US20140027093A1

US20140027093A1 - Air conditioning apparatus for use in information/data center

Info

Publication number: US20140027093A1
Application number: US13/722,809
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsi-Sheng WU; Hsu-Cheng Chiang
Original assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute ITRI
Current assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute ITRI
Priority date: 2012-07-25
Filing date: 2012-12-20
Publication date: 2014-01-30
Also published as: TW201405078A; CN103574878A; TWI490441B

Abstract

An air conditioning apparatus for use in information/data centers is provided, including a housing assembly, a wind-blowing device, a heat exchanger, and a separating mechanism. The housing assembly has a first housing and a second housing. The wind-blowing device is disposed in the housing assembly for guiding airflow into the housing assembly for heat exchange. The separating mechanism is used for dismembering the housing assembly in order to move the first housing or the second housing, and for incorporating the housing assembly to enable the heat exchanger to exchange heat.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial No. 101126745, filed on Jul. 25, 2012. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to air conditioners, and more particularly, relates to an air conditioning apparatus for use in information/data centers.

BACKGROUND

Typically, massive waste heat are generated in information/data centers due to their continuous or constant operation at high speed to process data. Therefore, it is imperative to install effective air conditioning units with good heat exchange efficiency in such centers. Owing to the increasing trend and demand for high density data centers, the configuration of air conditioning equipment requires even higher efficiency and management in designs and in air flow fields.
As often seen in prior techniques, cool air provided by air conditioning equipment does not spread evenly and circulate well in conventional large-scale information/data centers due to the inherent design for cold/heat pathways in which distinct heat points or cold points are often formed in the mechanical room. A general and commonly used solution is to employ the InRow type air conditioning equipment to improve by reducing the frequency of occurrences of cold/heat points. A major drawback is that, however, such equipment would increase air blowing and power consumption, and also cause general low temperatures in the mechanical room, resulting in a decrease of the efficiency in heat exchange.
Moreover, such large-scale information centers usually use its floors for air supply purposes and to serve as wire slots by drilling holes underneath the Rack in order to guide airflow and the wires inside the rack. Such racks usually do not have the flexibility to be moved around to suit whatever requirements, and due to the restriction of the liquid pipelines, the air conditioning equipment also cannot be moved as required, causing great difficulties and inconvenience in maintenance. Therefore, at present the modulated information mechanical rooms mostly use the middle walking path as the heat pathway and its peripherals the cold pathway, that is, the use of modulated mechanical rooms in larger spaces is unfit for and does not work well with the small or miniaturized scaled mechanical rooms.
Therefore, there exists a critical need for solving the problems mentioned above, and it is highly beneficial to provide a more effective design of air conditioning equipment capable of overcoming the drawbacks as encountered in prior techniques.

