巴西专利BR112012010390B1 DATA CENTER REFRIGERATION

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专利摘要:
data center cooling. the present invention relates to a system for cooling air in a data center includes a data center having electronic equipment in operation, a source of cooling water and a plurality of cooling units on the floor. the cooling water source is configured to retain a full amount of water at maximum capacity. each floor cooling unit is configured to cool heated air by some of the electronic equipment in the data center using water from the cooling water source. the total amount of water is insufficient to maintain an outlet air temperature for each refrigeration unit on the floor below an internal setpoint when a temperature outside the data center is above a predetermined outside temperature.
公开号:BR112012010390B1
申请号:R112012010390-3
申请日:2010-11-02
公开日:2020-09-29
发明作者:Andrew B. Carlson；Jimmy Clidaras
申请人:Google Llc；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

Cross-Reference to Related Order
This order claims priority under 35 U.S.C. $ 119 (3) for U.S. Order No. Serial 12 / 611,069, filed on November 2, 2009, entitled DATA CENTER COOLING, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
This document pertains to systems and methods for providing cooling for areas containing electronic equipment, such as computer server rooms and server cabinets in computer data centers. Background
Computer users often focus on the speed of computer microprocessors (for example, megahertz and gigahertz). Many forget that this speed often happens with a higher cost of electricity consumption. For one or two home PCs, this extra energy can be negligible when compared to the cost of running many other electrical appliances in a home. But in data center applications, where thousands of microprocessors can be operated, power requirements can be very important.
Energy consumption is also, in fact, a double plague. A data center operator must not only pay for electricity to operate his many computers, but the operator must also pay to cool the computers. This is because of simple laws of physics where all the energy has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is, in most cases, conversion to heat. A pair of microprocessors mounted on a single motherboard can pull 200-400 watts or more of power. Multiplying this case by several thousands (or tens of thousands) to account for the many computers in a large data center, you can easily see how much heat can be generated. It is very similar to having a room full of thousands of lit spotlights.
Thus, the cost of removing all heat can also be a major cost of operating large data centers. This cost typically also involves the use of more energy, in the form of electricity and natural gas, to operate coolers, condensers, pumps, fans, cooling towers and other related components. Heat removal can also be important because, although microprocessors may not be as sensitive to heat as people are, increases in heat in general can cause large increases in microprocessor errors and failures. In short, a system like this may require electricity to power the chips and more electricity to cool the chips. summary
In general, in one aspect, a system for providing chilled air to a data center includes a data center having electronic equipment in operation, a cooling water source, a plurality of floor cooling units in the data center, a plurality of supply control valves, and a controller. Each floor cooling unit is configured to cool heated air by a subset of electronic equipment in the data center. Each delivery control valve is associated with a single cooling unit on the floor. Each proportional control valve is configured to change position in response to a signal from the controller, the valve being able to be fully closed, fully open or partially open. When the valve is closed, water is blocked from the cooling unit on the floor. When the valve is fully open, a maximum volume of water is circulated through the cooling unit on the floor. When the valve is partially open, some percentage less than 100% of the maximum amount of water is circulated through the refrigeration unit on the floor. The controller is configured to change the position of the corresponding control valve in response to a change in temperature.
This and other modalities may optionally include one or more of the following resources. The controller can be configured to change the position of the corresponding control valve in response to a change in an outlet air temperature of the refrigeration unit on the corresponding floor. The controller can be configured to change the position of the corresponding control valve in such a way that the outlet temperature of the refrigeration unit on the corresponding floor remains below an internal setpoint for at least 90% of the system's operating time. The system may additionally include a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to measure the temperature of the outlet air from a refrigeration unit on the floor. The delivery valve can act independently of any other control valve. The cooling water source may include a cooling tower. Each floor cooling unit can include a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from electronic equipment to the cooling water source. The heat exchange can include coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment.
In general, in one aspect, a system for providing chilled air for electronic equipment includes a data center having electronic equipment in operation, a plurality of modules connected by a first communication tube, and at least one cooler connected by a second communication tube. Communication. Each module includes a plurality of on-floor cooling units in the data center and a cooling water source. The at least one chiller is in fluid connection with one or more of a module in the plurality of modules.
