other cabinets 206) at the same performance conditions as a CRAH 200, but with increased capacity and motor efficiency. The exclusive cabinet design 306 depicted in FIG. 3, according to an exemplary embodiment, may allow the most effective application of multiple EC Fans 302 a-302 c in a CRAH 300 by optimizing air flow and static pressure, and by allowing a CRAH 300 to realize higher energy efficiency without increasing size of the cabinet 306.
According to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, separating EC fans 302 from one another with a separation barrier 304 a, 304 b, according to an exemplary embodiment, may provide performance advantages and energy savings, and may apply whenever more than 1 fan is installed in a CRAH 300. In a CRAH 200, with more than 1 fan 202 without barrier separations, two or more fans would be operating within the same compartment. The separation method, according to an exemplary embodiment, may ensure that each fan 302 a-302 c, operating inside a CRAH 300, may be in its own compartment 308 a-308 c of cabinet 306, with little or no air leaking into the compartments 308 of adjacent fans 302. The separation material, or barrier 304, may be constructed of any kind of material that eliminates most, or all, air leakage to compartments of adjacent fans 302. According to an exemplary embodiment, separators 304 a, 304 b may be constructed of a metal plate material, e.g., but not limited to, aluminum, steel, nickel, zinc, copper, etc. The barrier may be of a thickness capable of resilience. An exemplary separation barrier 304 may be constructed of steel of a thickness of 0.059″ (inches), (16 Ga.), which may in an exemplary embodiment be comparable to the thickness of the walls of the housing of the cabinet 306. According to an exemplary embodiment, an exemplary separation barrier 304 may be rectangular in shape and maybe placed equidistant between two adjacent EC fans. The separation barrier 304 may in one exemplary embodiment be part of the structure of the cabinet 306. In another exemplary embodiment, the separation barrier 304 may be separate from the cabinet, and may be installed within the cabinet and secured in place by a mounting mechanism such as, e.g., but not limited to, screws, bolts, welding, or the like. In an exemplary embodiment, the barrier 304 may be load bearing. In exemplary embodiments, differing separation distances may be used as well. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the minimum distance between the edge of a fan and a barrier may be 2″.

Overview of Chilled Water Coil Assembly and V-Frame Coil Design

FIG. 8A depicts an exemplary chilled water coil assembly 800, including an exemplary outlet 802 (which may be used as, e.g., but not limited to, a water outlet), an exemplary inlet 804 (which may be used as, e.g., but not limited to, a water inlet), tubing 806 (which may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, copper (Cu) tubing) connecting the outlet and inlet, and fins 808 (which may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, aluminum (Al) fins). As shown, the exemplary chilled water coil 800 may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, multiple rows of the seamless, drawn tubes 806 which may be joined at the ends to form a continuous circuit.
The circuit may be designed for fluid (which may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, water and/or chilled water, etc.) to flow through the tubing, entering one end 804 and exiting the other end 802. As shown, the plurality of thin plates (which may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, Al plates) may be mechanically bonded to the tubes 806 (which may include, e.g., but may not be limited to, copper tubes). The plates may be closely arranged side by side along the length of the copper tubes 806 to form the aluminum fins 808. Spacing between fins 808 may be designed at an optimal, minimum distance that allows air to flow through the spaces between the fins 808. The assembly of copper tubes 806 and aluminum fins 808 may be held together with end plates typically, e.g., but not exclusively limited to, formed of galvanized steel.
Cooling fluid flows through the copper tubes 806 at a temperature designed to lower the surface temperature of the aluminum fins 808 below the temperature of the air to be treated. When warm air is forced through the coil assembly 800, it may pass between the aluminum fins 808, transferring heat from the air into the aluminum material. Heat from the aluminum fins 808 may then pass to the copper tubing 806 where it may be removed by the cooling fluid as it flows through the copper tubing.
An exemplary embodiment of the present invention sets forth an improved, useful, novel and non-obvious V-shaped coil 500, referred to as a “V-frame” 500, which is discussed further below with reference to FIG. 5.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the V-frame coil 500 may provide increased energy efficiency for a CRAH 200, 300 as compared to the use of an exemplary A-frame shaped coils 400 shown in FIG. 4 below. An exemplary embodiment of the V-frame 500 may include a V-shaped chilled water coil design 500 as depicted below and described further with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. According to one exemplary embodiment, an optional V-frame coil design may include a dual circuit chilled water design 700.
According to an exemplary embodiment, an optional V-frame dual circuit chilled water coil design 700 may include an interlaced coil design 708 as set forth and described with reference to FIG. 7 below. According to an exemplary embodiment, the optional V-frame dual circuit chilled water interlaced coil design 700 may be included as part of a vertical, floor-mounted, precision air conditioner to increase energy efficiency, as compared to other designs. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including a vertical, floor mounted, precision air conditioner, integrated with a V-frame coil design may optimize air flow and static pressure which in turn may allow the unit to realize decreased unit energy consumption, yielding the lowest unit energy consumption in the industry, to date.
A vertical, floor mounted air conditioner is referred to as a computer room air handler (CRAH) 200, 300. As noted above, according to an exemplary embodiment, CRAH 200, 300 may be a down-flow version or an up-flow version. Down-flow versions may pull air via a fan 310 into the top of the unit, through a filter 402 and a coil 408, and may discharge air at the bottom of the unit. The air may typically be discharged into a raised floor, upon which computer and/or other data center equipment, telecommunications device, power supplies and the like may be placed. Up-flow versions may pull air into the lower front or lower rear of the unit, through a filter 402 and a coil 408, and may discharge air at the top of the unit

