WO2012099465A1 - Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system - Google Patents
Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system Download PDFInfo
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- WO2012099465A1 WO2012099465A1 PCT/NL2012/050024 NL2012050024W WO2012099465A1 WO 2012099465 A1 WO2012099465 A1 WO 2012099465A1 NL 2012050024 W NL2012050024 W NL 2012050024W WO 2012099465 A1 WO2012099465 A1 WO 2012099465A1
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- Prior art keywords
- cooling
- air
- room
- duct
- inlet
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
- F24F1/0059—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units characterised by heat exchangers
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F5/00—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater
- F24F5/0007—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater cooling apparatus specially adapted for use in air-conditioning
- F24F5/0035—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater cooling apparatus specially adapted for use in air-conditioning using evaporation
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F1/00—Room units for air-conditioning, e.g. separate or self-contained units or units receiving primary air from a central station
- F24F1/0007—Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F3/00—Air-conditioning systems in which conditioned primary air is supplied from one or more central stations to distributing units in the rooms or spaces where it may receive secondary treatment; Apparatus specially designed for such systems
- F24F3/044—Systems in which all treatment is given in the central station, i.e. all-air systems
- F24F3/0442—Systems in which all treatment is given in the central station, i.e. all-air systems with volume control at a constant temperature
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
- H05K7/20—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
- H05K7/20709—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
- H05K7/20718—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant
- H05K7/20745—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
- H05K7/20—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
- H05K7/20709—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
- H05K7/20836—Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F11/00—Control or safety arrangements
- F24F11/0001—Control or safety arrangements for ventilation
- F24F2011/0006—Control or safety arrangements for ventilation using low temperature external supply air to assist cooling
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
- Y02B30/00—Energy efficient heating, ventilation or air conditioning [HVAC]
- Y02B30/54—Free-cooling systems
Abstract
The invention relates to a cooling system for cooling air in a room comprising: a first duct comprising: a first room inlet for taking in air; a first room outlet for providing air taken in by the first inlet; a first flow regulation element for regulating a first air flow through the first duct; a second duct comprising: a second room inlet for taking in air; an indirect evaporative cooling element for cooling air taken in; a second room outlet for providing air cooled by the cooling element; a second flow regulation element for regulating a second air flow through the second duct; a process air inlet for taking in process air for operating the cooling element; a process air outlet for removing process air processed by the cooling element; the first duct and the second duct arranged to be operated in parallel.
Description
Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to cooling systems for rooms and data rooms in particular.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
US patent application US 2010/0252231 A1 discloses a data centre comprising data centre air directing means for directing data centre air from the data centre through a first side of one or more heat exchangers; external air directing means for directing external air from external to the data centre through a second side of the one or more heat exchangers and adiabatic cooling means for adiabatically cooling the external air prior to entering the one or more heat exchangers. The adiabatic cooling means and the heat exchangers are disclosed as separate elements. Air cooled by the adiabatic cooling means is led through heat exchangers. The temperature of the air provided to the data centre is always fully led via the heat exchangers. OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is preferred to dispose of a simpler cooling system.
The invention provides in a first aspect a cooling system for cooling air in a room comprising: a first duct comprising: a first room inlet for taking in air; a first room outlet for providing air taken in by the first inlet; a first flow regulation element for regulating a first air flow through the first duct; a second duct comprising: a second room inlet for taking in air; an indirect evaporative cooling element for cooling air taken in; a second room outlet for providing air cooled by the cooling element; a second flow regulation element for regulating a second air flow through the second duct; a process air inlet for taking in process air for operating the cooling element; a process air outlet for removing process air processed by the cooling element; the first duct and the second duct arranged to be operated in parallel.
Such cooling system provides a heat exchanger and cooling unit in one. Furthermore, by having two ducts operating in parallel, with each duct having its flow regulation element, the ratio between air recirculated without cooling and air recirculated with cooling can be varied. This means that the temperature of the air exhausted to the room by the two outlets can be varied without changing performance and/or other characteristics of the cooling element. The temperature is varied by varying the ratio of the first airflow and the second airflow. This is preferably done by maintaining the magnitude of the total airflow, being the sum of the first airflow and the second airflow. By maintaining the magnitude of the total airflow and changing the temperature of the total airflow, turbulence is reduced or prevented. This results in more efficient circulation of the total airflow and less stirring up of dust particles potentially available in the dataroom.