This and other modalities may optionally include one or more of the following resources. The number of coolers can be less than the number of modules. Each floor cooling unit can include a correspondingly proportioned control valve configured to control the flow of water through the floor cooling unit. The cooling water source can be a cooling tower. Each floor cooling unit can include a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from electronic equipment to the cooling water source. The heat exchanger may include coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment.
In general, in one aspect, a system for cooling air in a data center includes a data center having electronic equipment in operation, a source of cooling water and a plurality of floor cooling units. The cooling water source is configured to retain a full amount of water at maximum capacity. Each floor cooling unit is configured to cool heated air by a piece of electronic equipment in the data center using water from the cooling water source. The total amount of water is insufficient to maintain an outlet air temperature for each refrigeration unit on the floor below an internal setpoint when a temperature outside the data center is above a predetermined outside temperature.
This and other modalities may optionally include one or more of the following resources. The cooling water source can be a cooling tower. Each floor cooling unit can include a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from electronic equipment to the cooling water source. The heat exchanger may include coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment. The system may be located in a geographical region, and for at least 90% of a year temperatures outside the data center may be below the predetermined outside temperature. At least 95% of the year, temperatures outside the data center may be below the predetermined outside temperature.
Advantages of the systems and methods described in this document may include one or more of the following. If the temperature inside the data center is allowed to rise above the internal setpoint for short periods of time, then the use of expensive coolers can be minimized. When monitoring the outlet air temperature, for example, the air temperature leaving a cooling coil or full of cooling air from the cooling unit on the floor, instead of the temperature of individual servers, the temperature indication will be more need, making the cooling system more efficient. If control valves are configured to individually control the water flow for each refrigeration unit on the floor, the total amount of water required for the system can be reduced. When connecting coolers to a separate communication tube, corresponding modules, for example, modules that include a series of refrigeration units, control valves and a modular cooling installation, can remain in line even when the corresponding modular cooling installation fails.
The details of one or more modalities are shown in the attached drawings and in the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system for cooling a computer data center. Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing a system for cooling server cabinets in a data center. Figure 2B is a schematic diagram showing two different installations, each having a system for cooling server cabinets in a data center. Figure 3 is a psychometric graph showing a heating and cooling cycle for air in a data center. Figure 4 is a graph of the setpoint temperature for a computing installation over a period of one year. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing steps to cool a data center when measuring the outlet air temperature and considering high temperatures during limited periods of the year. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing steps for cooling a data center using one or more periods of high temperatures for less than 90% of the operating time of the data center's electronic equipment. Figure 7 is a flowchart for cooling a data center. data having both chilled water and cooling water and using one or more periods of high temperatures. Equal reference numbers in the various drawings indicate equal elements. Detailed Description
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a system 100 for cooling a computer data center 101. System 100 generally includes a cooling unit on the floor 160 having an air handling unit (including, for example, the fan 110 and the cooling coils 112a, 112b) to transfer heat from the data center air to the cooling water. System 100 may also include a modular cooling installation 222. The modular cooling installation 222 may include a power and cooling unit ("PCU") having pumps 124, 120, valves 134, filters (not shown) and a heat exchanger 122 to remove heat from the cooling water and pass it to the condenser water that is delivered to a cooling tower 118 in the modular cooling installation 222. The cooling tower 118 in the modular cooling installation 222 is a tower cooling water, a dry cooler including only a fan coil unit, or a hybrid tower including both a cooling water tower and a dry cooler. Alternatively, a cooling water source such as a lake or bay can be used instead of a cooling tower 118. The cooling tower 118 in the modular cooling installation 222 passes the accumulated heat to the ambient air through evaporation and cooling tower water cooling to create chilled water. In general operation, system 100 operates using only the cooling tower / heat exchanger / cooling coil system, although a powered cooling system such as a chiller can be used to supply chilled water during peak loads, such as as when the dew point of the outdoor environment is too high and the cooling tower cannot provide adequate cooling alone. As explained below, control parameters for the system can also be established in order to avoid further or any need to use coolers or other such driven cooling systems.