Exemplary A-Frame Coil

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary diagram 400 illustrating an exemplary slab A-Frame coil design 400 described for comparison purposes to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a A-Frame coil design 400, which may include a downward air flow 412, drawn via a fan 410. In an exemplary embodiment, air flow 412 is drawn through filter 402, which may be held in place via filter frame 404, which may impede some air flow. The A-Frame coil 408 a, 408 b (collectively referred to as 408) creates an A-shaped crown at a point which includes a necessary coil cap 416. Air is drawn through coil 408 a, 408 b yielding air flow 414. Unfortunately not all air flow 412 reaches air flow 414 by passing through coil 408. Instead, some of airflow 412 is obstructed and diverts to the area remaining between cap 416 and frame 404 a and 404 b. Instead of flowing through coil 408, a portion of airflow 412 bypasses the coil and leaks around the drain pans 406 a and 406 b as shown.
As noted above, the A-frame coil design 400 requires the necessary coil cap 416. The cap 416 of the A-frame coil design creates an air blockage, causing a decrease in open area, and making small disturbances common in airflow 412 as it flows to airflow 414. The air blocks (such as, e.g., but not limited to, coil cap 416, filter frames 404 a and 404 b, and drain pans 406 a and 406 b), may decrease the open area, and the air flow disturbances may result in uneven, unpredictable face velocities through the coil 408. Pressure drops across the drain pan 406 may increase a risk of water carry-over into the air stream 414 as it is drawn by fan 410.
A-frame coils 400 may include two (2) slab coils held together at the top so as to form an “A” shape as shown in FIG. 4. The point where the two coils 408 a, 408 b are joined is located directly under the center of the filter 401 media, thus impeding airflow across the most efficient area of the filters 401. Small air disturbances are common, resulting in uneven and unpredictable face velocities through the coils 408 a, 408 b. Also, with the A-frame coil design 400, the high pressure side of the coils 408 a and 408 b may be separated from the low pressure side at the bottom edges of the coil assembly, in the same area where two drain pans 406 a and 406 b are positioned.