In an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention, the first room outlet and the second room outlet are arranged to be connected to a mixing plenum that is arranged to mix air from the first room outlet and air from the second room outlet and to provide the mixed air to the room.
An even flow of output air of the cooling system to the room is important for efficient and effective cooling. Connecting a mixing plenum to the mixed air outlet and the cooling outlet of the cooling system enables air provided by the mixed air outlet and the cooling outlet to be properly mixed to an even flow of air.
A further embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention comprises a control unit arranged for controlling the first airflow through the first duct and/or the second airflow through the second duct by controlling the operation of the first flow regulation element and/or the second flow regulation element.
By controlling the various flow regulation elements, air taken in by the various air inlets can be controlled. Air taken in from the room usually has a temperature different from air taken from the other source, which will have a temperature different from that of other air sources. By controlling the amounts of air taken in, the temperature as well as the total amount of air provided by the cooling system can be controlled.
In another embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention, the first flow regulation element is provided at or near the first room inlet and/or the second flow regulation element is provided at or near the second room inlet. An advantage of this embodiment is that the first airflow and/or the second airflow through the first duct and/or the second duct are controlled upstream in the duct. This prevents forcing an airflow or just air in the ducts. If the ducts are closed downstream, for example where a damper as flow regulator element is provided at the end of a duct, such forced air may cause unwanted turbulence. Furthermore, this may result in an airflow not ending up where it should, but in a closed ducts instead.
In yet a further embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention, the second duct is arranged to be provided with a direct expansion cooling unit such that air cooled by the evaporative cooling element is fed along a cooling element of the direct expansion cooling unit.
In again another embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention, the second duct is arranged to be provided with a direct expansion cooling unit such that a condenser element of the direct expansion cooling unit is placed in series with the process air outlet such that process air processed by the cooling element is fed along the condenser element.
In humid environments and in particular in tropical areas, air is usually almost fully saturated with water vapour and can therefore not take up much more water. In such environments, evaporative cooling is not very efficient as cooling in such systems is effectuated by evaporation of water in air. Therefore, evaporative cooling is followed by cooling via direct expansion cooling. Having cooling by direct expansion followed by cooling through an evaporative cooling element would not be very effective. By cooling humid air by means of direct expansion cooling would result in further saturation of the air with water vapour as cool air can hold less water vapour than warm air. As the cooled air is further saturated, it can take up far less or even no water vapour while flowing through the evaporative cooling unit which may in certain cases render the evaporative cooling unit even useless.
By placing the condenser element of the direct expansion cooling in the process air flow, humid air passes along the condenser element. This allows the direct expansion cooling to work very effectively as the humid air has a large heat capacity and is able to take up a lot of heat from the condenser.
The invention provides in a second aspect data centre comprising a server housing module as a room for housing data cabinets arranged for housing data servers and further comprising the cooling system according to any of the claims 1 to 9 for providing the first air flow and/or the second air flow to the serving housing module for cooling the data servers.
In an embodiment of the data centre according to the invention, the process air inlet and the process air outlet are connected to a space other than the room for housing data cabinets.
In this way, it is prevented that humid process air enters the data centre, where it could influence the climate in a negative way.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention and embodiments thereof will now be further elucidated in conjunction with figures. In the figures,
Figure 1 : shows an embodiment of the data centre according to the invention; Figure 2: shows an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention;
Figure 3 A: shows a cross-section of a recirculation duct of an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention; Figure 3 B: shows a cross-section of a recirculation duct of another embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention;
Figure 4: shows a cross-section of a cooling duct of an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention;
Figure 5: shows a schematic representation of a cooling block for use in an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention. Figure 6 A: shows a cross-section of another cooling duct of an embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention;
Figure 6 B: shows a cross-section of a further cooling duct of another embodiment of the cooling system according to the invention;
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 shows a data centre 100 comprising a server housing module 1 10 and a cooling housing module 120. The server housing module 1 10 is compartmentalised in two side corridors 1 12 and a middle corridor 1 14. Between the middle corridor 1 14 and the two side corridors data cabinets 1 16 for housing servers are provided on either side of the middle corridor 1 14.