SUMMARY

The disclosure proposes an air conditioning apparatus, including a housing assembly, a wind-blowing device, a heat exchanger, and a separating mechanism. The housing assembly at least has a first housing and a second housing. The wind-blowing device is disposed in the housing assembly and used for guiding airflow into the housing assembly, so that the airflow induced by the wind-blowing device can be used for heat exchange. The separating mechanism is used for dismembering the housing assembly in order to move the first housing or the second housing as needed, and also for incorporating the housing assembly into one to enable the heat exchanger to exchange heat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of an air conditioning apparatus in a state of detachment with separate housing units according to a first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a rear view of the air conditioning apparatus in a state of incorporation into one according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2A illustrates a side view of the air conditioning apparatus of the first embodiment in a state of incorporation into one having one end of a sliding wheel stored into the separating mechanism according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the air conditioning apparatus in a state of incorporation into one as depicted in FIG. 2A having the sliding wheel stored into the separating mechanism according the disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional view of the air conditioning apparatus in a state of detachment with separate housing units according to a second embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 3B is a three-dimensional view of the air conditioning apparatus in a state of incorporation into one as depicted in FIG. 3A according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a through understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
FIG. 1A is a three-dimensional view of the air conditioning apparatus 100 in a state of detachment with separate housing units according to a first embodiment of the disclosure.
The air conditioning apparatus 100 comprises a housing assembly 110, a wind-blowing device 121, a first heat exchanger 131, a second heat exchanger 132, and a separating mechanism having a first separating mechanism 141, and a second separating mechanism 142.
The housing assembly 110 is adapted to hold together the wind-blowing device 121, the first heat exchanger 131 and the second heat exchanger 132, and includes a first housing 111, a second housing 112, and a third housing 113. In an embodiment, the third housing 113 is disposed between the first and second housings 111 and 112. In another embodiment, the housing assembly 110 may include four or more housing units.
The wind-blowing device 121 is disposed in the second housing 112 for guiding or drawing airflow into the housing assembly 110, and leading away or exhausting airflow from the housing assembly 110. In another embodiment, the wind-blowing device 121 may be disposed in the first housing 111 or the third housing 113, and may be disposed at an upstream end or a downstream end of the first heat exchanger 131 and the second heat exchanger 132, and also may include an axle flow or centrifugal fan.
The first heat exchanger 131 and the second heat exchanger 132 use the airflow guided therein by the wind-blowing device 121 for exchanging heat. The first heat exchanger 131 contains four units disposed in the first housing 111 in a V-shaped alignment at the four sides (top, bottom, left and right) of a separating board 194. The second heat exchanger 132 has one unit and is disposed in the third housing 113. In another embodiment, the first heat exchanger 131 and the second heat exchanger 132 may have a different number of units. The first heat exchanger 131 may be disposed in the second housing 112 or the third housing 113, and the second heat exchanger 132 may be disposed in the first housing 111 or the second housing 112.
The first separating sub-mechanism 141 and the second separating sub-mechanism 142 may be in the form of sliding grooves or sliding rods working in conjunction with the sliding wheel 190 for dismembering or incorporating the housing assembly 110. The first separating sub-mechanism 141 is disposed between the first housing 111 and the third housing 113 for dismembering the two housings 111 and 113 from each other for maintenance purposes. The second separating sub-mechanism 142 is disposed between the second housing 112 and the third housing 113 for dismembering the two housings 112 and 113 from each other for maintenance purposes.
The first separating sub-mechanism 141 and the second separating sub-mechanism 142 may also be used for incorporating the first housing 111 to the third housing 113 for allowing heat exchange between the first heat exchanger 131 and the second heat exchanger 132.
The first separating sub-mechanism 141 (or called a sliding rod structure) may include a sliding rod 150, a first pivotal element 151 and a second pivotal element 152, wherein the first pivotal element 151 and the second pivotal element 152 are respectively disposed on the first housing 111 and the third housing 113. In another embodiment, the first sub-separating mechanism 141 may be constituted by different elements, and the first pivotal element 151 and the second pivotal element 152 may be disposed on the second housing 112 and the third housing 113, respectively.
The sliding rod 150 has a first end 153 and a second end 154 pivotally connected to the first and second pivotal elements 151 and 152, respectively, and each of the ends 153 and 154 can move with respect to the first and second pivotal elements 151, 152 separately. In another embodiment, the first end 153 may be fastened onto the first pivotal element 151, leaving only the second end 154 to move with respect to the second pivotal element 152 to thereby dismember or incorporate the first and second housings 111 and 112 from each other or into one, or to dismember or incorporate the second and third housings 112 and 113 from each other or into one.
The second sub-separating mechanism 142 (or called a sliding groove structure) may include a first sliding groove 161 and a second sliding groove 162 each respectively disposed on the second housing 112 and the third housing 113 for partly or fully dismembering or incorporating the two housings 112 and 113. In another embodiment, the first sliding groove 161 and the second sliding groove 162 may be disposed on the first housing 111 and the third housing 113 for partly or fully dismembering or incorporating the two housings 112 and 113.
The air conditioning apparatus 100 may include a plurality of sliding wheels 191 or a plurality of supporting wheels respectively disposed on the first housing 111 and the third housing 113, for moving or supporting the first housing, the second housing 112 or the third housing 113.
At least one side surface 175 of the first housing 111 may be used to serve as an inlet opening 181, at least one side surface 176 of the second housing 112 may serve as an outlet opening 182, and the wind-blowing device 121 may be disposed at the inlet opening 181 or the outlet opening 182.
The first housing 111 includes a first cover board 171 disposed at the inlet opening 181, and the second housing 112 has a second cover board 172 disposed at the outlet opening 182. The air conditioning apparatus 100 may include a filter element (not illustrated) that can be disposed on the first cover board 171 at the inlet opening 181.
The air conditioning 100 may comprise a condensed water plate 192, the first and second heat exchangers 131 and 132 may use a cooling plate pipe, and the condensed water plate 192 may be disposed on the first heat exchanger 131 or the second heat exchanger 132.
The air conditioning 100 may comprise a detachable door board 193 or a maintenance opening board 193 for the purpose of maintenance or installation of the first and second heat exchangers 131 and 132, the wind-blowing device 121 and the condensed water plate 192.
FIG. 1B is a rear view of the air conditioning apparatus as depicted in FIG. 1A in a state of incorporation into one according to the disclosure. As illustrated, when the first, second and third housings 111, 112 and 113 are incorporated into one, the first pivotal element 151 adheres to the second pivotal element 152, and the first sliding groove 161 is coupled to the second sliding groove 162.