Exemplary V-Coil Providing Reduced Internal Pressure Drop—Optimizes Air Flow and Decreases Energy Consumption

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary diagram 500 illustrating an exemplary V-shaped Chilled Water coil design as may be provided, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8A provides a schematic illustration of an exemplary V-shaped Chilled Water coil design 810 as described above.
FIG. 8B depicts an exemplary isometric projection/view of a v-shaped chilled water coil design 810.
FIG. 8C depicts an exemplary drawing of a v-shaped chilled water coil design 810 illustrating coils and fins.
According to an exemplary embodiment, as the name indicates, an exemplary V-frame coil 500 may be formed with 2 slab coils 508 a, 508 b in the shape of a “V” as depicted in diagram 500. Referring to design 810 of FIG. 8, the slab coils 508 a and 508 b are shown in perspective view. Because a V- frame coil 508 a, 508 b, may be joined together at the bottom, the area directly below the filters may be left open for efficient airflow. The exemplary V-frame coil 500 may optimize air flow and pressure drop inside the cabinet 306, which may improve CRAH 300 capacity and total efficiency.
Additionally, according to an exemplary embodiment, the V-frame coil design 500 may allow the CRAH 300 to be designed with no pressure drop across the condensate drain pan 506. With a V-frame coil design 500, according to an exemplary embodiment, the high pressure side of the coil assembly may be separated from the low pressure side between the top edges of the coil assembly and the filter frame 504.

Optional Dual Chilled Water Interlaced Coil Design

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary diagram 600 illustrating an exemplary coil design 610, which may be modified or used for comparison to one or more exemplary embodiment. The coil design detail 600 depicted in FIG. 6 shows one side of an A or V configuration. The coil design 600 includes an exemplary 2×3-row single circuit coils 610. As depicted, water comes in one end 604 and out the other end 606, creating two circuits A 612, B 614. The coil design 600, according to an exemplary embodiment, may require at least a ¾″ gap 616 between coils to allow proper air-flow. By including the gap, overall coil size increases. Increased air side pressure drop may be experienced due to improper fin alignment. Higher fan energy is consumed to overcome additional pressure drop, according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary two single circuit coil assembly 900, showing the coil design 600 of FIG. 6 in expansive view. As illustrated, two single circuit coils 902 and 904 are provided, which are shown in front view as combined circuit coil 906. The two single circuit coils 902, 904 are stacked together, causing misalignment of fins, and reducing the open area of air flow.
FIG. 10 depicts a cross section 1000 of the coil assembly 900, showing the respective coil fins 1002. Also shown is how air flow 1004 is conducted between the coils in the two single circuit coil assembly.
FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagram 700 illustrating an exemplary V-shaped Dual Chilled Water Dual Circuit Coil exemplary interlaced coil design 708 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, a dual circuit, interlaced with a common fin stock may be used. As depicted, water enters one end 704 and exits another end 706. As shown in coil design 708, only one side of the v-configuration is shown. As can be seen, by comparison to design 608, no gap 616 is required. As shown, in an exemplary embodiment, Circuit A and Circuit B of dual circuit coil design 708 may be interlaced. The dual circuit coil design 700 may provide optimized heat transfer due to increased air flow resulting from eliminating restrictions caused by misaligned fins of two single coils. The design 708 can include increased capacity by ˜10% for independent circuit operation. Parallel operation, according to an exemplary embodiment, of both circuits is possible, nearly doubling capacity. According to an exemplary embodiment, longer redundancy may be achieved. An emergency cooling operation may be provided if loss of building chilled water occurs. According to an exemplary embodiment, less air side pressure drop thru common fin stock may be obtained.
According to an exemplary embodiment a chilled water (CW)/CW dual circuit coil may be interlaced with common fin stock (see the diagram of FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-C). This coil configuration is unique and novel at least in the U.S. for use in a CRAH 300. This unique coil design may allow redundancy by allowing each circuit to be supplied from independent water sources. Normally a customer uses only one circuit at a time. The dual circuit coil design 700 according to an exemplary embodiment, may increase cooling capacity by better utilizing the full depth of the coil, allowing more coil fin surface area for optimal heat transfer. See FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, for drawings comparing a approach 600 to an interlaced dual circuit coil design 708 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention. Additional fin surface area, according to an exemplary embodiment, may allow for parallel operation of two cooling circuits, nearly doubling the capacity of a chilled water coil because greater heat transfer is possible. The innovative dual circuit coil design 700 may also have a lower airside pressure drop through the common fin stock. Should a facility experience a loss in operation of the facility's chillers from, e.g., a power outage, this design may cool longer, while providing greater redundancy than other coil designs.
FIG. 11 depicts an exemplary dual circuit interlaced coil assembly 1100, showing the coil design 700 of FIG. 7 in expansive view. As illustrated, a dual circuit interlaced coil 1102 is provided, shown in frontal view. The air flow area is increased because the interlaced coil fins 1202 (described further with reference to FIG. 12) may be aligned in the dual circuit interlaced fashion.
FIG. 12 depicts a cross section of the dual circuit interlaced coil assembly 1100, showing the respective coil fins 1202. Also shown is how air flow 1204 is conducted between coil fins 1202 of the coils in the dual circuit interlaced coil assembly.