The cooling housing module 120 comprises a cooling unit 200 for cooling air. The cooling unit 200 takes in air from the server housing module 1 10 via a data room intake duct 132. The cooling unit 200 also takes in air from a source other than the server housing module 1 10, in this embodiment in particular from outside, via an outside intake duct 122. The cooling unit 200 exhausts air to the server housing module 1 10 and in particular the right side corridor 1 12 via a data room exhaust duct 134. The cooling unit 200 is also arranged to exhaust air to the outside via an outside exhaust duct 124. The data room exhaust duct 134 is coupled to a data room diffuser plenum 136 comprising a diffuser medium 138. The operation of the cooling unit 200 is controlled by a controlling unit 140 coupled to the cooling unit 200. The controlling unit 140 is coupled to an outside temperature sensor 142, an exhaust temperature sensor 146, an intake temperature sensor 148 and a data room temperature sensor 144.
In operation, the cooling unit 200 exhausts cool air in the right side corridor 1 12 through the data room diffuser plenum 136. The exhausted air flows through the servers in the data cabinets 1 16; this flow is indicated by a first arrow 162. It is noted that this flow is at least aided by fan units available in servers housed in the data cabinets 1 16. The air is
heated by heat dissipated by the servers. The cooling unit 200 takes in air from the middle corridor 1 14 via the data room intake duct 132, establishing an air flow through the servers as indicated by the second arrow 164. In this way, a circular air flow is established from the cooling unit 200, through the right side corridor 1 12, the right data cabinet 1 16, the middle corridor 1 14, back to the cooling unit 200.
As air cooled by the cooling unit 200 is exhausted in the right side corridor 1 12, the temperature in the right side corridor is relatively cool. Analogously, the air flowing into the middle corridor 1 14 is relatively high as it is heated up by the server in the data cabinet 1 16. This means that the airflow from the data room diffuser plenum 136 via the data cabinets 1 16 towards the data room intake duct 132 is at least partially provided by means of convection. Cool air exhausted via the data room diffuser plenum 136 drops in the right side corridor 1 12 and air heated by the servers in the data cabinets 1 16 rises in the middle corridor 1 14 towards the data room intake duct 132. Because of this convection, the server housing module 1 10 does not necessarily have to be compartmentalised to enable cooling and airflow. However, compartmentalisation is preferred to prevent cool air exhausted by the cooling unit 200 via the data room diffuser plenum 136 being taken in without having flown through the servers in the data cabinets 1 16, as this would lead to less efficient cooling operation in the server housing module 1 10.
Analogous to cooled air being provided to the right side corridor 1 12, also cool air is provided to the left side corridor 1 12 for cooling servers in the left data cabinets 1 16. For reasons of clarity, details on cooling of the left data cabinets 1 16 have been omitted in Figure 1 .
Figure 2 shows the cooling unit 200 in further detail. The cooling unit 200 comprises a cooling housing 201 that is divided in a recirculation duct 210 and a cooling duct 250 by a dividing wall 203. At the front of the cooling unit 200, located at the bottom of Figure 2, a door 202 is provided. The door 202 comprises a first intake grating 204 for providing air to the recirculation duct 210 and a second intake grating 206 for providing air to the cooling duct 250.
The recirculation duct 210 comprises a first recirculation inlet 212, provided with a first recirculation fan unit 220 as a flow regulation element comprising a first recirculation fan blade section 222 and a first recirculation fan motor section 224. In the cooling duct 210, an optional recirculation diffuser 216 is provided. The recirculation duct 210 comprises a recirculation air outlet 214 for providing recirculated air to the data room diffuser plenum 136 via the data room exhaust duct 134.
The cooling duct comprises a cooling cassette 270 comprising a cooling inlet 252, provided with a cooling fan unit 260 as a flow regulation element comprising a cooling fan blade section 266 and a cooling fan motor section 264. In the cooling cassette 270, a cooling block 272 is provided. The cooling block is preferably an evaporative cooling block as marketed by the company Statiqcooling B.V. or a similar cooling block.
The cooling duct 250 comprises a cooled air outlet 254 for providing cooled air to the data room diffuser plenum 136 via the data room exhaust duct 134. The cooling cassette 270 is preferably releasably mounted in the cooling duct 250, to facilitate replacement of the cooling cassette 270 in case another type of cooling is required or for repair purposes. In another embodiment of the cooling unit, no cooling cassette 270 is provided. Instead, the cooling block 272 is provided directly in the cooling duct 250, with the cooling fan unit 260 and the cooling inlet 252 provided at the front side of the cooling duct 250.