The temperatures of each part of system 100 are selected to be relatively high (compared to cooling systems based on conventional refrigeration), in order to allow more efficient operation of system 100. For example, relatively high air temperatures in the system (eg example, air entering a cooling coil above 110 ° F (43.3 ° C) and exiting the coil with a temperature above 70 ° F (21.11 ° C)) in turn can allow water temperatures of relatively high cooling rates (for example, water entering a cooling coil at about 68 ° F (20 ° C) and exiting at around 104 ° F (40 ° C)) because the amount of heat that can be removed from the air in general it is proportional to the difference in temperature between water and air. If the difference can be maintained at an acceptable level, where temperatures are high enough that evaporative cooling (for example, cooling via a cooling tower, without additional cooling by means of a cooler) is sufficient, the electrical cost relatively operating a cooler (or many coolers) can be avoided.
High system temperatures can be particularly advantageous in certain implementations when hybrid cooling towers are used. Such hybrid cooling towers combine the functionality of a standard cooling tower with a water-to-water heat exchanger. Using a sufficiently high temperature setpoint, that is, the maximum temperature at which the data center 101 is allowed to operate for most of the operating time of the electronic equipment, can allow the hybrid tower to provide substantial cooling capacity, even when operating in a water-to-air mode without service water. As a result, a hybrid cooling tower can be used to provide cooling capacity for installation relatively quickly, even before service water can be obtained in large volumes. The capacity of the cooling tower can be directly related to the difference in the temperature of the water inside it to the ambient outside air.
When the difference in temperatures is not very large, a change of just a few degrees can bring substantial gains in efficiency. For example, where the cooling water enters 68 ° F (20 ° C), by heating the air to 113 ° F (45 ° C) instead of 104 ° F (40 ° C), the temperature difference is increased from 36 ° F to 45 ° F (20 ° C to 25 ° C), which can result in a 25% increase in heat flow. The actual difference will vary slightly, as the intake conditions for air and water are not the only conditions (because the air cools as it passes through a cooling coil, and the water heats up); this example, however, indicates how the difference in temperature can affect a system's efficiency.
Using high temperatures in a system can also prevent air within or around the system from falling below its liquid saturation point, that is, its dew point, and condense. This can, in certain circumstances, provide benefits in both efficiency and system operation. Efficiency benefits can be obtained because creating condensation requires much more energy than simply cooling air, so systems creating condensation can use a lot of electricity or other energy. Improvements in system operation can occur because, if pipes in the system carry water that is below the saturation temperature of the air around the pipes, condensation can form in the pipes. This condensation can damage tubes or equipment in the conditioned space, form mold and form a puddle of water on the floor, and may require the installation of insulation in the tubes (to stop condensation).
In the system shown in figure 1, use of high temperatures can substantially reduce, or eliminate almost entirely, the need for energy-intensive cooling components such as chillers and more, even where the heat load in the data center 101 it's too high. As a result, system 100 can be operated at a lower operating cost than can be achieved otherwise. In addition, lower capital costs may be required, because fans, coils, heat exchangers and cooling towers are relatively basic and inexpensive components. Furthermore, when operating with a greater temperature difference between chilled air and cooling water, less cooling water is required, thereby reducing the size and cost of piping, and the cost of operating pumps and other such components.
Furthermore, these components are often very standardized, so their acquisition costs are lower, and they are more easily found, particularly in developing countries and remote areas where it might be beneficial to place a data center 101. Use of the system 100 in remote areas and other areas with limited access to electricity is also helped by the fact that system 100 can be operated using less electricity. As a result, a system like this can be located close to low-power electrical substations and more. As discussed in more detail below, less powered systems can also be treated to be implemented as self-powered systems using energy sources such as solar, wind, natural gas powered turbines, fuel cells and the like.
Referring now to Figure 1, a data center 101 is shown in sectional view, which, as shown, is a construction that houses a large number of computers or similar electronic components that generate heat. A workspace 106 is defined around the computers, which are arranged in several parallel rows and mounted in vertical cabinets, such as cabinets 102a, 102b. Cabinets can include pairs of vertical rails to which mounting brackets arranged in pairs (not shown) are attached. Trays containing computers, such as standard circuit boards in the form of motherboards, can be placed on the mounting brackets.