Combination of Barrier Separated Fan CRAH and V-Frame Coil Exemplary Embodiment

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary control system 1300, which may include, according to an exemplary embodiment, a computer control system, a microcontroller controller control system, a solid state control system, or the like. CRAH 300 may make use of a control system 1300 to control operation of fans 302 a, 302 b, 302 c housed in cabinet 306.
According to an exemplary embodiment, when the improved CRAH 300 cabinet design, including EC fan separation, is integrated with the V-frame coil design 500, air flow and static pressure may be further optimized, which in turn may allow the CRAH 300 to realize substantial energy consumption savings, yielding the lowest unit energy consumption in the industry to date. According to an exemplary embodiment, the barrier separated fan 302 CRAH 300 and V-frame coil 500 embodiments may further include the chilled water dual circuit coil design 700, which in an exemplary embodiment may be interlaced, providing further advantages and benefits over other systems.
Performance and use of an electronically commutated (EC) direct driven plug fan 202, 302 may be improved dramatically by the use of various embodiments of the present invention. Through extensive testing, the unique placement/separation method of the EC fans 302 in CRAH 300 and the reduced internal pressure drop by the use of a V-frame coil or alternatively V-frame dual circuit interlaced coil, has achieved a CRAH design 300 with the lowest per-unit energy consumption in the industry, using the least amount of floor space, allowing the EC Fan 302 to become a key component in modernizing computer room/datacenter design. The various exemplary embodiments provide substantial advantages in energy consumption and floor space efficiency as compared to alternative fan technologies and A-frame coil technology.