To enable efficient operation, it is preferred to ensure that substantially all air taken by the first intake grating 204 and the second intake grating 206 flows through the recirculation duct 210 and the cooling cassette 270. For that purpose, various seals have been provided in the cooling unit 200, indicated by various thickened lines in Figure 2.
Figure 3 A shows a first cross-section of an embodiment of the recirculation duct 210 at the line A-A' drawn in Figure 2. Figure 3 A discloses the first recirculation fan unit 220 provided in twofold. Both first recirculation fan units 220 operate to take in air from the server housing module 1 10 and the middle corridor 1 14 in particular. This is enabled by the first recirculation inlet 212 being connected to the data room intake duct 132.
In addition to elements already shown by Figure 2, Figure 3 also shows a second recirculation fan unit 230 comprising a second recirculation fan blade section 232 and a second recirculation fan motor section 234 for taking in air via a second recirculation inlet 218 and a second recirculation inlet opening 208 at the bottom of the cooling unit 200. The second recirculation inlet 218 and the second recirculation inlet opening 208 are separated by an inlet separator 236. The second recirculation inlet opening 208 is connected to the data room intake duct 132.
Figure 3 B shows a cross-section of a further embodiment of the recirculation duct 210 at the line A-A' drawn in Figure 2. Figure 3 B discloses the first recirculation fan unit 220 provided in twofold. As compared to Figure 3 A, the second recirculation fan unit 230 has been omitted. This simplifies the setup and reduces manufacturing cost of the recirculation duct 210 as also the second recirculation fan unit 230 is omitted. The recirculation duct 210 may even be further simplified by providing only one first recirculation fan unit 220. However, this is not preferred as in this way redundancy is removed from the system.
Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the cooling duct at the line B-B' drawn in Figure 2. Figure 4 discloses the cooling fan unit 260 provided in twofold. In addition to elements already shown by Figure 2, Figure 4 also shows a process air inlet 292 at the top of the cooling duct 250 that is connected to the outside intake duct 122 and a process air outlet 294 at the bottom of the cooling duct 250. The process air outlet 256 is connected to outside exhaust duct 124. Alternatively, the process air inlet 292 is located at the bottom or another side of the cooling duct 250 and the process air outlet 294 is located at the top or another side of the cooling duct 250.
In operation, a primary airflow is provided by means of the cooling fan unit 260. A secondary airflow is provided by means of a secondary airstream fan unit 298. The secondary airstream fan unit 298 may be located in the cooling unit 200 and the cooling duct 250 in particular. Alternatively, the secondary airstream fan unit 298 is located either in the outside intake duct 122 or the outside exhaust duct 124 for creating a secondary airflow or process airflow.
The cooling block 272 is preferably an evaporative cooling unit similar to the cooling block as disclosed by international patent application WO 2005/106343 or as disclosed by international patent application WO 2007/136265. These patent applications disclose enthalpy exchangers in which air is led through small horizontal ducts in vertically oriented plates. The vertically oriented plated are spaced apart and clad with a hygroscopic cloth that is humidified. Another preferred embodiment of the cooling block 272 is disclosed by Figure 5 and will be discussed below.
Figure 5 discloses a schematic representation of a specific embodiment of the cooling block 272. The cooling block 272 comprises primary airflow conduction layers 610 and secondary airflow conduction layers 620 sandwiched between the primary airflow conduction layers 610. The primary airflow conduction layers 610 comprise primary airflow channels 612 disposed over the length of the cooling block 272. The secondary airflow conduction layers 620 comprise secondary airflow channels 622 disposed over the height of the cooling block 272 in a similar way.
Between the primary airflow conduction layers 610 and secondary airflow conduction layers 620, heat conducting layers 630 are provided, drawn in Figure 5 as solid lines. Via the heat conducting layers 630, thermal energy is transferable between the primary airflow conduction layers 610 and secondary airflow conduction layers 620 and in particular between the primary airflow channels 612 and the secondary airflow channels 622.
At the sides of the secondary airflow conduction layers 620, a hygroscopic material 624 is provided, preferably as contiguous layers. In Figure 5, this is indicated by the square dotted lines. The hygroscopic material 624 forms a boundary to at least part of the secondary airflow channels 622. In use, the hygroscopic material 624 is humidified, preferably by means of water or another liquid. Water is particularly preferred as such liquid as it has a relatively high thermal capacity; therefore the rest of the description will refer to water, though alternatives can be envisaged as well.