The wind-blowing device 121 guides airflow from an opening 173 formed in the first cover board 171 at the inlet opening 181 into the housing assembly 110. The housing assembly 110 then forces the guided in airflow to pass through the first and second heat exchangers 131, 132 and the wind-blowing device 121 for the wind-blowing device 121 to lead the airflow away from the housing assembly 110 from an opening 174 formed in the second cover board 172 at the outlet opening 182.
FIG. 2A illustrates a side view of the air conditioning apparatus 100 of the first embodiment in a state of incorporation into one and having one end of a sliding wheel stored into the separating mechanism according to the disclosure.
As shown, the sliding wheel 190 is disposed on the second housing 112 or the third housing 113, and when the housing assembly 110 is in a state of detachment, one end of the sliding wheel 190 withdraws from the first sliding groove 161 or the second sliding groove 162 of the second separating sub-mechanism 142 for holding the second housing 112 or the third housing 113.
In another embodiment, the sliding wheel 190 may be disposed on the first housing 111 or the third housing 113, and when the housing assembly 110 is in a state of detachment, one end of the sliding wheel 190 withdraws from the sliding rod 150 of the first separating sub-mechanism 141 for holding the first housing 111 or the third housing 113.
FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the air conditioning apparatus 100 in a state of incorporation as depicted in FIG. 2A and having the sliding wheel 190 stored into the separating mechanism according to the disclosure.
As shown, when the housing assembly 110 is in a state of incorporation, the sliding wheel 190 will be accommodated and hidden in the first sliding groove 161 or the second sliding groove 162 of the second separating sub-mechanism 142. In another embodiment, when the housing assembly 110 is in a state of incorporation, the sliding wheel 190 will be accommodated and hidden in the sliding rod 150 of the first separating sub-mechanism 141.
FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional view of the air conditioning apparatus 200 of a second embodiment in a state of detachment with separate housing units according to the disclosure. As shown, the air conditioning apparatus 200 comprises a housing assembly 210, a wind-blowing device 221, a heat exchanger 231 and a separating mechanism 241.
The housing assembly 210 is adapted to hold together the wind-blowing device 221, the heat exchanger 231, and includes a first housing 211 and a second housing 212. In another embodiment, the housing assembly 210 may include three or more housing units as in the first embodiment.
The wind-blowing device 221 is disposed in the second housing 212 for guiding or drawing airflow into the housing assembly 210, and leading away or exhausting airflow from the housing assembly 210. In another embodiment, the wind-blowing device 221 may be disposed in the first housing 211 or the third housing 213, may be disposed at an upstream end or a downstream end of the heat exchanger 231, and also may include an axle flow or centrifugal fan.
The heat exchanger 231 may be one or more units and is disposed in the first housing 211 for using the air flow guided therein by the wind-blowing device 221 to exchange heat. In another embodiment, the heat exchanger 231 may have different quantities and may be disposed in the second housing 212 as required.
The separating mechanism 241 is disposed between the first and second housing 211 and 212 for dismembering the two housing units from each other for maintenance. The separating mechanism 241 may also be used to incorporate the two housing units 211 and 212 for the heat exchanger 231 to exchange heat.
The separating mechanism 241 may include a sliding rod 250, a first pivotal element 251 and a second pivotal element 252, wherein the first pivotal element 151 and the second pivotal element 152 are respectively disposed on the first housing 211 and the second housing 212. In another embodiment, the separating mechanism 241 may be constituted by different elements. For instance, the separating mechanism 241 may be the second separating sub-mechanism 142 as described in the first embodiment, and it may be constituted by the first sliding groove 161 and the second sliding groove 162.
The sliding rod 250 has a first end 253 and a second end 254 pivotally connected to the first and second pivotal elements 251, 252, respectively, wherein the first end 253 is fixed onto the first pivotal element 251, and the second end 254 is adapted to move with respect to the second pivotal element 252 to thereby dismember or incorporate the first and second housings 211 and 212 from each other or into one. In another embodiment, the first end 253 and the second end 254 of the sliding rod 250 may each move with respect to the first pivotal element 251 and the second pivotal element 252 respectively to thereby dismember or incorporate the first and second housings 211 and 212 from each other or into one.
The air conditioning apparatus 200 may include a plurality of sliding wheels 291 or a plurality of supporting wheels respectively disposed on the first housing 211 and the second housing 212, for moving or supporting the first housing 211 or the second housing 212.
At least one side surface 275 of the first housing 211 may be used to serve as an inlet opening 281, at least one side surface 276 of the second housing 212 may serve as an outlet opening 282, and the wind-blowing device 221 may be disposed at the inlet opening 281 or the outlet opening 282.
The first housing 211 includes a first cover board 271 disposed at the inlet opening 281, and the second housing 212 has a second cover board 272 disposed at the outlet opening 282. The air conditioning apparatus 200 may include a filter element (not illustrated) that can be disposed on the first cover board 271 at the inlet opening 281.
The air conditioning apparatus 200 may comprise a condensed water plate 292, the heat exchanger 231 may use a cooling plate pipe, and the condensed water plate 292 may be disposed on the heat exchanger 231.
The air conditioning apparatus 200 may comprise a detachable door board 293 or a maintenance opening board 293 for the purpose of maintenance or installation of the heat exchangers 231, the wind-blowing device 221 and the condensed water plate 292.
FIG. 3B is a three-dimensional view of the air conditioning apparatus in a state of incorporation into one as depicted in FIG. 3A according to the disclosure. As illustrated, when the first and second housings 211 and 212 are incorporated into one, the first pivotal element 251 comes into contact with to the second pivotal element 252.
The wind-blowing device 221 guides airflow from an opening 273 formed in the first cover board 271 at the inlet opening 281 into the housing assembly 210. The housing assembly 210 then forces the guided in airflow to pass through the heat exchangers 231 and the wind-blowing device 221 for the wind-blowing device 221 to lead the airflow away from the housing assembly 210 from an opening 274 formed in the second cover board 272 at the outlet opening 282.
Note that the coupling of the two adjacent housing units as depicted in the first and second embodiments may be accomplished by employing a screw rod with a positioning mechanism, a gear positioning coupling mechanism or a latched type positioning coupling mechanism to strengthen the fastening therebetween.
One way to prevent airflow from leaking out between the two adjacent housings is to take advantage of the difference between the inner and outer boards of the two housings, and also to combine the foregoing with the use of an anti-leaking material to press against each other tightly. Or, the two housings may each be formed with a concave and a protruding structure respectively while combining with the use of an anti-leaking material to prevent airflow leakage.
The air conditioning apparatus may include piping members, such as a cold medium fluid piping, for serially or parallel connecting to a plurality of heat exchangers, and the heat exchangers may also use different types of cold medium. The piping member may include a soft piping or a rigid piping, and the soft piping may work in conjunction with a pipe positioning mechanism to provide the piping with an extension.
Further, the air conditioning apparatus may also include wind-guiding boards, wind doors, power elements, water pumps, compressors, humidifier, thermal heaters, measuring elements (such as a thermometer or a flow meter), valves or other elements according to installation requirements.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning apparatus for use in information/data centers, comprising