Exemplary Embodiment of Computer Environment

FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary computer system that may be used in implementing various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. According to an exemplary embodiment, a computer system may be integrated as part of a air handling system as a control system for a fan, or fans, as well as above the raised floor, in a data center, where via an interface and/or sensors, the air handling system performance may be monitored via one or more computer systems. Specifically, FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a computer system 1300 that may be used in computing devices such as, e.g., but not limited to, a client and/or a server, etc., according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a computer system that may be used as client device 1300, or a server device 1300, etc. The present invention (or any part(s) or function(s) thereof) may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems. In fact, in one exemplary embodiment, the invention may be directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein. An example of a computer system 1300 may be shown in FIG. 13, depicting an exemplary embodiment of a block diagram of an exemplary computer system useful for implementing the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 13 illustrates an example computer 1300, which in an exemplary embodiment may be, e.g., (but not limited to) a personal computer (PC) system running an operating system such as, e.g., (but not limited to) MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® NT/98/2000/XP/CE/ME/VISTA/etc. available from MICROSOFT® Corporation of Redmond, Wash., U.S.A. However, the invention may not be limited to these platforms. Instead, the invention may be implemented on any appropriate computer system running any appropriate operating system. In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention may be implemented on a computer system operating as discussed herein. An exemplary computer system, computer 1300 may be shown in FIG. 13. Other components of the invention, such as, e.g., (but not limited to) a computing device, a communications device, mobile phone, a telephony device, a telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a handheld PC, an interactive television (iTV), a digital video recorder (DVD), client workstations, thin clients, thick clients, proxy servers, network communication servers, remote access devices, client computers, server computers, routers, web servers, data, media, audio, video, telephony or streaming technology servers, etc., may also be implemented using a computer such as, e.g., or not limited to, that shown in FIG. 13. Services may be provided on demand using, e.g., but not limited to, an interactive television (iTV), a video on demand system (VOD), and via a digital video recorder (DVR), or other on demand viewing system.
The computer system 1300 may include one or more processors, such as, e.g., but not limited to, processor(s) 1304. The processor(s) 1304 may be connected to a communication infrastructure 1306 (e.g., but not limited to, a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network, etc.). Various exemplary software embodiments may be described in terms of this exemplary computer system. After reading this description, it may become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the invention using other computer systems and/or architectures.
Computer system 1300 may include a display interface 1302 that may forward, e.g., but not limited to, graphics, text, and other data, etc., from the communication infrastructure 1306 (or from a frame buffer, etc., not shown) for display on the display unit 1330. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a dashboard user interface may be provided for user interactive access to output and to provide responses to prompts/alerts/notifications, and to receive recommendations, which may be delivered in realtime, to, e.g., health care providers, such as a surgeon while in surgery. According to one exemplary embodiment, the interface may allow for input output using any of various convention interface devices such as, e.g., a stylus, a pen, a key, a mouse, a voice-recognition and voice interface, graphical buttons, audio and/or visual output.
The computer system 1300 may also include, e.g., but may not be limited to, a main memory 1308, random access memory (RAM), and a secondary memory 1310, etc. The secondary memory 1310 may include, for example, (but not limited to) a hard disk drive 1312 and/or a removable storage drive 1314, representing a floppy diskette drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a compact disk drive CD-ROM, etc. The removable storage drive 1314 may, e.g., but not limited to, read from and/or write to a removable storage unit 1318 in a well known manner. Removable storage unit 1318, also called a program storage device or a computer program product, may represent, e.g., but not limited to, a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, compact disk, etc. which may be read from and written to by removable storage drive 1314. As may be appreciated, the removable storage unit 1318 may include a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and/or data. In some embodiments, a “machine-accessible medium” may refer to any storage device used for storing data accessible by a computer. Examples of a machine-accessible medium may include, e.g., but not limited to: a magnetic hard disk; a floppy disk; an optical disk, like a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) or a digital versatile disk (DVD); a magnetic tape; and a memory chip, etc.
In alternative exemplary embodiments, secondary memory 1310 may include other similar devices for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system 1300. Such devices may include, for example, a removable storage unit 1322 and an interface 1320. Examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as, e.g., but not limited to, those found in video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as, e.g., but not limited to, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or programmable read only memory (PROM) and associated socket, and other removable storage units 1322 and interfaces 1320, which may allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 1322 to computer system 1300.
Computer 1300 may also include an input device 1316 such as, e.g., (but not limited to) a mouse or other pointing device such as, e.g., or not limited to, a digitizer, and a keyboard or other data entry device (not shown), and others such as, e.g., voice recognition, etc.
Computer 1300 may also include output devices, such as, e.g., (but not limited to) display 1330, and display interface 1302. Computer 1300 may include input/output (I/O) devices such as, e.g., (but not limited to) communications interface 1324, cable 1328 and communications path 1326, etc. These devices may include, e.g., but not limited to, a network interface card, and modems (neither may be labeled). Communications interface 1324 may allow software and data to be transferred between computer system 1300 and external devices.
In this document, the terms “computer program medium” and “computer readable medium” may be used to generally refer to media such as, e.g., but not limited to removable storage drive 1314, a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 1312, and signals 1328, etc. These computer program products may provide software to computer system 1300. The invention may be directed to such computer program products.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” etc., may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms may be not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements may be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements may be in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements may be not in direct contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.
An algorithm may be here, and generally, considered to be a self-consistent sequence of acts or operations leading to a desired result. These include physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the following discussions, it may be appreciated that throughout the specification discussions utilizing terms such as, e.g., or not limited to, “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as, e.g., or not limited to, electronic, quantities within the computing system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.
In a similar manner, the term “processor” may refer to any device or portion of a device that processes electronic data from registers and/or memory to transform that electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, a “processor” may also include, e.g., but not limited to, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), and/or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. A “computing platform” may comprise one or more processors.
Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses for performing the operations herein. An apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or it may comprise a general purpose device selectively activated or reconfigured by a program stored in the device.
In yet another exemplary embodiment, the invention may be implemented using a combination of any of, e.g., but not limited to, hardware, firmware and software, etc.