In operation of the cooling block 272, a primary airflow 652 is led through the primary airflow channels 612 and a secondary airflow 656 is led through the secondary airflow channels 622. The primary airflow 652 originates from the server housing module 1 10,
in Figure 5 drawn in a schematic way as a single block, via the data room intake duct 132. The secondary airflow 656 preferably originates from outside the data centre 100 and is provided by the outside intake duct 122. While the secondary airflow 656 flows through the secondary airflow channels 622, water is evaporated. The evaporated water is taken up by the secondary airflow 656. The evaporation of water results in a temperature drop of the secondary airflow 656. This drop of temperature results in a temperature drop of the primary airflow 652 as a result of heat transfer via the heat conducting layers 630. So the cooling block 270 operates as a cooling unit as well as a heat exchanging unit. The secondary airflow 656 is cooled by means of evaporative cooling and heat is exchanged between the primary airflow 652 and the secondary airflow 656.
The cooled primary airflow 652 is subsequently provided to the data centre 100 via the data room exhaust duct 134 and the data room diffuser plenum 136. The humid secondary airflow 656 is exhausted, preferably in the outside air, via the outside exhaust duct 124.
Figure 6 A shows another embodiment of the cooling duct 250. The cooling duct 250 shown by Figure 6 A comprises the elements of the cooling duct 250 shown by Figure 4. In addition, the cooling duct 250 comprises a direct expansion cooling module 280 comprising a compressor 282 and an expansion valve 284. The compressor 282 and the expansion valve 284 are connected to an evaporator coil 286 and a condenser coil 288. The total of the coils and the direct expansion cooling module 280 operate as a standard refrigeration system or air conditioning system. In Figure 6 A, the direct expansion module 280 is located outside the cooling duct 250. In another embodiment shown by Figure 6 B, the direct expansion module 280 is located inside the cooling duct 250 and preferably inside or attached to the cooling cassette 270. Both Figure 6 A and Figure 6 B will be discussed in conjunction with one another.
A working fluid is compressed by the compressor 282, resulting in a temperature rise of the working fluid. In the condenser coil 288, the compressed working fluid condenses, preferably in an air flow provided around the condenser coil 288. In this particular embodiment, the condenser coil 288 is provided in a flow with process air from the
cooling block 272 and in particular in the outside exhaust duct 124 near the process air outlet 294. As the process air comprises relatively large amounts of evaporated water, it has a high heat capacity. This means that the process air can take up a relatively high amount of thermal energy with only a small rise in temperature. By virtue of this, process air is capable of effectively cooling the condenser coil 288, resulting in condensing of the working fluid.
The condensed working fluid is subsequently fed through the expansion valve 284, through which the working fluid expands and evaporates in the evaporator coil 286. This results in a temperature drop of the working fluid in the evaporator coil 286. Air cooled by the cooling unit 272 is further cooled as it passes along the evaporator coil 286 and exchanges heat with the working fluid in the evaporator coil 286. The working fluid, having exchanged heat with the cooled air and having thus risen in temperature, is fed to the compressor 282 where the refrigeration cycle recommences. The process air that has passed along the condenser coil 288 is exhausted through the outside exhaust duct 124. Further cooled air is provided through the cooled air outlet 254.
In another embodiment, the cooling cassette 270 only comprises the direct expansion cooling module 280. By providing multiple types of the cooling cassette 270 that can be inserted in the cooling duct 250, an operator of the cooling unit 200 is provided with enhanced flexibility in operating the cooling unit 200. In case a different type of cooling is required for the server housing module 1 10, for example due to change of weather or re-deployment of the data centre 100 to a location with a different climate, only the cooling cassette 270 can be replaced instead of replacement of the entire cooling unit 200.
As to operation of the cooling block 200, the operation of the first recirculation fan units 220 and the second recirculation fan unit 230 is controlled by the controlling unit 140. The controlling unit 140 is provided with input from the outside temperature sensor 142, the exhaust temperature sensor 146, the intake temperature sensor 148 and the data room temperature sensor 144. An objective of the controlling unit 140 is to keep or to set the temperature in the right side corridor 1 12 at a pre-determined level or within a pre-determined temperature range. In this embodiment, the preferred temperature is 22°C. Alternatively, the preferred temperature is between 20°C and 23°C. In another
alternative, the controlling unit 140 sets the temperature to be achieved temperature of air provided through the data room diffuser plenum 136.