a housing assembly having at least a first housing and a second housing;

a wind-blowing device disposed in the housing assembly for guiding airflow therein;

a heat exchanger disposed in the housing assembly for exchanging heat with the airflow guided in by the wind-blowing device; and

a separating mechanism for dismembering the housing assembly to move the first housing or the second housing, and for incorporating the housing assembly into one to enable the heat exchanger to exchange heat.

2. The air conditioning claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing assembly further comprises a third housing disposed between the first and second housings, and the separating mechanism further includes a first separating sub-mechanism and a second separating sub-mechanism for dismembering or incorporating the first, the second or the third housing.

3. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the separating mechanism is a sliding rod structure or a sliding groove structure for working in conjunction with a sliding wheel to dismember or incorporate the housing assembly.

4. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 3, wherein when the housing assembly is in a state of detachment, one end of the sliding wheel is placed under the separating mechanism to support the housing assembly, and when the housing assembly is in a state of incorporation, the sliding wheel is stored into the separating mechanism.

5. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 3, wherein the sliding rod structure further includes a sliding rod, a first pivotal element and a second pivotal element, two ends of the sliding rod pivotally connecting to the first and second pivotal elements, respectively.

6. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 3, wherein the sliding groove structure further includes a first sliding groove and a second sliding groove, and the first sliding groove couples to the second sliding groove when the housing assembly is in a state of incorporation.

7. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sliding wheels or a plurality of supporting wheels disposed on the housing assembly for moving or supporting the first housing or the second housing.

8. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one side surface of the first housing serves as an inlet opening, and at least one side surface of the second housing serves as an outlet opening.

9. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the first housing and the second housing have a first cover board and a second cover board respectively, for allowing airflow to be guided into the housing assembly from an opening formed on the first cover board and led away from the housing assembly from an opening formed on the second cover board.

10. The air conditioning apparatus claimed in claim 1, further comprising a condensed water plate disposed on the heat exchanger.