EXEMPLARY DEFINITIONS

“Air Change per Hour” (ACH)—The number of times per hour that the volume of a specific room or building is supplied or removed from that space by mechanical and natural ventilation.
“Air handler, or air handling unit” (AHU)—Central unit consisting of a blower, heating and cooling elements, filter racks or chamber, dampers, humidifier, and other central equipment in direct contact with the airflow. The air handler typically does not include the ductwork through the building.
“British thermal unit” (BTU)—Any of several units of energy (heat) in the HVAC industry, each slightly more than 1 kilojoule (kJ). One BTU is the energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, but the many different types of BTU are based on different interpretations of this “definition”. In the United States the power of HVAC systems (the rate of cooling and dehumidifying or heating) is sometimes expressed in BTU/hour instead of watts.
“Chiller”—A device that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycle. This cooled liquid flows through pipes in a building and passes through coils in air handlers, fan-coil units, or other systems, cooling and usually dehumidifying the air in the building. Chillers are of two types; air-cooled or water-cooled. Air-cooled chillers are usually outside and consist of condenser coils cooled by fan-driven air. Water-cooled chillers are usually inside a building, and heat from these chillers is carried by recirculating water to outdoor cooling towers.
“Controller”—A device that controls the operation of part or all of a system. It may simply turn a device on and off, or it may more subtly modulate burners, compressors, pumps, valves, fans, dampers, and the like. Most controllers are automatic but have user input such as temperature set points, e.g. a thermostat. Controls may be analog, or digital, or pneumatic, or a combination of these.
“Tan-coil unit” (FCU)—A small terminal unit that is often composed of only a blower and a heating and/or cooling coil (heat exchanger), as is often used in hotels, condominiums, or apartments.
“Condenser”—A component in the basic refrigeration cycle that may eject or remove heat from a system. The condenser is the hot side of an air conditioner or heat pump. Condensers are heat exchangers, and can transfer heat to air or to an intermediate fluid (such as water or an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol) to carry heat to a distant sink, such as ground (earth sink), a body of water, or air (as with cooling towers).
“Computer room air handler” (CRAH)—A CRAH may include a vertical, floor mounted air conditioner, which may be used to condition air for a computer room and/or data center, which may have a raised floor.
“Constant air volume” (CAV)—A system designed to provide a constant air volume per unit time. This term is applied to HVAC systems that may have variable supply-air temperature but constant air flow rates. Most residential forced-air systems are small CAV systems with on/off control.
“Damper”—A plate or gate placed in a duct to control air flow by introducing a constriction in the duct.
“Electronically Commutated Fan” (EC) may refer to an exemplary fan including an electronically commutated permanent magnet direct current (DC) motor, according to an exemplary embodiment. EC motor technology, according to an exemplary embodiment, may be insensitive to voltage fluctuations, may run extremely quietly, and may have continuously adjustable speeds and may include reduced power consumption. In essence, according to an exemplary embodiment, the EC fan motor may include a direct current (DC) motor with shunt characteristics. The rotary motion of an exemplary motor may be achieved by supplying power via a switching device (i.e., a commutator). In other motors, the commutator may use brushes, having a much shorter and limited service life of only a few thousand hours. With an EC motor, according to an exemplary embodiment, commutation may be performed using solid state electronics and may therefore be inherently wear-free by design.
“Evaporator”—A component in the basic refrigeration cycle that may absorb or add heat to the system. Evaporators can be used to absorb heat from air (by reducing temperature and by removing water) or from a liquid. The evaporator is the cold side of an air conditioner or heat pump.
“Fresh air intake” (FAI)—An opening through which outside air is drawn into the building. This may be to replace air in the building that has been exhausted by the ventilation system, or to provide fresh air for combustion of fuel.