To achieve this temperature or temperature range, the controlling unit 140 operates the first recirculation fan motor sections 224 and the second recirculation fan motor section 234 for taking in air from the middle corridor 1 14. The controlling unit 140 also operates the cooling fan unit 260 for taking in air from the middle corridor 1 14. In this way a recirculation airflow through the recirculation duct 210 and a cooling airflow through the cooling duct 250 are generated.
The temperature of an airflow provided to the side corridors 1 12 is controlled by controlling the ratio of the recirculation airflow and the cooling airflow in the total airflow provided to the side corridors 1 12 via the data room diffuser plenum 136. Apart from controlling ratios of airflows taken in, also the total amount of air taken in can be controlled by the controlling unit 140. If the servers in the data cabinets 1 16 operate at full load level and the temperature of the air in the right side corridor 1 12 is kept at a constant level, more air will have to be provided for cooling the servers than in a case where the servers would operate at a load level of 20%. Expressions such as "comprise", "include", "incorporate", "contain", "is" and "have" are to be construed in a non-exclusive manner when interpreting the description and its associated claims, namely construed to allow for other items or components which are not explicitly defined also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed in be a reference to the plural and vice versa.
In the description above, it will be understood that when an element such as layer, region or substrate is referred to as being "on", "onto" or "connected to" another element, the element is either directly on or connected to the other element, or intervening elements may also be present.
Furthermore, the invention may also be embodied with less components than provided in the embodiments described here, wherein one component carries out multiple functions. Just as well may the invention be embodied using more elements than
depicted in Figure 2 and other figures, wherein functions carried out by one component in the embodiment provided are distributed over multiple components.
A person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various parameters disclosed in the description may be modified and that various embodiments disclosed and/or claimed may be combined without departing from the scope of the invention.
It is stipulated that the reference signs in the claims do not limit the scope of the claims, but are merely inserted to enhance the legibility of the claims.
This patent application claims priority of Dutch patent application NL 2006025 which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent application relates to a cooling system for cooling a data room, the system comprising two ducts in parallel. A first duct takes in air from the data room and from the outside. Both airflows are mixed and provided to the data room. As the outside temperature rises, more and more outside air is taken in for cooling. If the outside temperature is too high, it is also led through a second duct with an active cooling element, preferably by means of adiabatic evaporative cooling. Air flows and ratios of various air flows are controlled directly at inlets by fan units. The fan units are controlled by a controlling unit that is coupled to various temperature sensors to enable proper control of cooling. The cooling system is particularly suited for compartmentalised data centres.
Claims
1 . Cooling system for cooling air in a room comprising:
a) A first duct comprising:
i) A first room inlet for taking in air;
ii) A first room outlet for providing air taken in by the first inlet;
iii) A first flow regulation element for regulating a first air flow through the first duct;
b) A second duct comprising:
i) A second room inlet for taking in air;
ii) An indirect evaporative cooling element for cooling air taken in;
iii) A second room outlet for providing air cooled by the cooling element;
iv) A second flow regulation element for regulating a second air flow through the second duct;
v) A process air inlet for taking in process air for operating the cooling element;
vi) A process air outlet for removing process air processed by the cooling element;
The first duct and the second duct arranged to be operated in parallel.
2. Cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the first room outlet and the second room outlet are arranged to be connected to a mixing plenum that is arranged to mix air from the first room outlet and air from the second room outlet and to provide the mixed air to the room.
3. Cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit arranged for controlling the first airflow through the first duct and/or the second airflow through the second duct by controlling the operation of the first flow regulation element and/or the second flow regulation element.
4. Cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising a third flow regulation element for regulating a third air flow of process air flowing through the cooling element.
5. Cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow regulation element and the second flow regulation element comprise fans.
6. Cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the first flow regulation element is provided at or near the first room inlet and/or the second flow regulation element is provided at or near the second room inlet.
7. Cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the second duct is arranged to be provided with a direct expansion cooling unit such that air cooled by the evaporative cooling element is fed along a cooling element of the direct expansion cooling unit.
8. Cooling system according to claim 7, wherein the second duct is arranged to be provided with a direct expansion cooling unit such that a condenser element of the direct expansion cooling unit is placed in series with the process air outlet such that process air processed by the cooling element is fed along the condenser element.
9. Cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the indirect evaporative cooling element comprises
a) At least one evaporation channel connected to the process air inlet on a first end of the evaporation channel and connected to the process air outlet on a second end of the evaporation channel for leading process air through the evaporation channel;
b) A hygroscopic material layer forming a boundary of at least one side of the evaporation channel;
c) At least one cooling channel connected to the second room inlet on a first end of the cooling channel and connected to the second air outlet on a second end of the cooling channel for leading the second air flow through the cooling channel; d) A heat conducting layer being substantially impermeable to liquid adjacent to or comprised by the hygroscopic material layer forming a boundary of at least one side of the cooling channel; and
e) A liquid supply connection for providing a liquid to the hygroscopic material layer.
10. Data centre comprising a server housing module as a room for housing data cabinets arranged for housing data servers and further comprising the cooling system according to any of the preceding claims for providing the first air flow and/or the second air flow to the serving housing module for cooling the data servers.
1 1 . Data centre according to claim 10, wherein the server housing module is compartmentalised in at least a first space and a second space, wherein the data cabinets face the first space at a first side and the second space at a second side, the data cabinets being arranged for housing data servers such that air can flow from the first space to the second space through the data servers, and wherein the first air flow and/or the second air flow is provided to the first space and the first room inlet and/or the second room inlet are coupled to the second space for taking in air from the second space.
12. Data centre according to claim 10, wherein the process air inlet and the process air outlet are connected to a space other than the room for housing data cabinets.
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| NL2006025 | 2011-01-18 | ||
| NL2006025A NL2006025C2 (en) | 2011-01-18 | 2011-01-18 | Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data comprising such cooling system. |
| NL2007293 | 2011-08-23 | ||
| NL2007293A NL2007293C2 (en) | 2011-01-18 | 2011-08-23 | Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system. |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2012099465A1 true WO2012099465A1 (en) | 2012-07-26 |
Family
ID=45562413
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NL2012/050023 WO2012099464A1 (en) | 2011-01-18 | 2012-01-16 | Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system |
| PCT/NL2012/050024 WO2012099465A1 (en) | 2011-01-18 | 2012-01-16 | Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/NL2012/050023 WO2012099464A1 (en) | 2011-01-18 | 2012-01-16 | Cooling system for cooling air in a room and data centre comprising such cooling system |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| NL (1) | NL2007293C2 (en) |
| WO (2) | WO2012099464A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
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| CN104482687A (en) * | 2014-10-16 | 2015-04-01 | 西安工程大学 | Special air conditioning system of gravity type heat pipe compound evaporative condenser for data center |
| US20170082111A1 (en) * | 2015-09-22 | 2017-03-23 | International Business Machines Corporation | Parallel-series hybrid fan cooling apparatus and optimization |
| NL2018145B1 (en) * | 2016-06-06 | 2017-12-13 | Switch Datacenter Group B V | Data center and method for cooling such a data center |
| WO2017213497A1 (en) * | 2016-06-06 | 2017-12-14 | Switch Datacenter Group B.V. | Data center and method for cooling said data center |
| WO2020237743A1 (en) * | 2019-05-24 | 2020-12-03 | 苏州安瑞可信息科技有限公司 | Modular data center for fresh air temperature and humidity control |
| WO2023005472A1 (en) * | 2021-07-26 | 2023-02-02 | 中兴通讯股份有限公司 | Indirect evaporative cooling system and data center machine room |
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| US9661788B2 (en) | 2013-01-09 | 2017-05-23 | Baselayer Technology, Llc | Modular data center |
| US9237681B2 (en) * | 2013-01-09 | 2016-01-12 | Io Data Centers, Llc | Modular data center |
| ES2740474T3 (en) * | 2013-07-05 | 2020-02-05 | Evoswitch Ip B V | Willingness to provide air to a room |
| US9615489B2 (en) | 2013-07-05 | 2017-04-04 | Evoswitch Ip B.V. | Arrangement for providing air to a room |
| GB2540139B (en) * | 2015-07-03 | 2019-09-11 | Ecocooling Ltd | Combined ventilation, cooling and humidification system and method |
| GB2584132B (en) * | 2019-05-22 | 2023-05-24 | Ecocooling Ltd | Air handling system, controller and method |
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Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2012099464A1 (en) | 2012-07-26 |
| NL2007293C2 (en) | 2012-07-23 |
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