“Grille”—A facing across a duct opening, usually rectangular is shape, containing multiple parallel slots through which air may be delivered or withdrawn from a ventilated space.
“Heat load, heat loss, or heat gain”—Terms for the amount of heating (heat loss) or cooling (heat gain) needed to maintain desired temperatures and humidities in controlled air. Regardless of how well-insulated and sealed a building is, buildings gain heat from warm air or sunlight or lose heat to cold air and by radiation. Engineers use a heat load calculation to determine HVAC needs of the space being cooled or heated.
“Louvers”—Blades, sometimes adjustable, placed in ducts or duct entries to control the volume of air flow. The term may also refer to blades in a rectangular frame placed in doors or walls to permit the movement of air.
“Makeup air unit” (MAU)—An air handler that may condition 100% outside air. MAUs are typically used in industrial or commercial settings, or in once-through (blower sections that only blow air one-way into the building), low flow (air handling systems that blow air at a low flow rate), or primary-secondary (air handling systems that may have an air handler or rooftop unit connected to an add-on makeup unit or hood) commercial HVAC systems.
“Standard Cubic Feet per Minute” (SCFM) is the volumetric flow rate of a gas corrected to “standardized” conditions of temperature, pressure and relative humidity, thus representing a precise mass flow rate. However, great care must be taken, as the “standard” conditions may vary between definitions and should therefore always be checked. Worldwide, the “standard” condition for pressure is variously defined as an absolute pressure of 101325 pascals, 1.0 bar (i.e., 100,000 pascals), 14.73 psia, or 14.696 psia and the “standard” temperature may be variously defined as 68° F., 0° C., 15° C., 20° C. or 25° C. The relative humidity (e.g., 36% or 0%) may also be included in some definitions of standard conditions. There is, in fact, no universally accepted set of standard conditions. Temperature variation is important. In Europe, the standard temperature is most commonly defined as 0° C. (but not always). In the United States, the standard temperature is most commonly defined as 60° F. or 70° F. (but again not always). A variation in standard temperature can result in a significant volumetric variation for the same mass flow rate. For example, a mass flow rate of 1000 kg/hr of air at 1 atmosphere of absolute pressure is 455 SCFM when defined at 0° C. (32° F.) but 481 SCFM when defined at 60° F. (15.56° C.}. In countries using the SI metric system of unit, the term Normal Cubic Metre (Nm³) is very often used to denote gas volumes at some normalized or standard condition. Again, as noted above, there is no universally accepted set of normalized or standard conditions.
“Static Pressure”—In fluid mechanics, and in particular in fluid statics, static pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid at rest. Examples of situations where static pressure is involved are: The air pressure inside a latex balloon is the static pressure and so is the atmospheric pressure (neglecting the effect of wind). The hydrostatic pressure at the bottom of a dam is by definition the static pressure as is the pressure exerted on one's thumb when stopping the water flow in a garden hose. The pressure inside a ventilation duct is not the static pressure, unless the air inside the duct is still.
“Variable air volume” (VAV) system—An HVAC system that has a stable supply-air temperature, and varies the air flow rate to meet the temperature requirements. Compared to CAV systems, these systems waste less energy through unnecessarily-high fan speeds. Most new commercial buildings have VAV systems.
“Thermal zone”—A single or group of neighboring indoor spaces that the HVAC designer may expect will have similar thermal loads. Building codes may require zoning to save energy in commercial buildings. Zones are defined in the building to reduce the number of HVAC subsystems, and thus initial cost. For example, for perimeter offices, rather than one zone for each office, all offices facing west can be combined into one zone. Small residences typically may have only one conditioned thermal zone, plus unconditioned spaces such as unconditioned garages, attics, and crawlspaces, and unconditioned basements.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should instead be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, comprising:

a cabinet operable to house a plurality of plug fans; and

a separation barrier operable to separate the plug fans from one another.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising the one or more plug fans, the plug fans comprising at least one of alternating current (AC) plug fans and/or electronically commutated (EC) plug fans.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the fans are at least one of floor-mounted and/or fixedly disposed within said cabinet.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the fans are disposed within a portion of the cabinet.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the fans comprise EC fans comprising one or more electronically commutated permanent magnets.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein the fans comprise any one of one or more direct driven plug fans and technology associated with direct driven plug fans.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the separation barrier comprises a resilient material comprising at least one of:

a metal material and/or metallic material; and/or

a plastic and/or resin material.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the separation barrier comprises a metal and/or metallic materials, comprising at least one of:

an aluminum material; and/or

a steel material.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal floor space between a given plurality of the fans is less than a horizontal floor space established by placing a given pair of the fans at a separation greater than or equal to the diameter of one of the fans.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal floor space between a given pair of the fans is less than a distance of separation recommended by a manufacturer of the fans.

12. A method for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, comprising:

passing an air flow through a cabinet operable to house a plurality of plug fans; and

passing the air flow downward through at least one of the fans, and outward and upward therefrom such that the air flow does not pass through a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising passing the air flow between the cabinet and at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.

14. A system for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, comprising:

a coil comprising a shape having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end (“V-shaped coil”); and

a fan operable to receive the dispelled air flow from the V-shaped coil.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the V-shaped coil comprises an interlaced coil comprising one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape wherein the coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, wherein the coil elements are operable to permit the air flow from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a filter disposed at the open end of the V-shaped coil in a manner to provide a substantial seal therebetween.

17. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a drain pan disposed beneath the coil elements to collect a moisture residue therefrom.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the system further comprises at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the V-shaped coil and the at least one of the air conditioner, the computer room, and the data center are disposed to permit an air flow therebetween.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the fan is a plug fan, and comprises at least one of an alternating current (AC) plug fan and/or an electronically commutated (EC) plug fan.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the V-shaped coil is fixedly disposed within a cabinet operable to house a plurality of the fans.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the fans are at least one of floor mounted and/or fixedly disposed within the cabinet.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the fans are disposed within a portion of the cabinet.

25. The system according to claim 15, wherein the coil elements permit parallel liquid flow circuits therebetween having independent operation.

26. A method for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, comprising:

passing an air flow through a coil, the coil comprising a shape having a substantially open end operable to receive an air flow and a substantially closed end (“V-shaped coil”); and

passing the air flow from the V-shaped coil through a fan operable to receive the air flow as the air flow is dispelled from the V-shaped coil.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the V-shaped coil comprises an interlaced coil comprising one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape wherein the coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, and wherein the air flows from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the air flow is passed between the V-shaped coil and at least one any one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the air flow is passed between a cabinet housing the V-shaped coil and at least one of the raised-floor, precision air conditioner and/or data center, and/or the V-shaped coil.

30. The system of claim 1 for optimizing air flow and static pressure for decreased energy consumption, further comprising:

a fan operable to receive the dispelled air flow from the V-shaped coil.

31. The system according to claim 30, wherein the V-shaped coil comprises an interlaced coil comprising one or more coil elements disposed in a “V” shape wherein the one or more coil elements meet at the substantially closed end, wherein the coil elements are operable to permit the air flow from the open end and through the coil elements to dispel therefrom.

32. The system according to claim 31, further comprising a filter disposed at the open end of the V-shaped coil in a manner to provide a substantial seal therebetween.

33. The system according to claim 31, further comprising a drain pan disposed beneath the coil elements to collect a moisture residue therefrom.

34. The system according to claim 31, wherein the system further comprises at least one of a raised-floor, precision air conditioner, a computer room, and/or a data center.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein V-shaped coil and at least one of the air conditioner, the computer room, and/or the data center are disposed to permit an air flow therebetween.

36. The system according to claim 31, wherein the fan is a plug fan, and comprises at least one of an alternating current (AC) plug fan and/or an electronically commutated (EC) plug fan.

37. The system according to claim 32, wherein the V-shaped coil is fixedly disposed within a cabinet operable to house a plurality of the fans.

38. The system according to claim 37, further comprising a separation barrier operable to separate the fans from one another.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the fans are at least one of floor mounted and/or fixedly disposed within the cabinet.

40. The system according to claim 38, wherein the fans are disposed within a portion of the cabinet.

41. The system according to claim 31, wherein the coil elements permit parallel liquid flow circuits therebetween having independent operation.

42. The system according to claim 31, further comprising a plurality of coil fins coupled to coil tubing.