In one example, the mounting brackets may be angled welded rails or otherwise joined to the vertical rails on the frame of a cabinet, and trays may include motherboards that are slid into place on top of the brackets, similar to the way in which trays of food are slid into storage cabinets in a cafeteria, or trays of bread are slipped into bread cabinets. Trays can be spaced closely together to maximize the number of trays in a data center, but far enough apart to contain all components on the trays and to allow air to circulate between the trays.
Other arrangements can also be used. For example, trays can be mounted vertically in groups, such as in the form of slide computers. Trays can simply be housed in a cupboard and be electrically connected after they are slid into place, or they can be provided with mechanisms, such as electrical traces along an edge, that create electrical and data connections when they are slid to the place.
Air can circulate from work space 106 through trays and through the cooling unit on the floor 160. Although only one cooling unit on the floor 160 is shown in figure 1, data center 101 can include multiple cooling units on the floor 160. The cooling unit on the floor 160 includes the hot air plugs 104a, 104b behind the trays. Air can be drawn into the trays by fans mounted on the back of the trays (not shown). The fans can be programmed or configured in another way to maintain a defined exhaust temperature for the air entering the hot air, and they can also be programmed or configured in another way to maintain a particular temperature rise through the trays. Where the air temperature in the workspace 106 is known, controlling the exhaust temperature also indirectly controls the temperature rise. Work space 106, in certain circumstances, can be referred to as a "cold aisle", and the full 104a, 104b as "hot aisles".
The temperature rise can be large. For example, the working space temperature 106 can be about 77 ° F (25 ° C) and the exhaust temperature for the hot air plenums 104a, 104b can be set to 113 ° F (45 ° C), for a 36 ° F (20 ° C) rise in temperature. The exhaust temperature can also be as much as 212 ° F (100 ° C) where the heat generating equipment can operate at such a high temperature. For example, the temperature of the air leaving the equipment and entering the hot air can be 118.4, 122, 129.2, 136.4, 143.6, 150.8, 158, 165, 172.4, 179.6, 186.8, 194, 201 or 208.4 ° F (48, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78, 82, 86, 90, 94 or 98 ° C). A high exhaustion temperature like this in general is contrary to the teachings that cooling electronic equipment generating heat is best conducted by involving the equipment with large amounts of cold air moving quickly. An air-cooling approach like this cools the equipment, but it also uses a lot of energy.
Cooling of particular electronic equipment, such as microprocessors, can be improved even where the airflow through the trays is slow, by including impact fans for the tops of the microprocessors or other particularly hot components, or by supplying heat and related heat exchangers for such components.
The heated air can be directed upwards to a roof area, or the attic 105, or to an elevated floor or basement, or to another appropriate space, and can be collected there by air handling units that include, for example, the fan 110 of the refrigeration unit on the floor 160, which may include, for example, one or more centrifugal fans sized appropriately for the task. The fan 110 can then deliver the air back to a plenum 108 located adjacent to the working space 106. The plenum 108 may simply be an area sized as a wing in the middle of a row of cabinets, which has been left without cabinets, and which has been isolated from any plumes of hot air on either side of it, and from the cold air workspace 106 on its other sides. Alternatively, air can be cooled by coils defining an edge of the hot air plugs 104a, 104b and expelled directly into the working space 106, such as in the tops of the hot air plugs 104a, 104b.
The cooling unit on floor 160 may also have cooling coils 112a, 112b located on opposite sides of the plenum, approximately level with the fronts of the cabinets (the cabinets in the same row as plenum 108, entering and leaving the page in the figure, are not shown). Coils can have a large surface area and be very thin in order to introduce a low pressure drop to the 100 system. In this way, slower, smaller and quieter fans can be used to drive air through the system. Protective structures such as shutters or wire mesh can be placed in front of coils 112a, 112b to prevent them from being damaged.
In operation, the fan 110 of the refrigeration unit on the floor 160 pushes air down into the plenum 108, causing pressure build-up in the plenum 108 to push air out through the cooling coils 112a, 112b. As the air passes through coils 112a, 112b, its heat is transferred to the water in coils 112a, 112b, and the air is cooled.
The fan speed 110 and / or the flow rate or temperature of the cooling water flowing in the cooling coils 112a, 112b can be controlled in response to measured values. For example, pumps propelling the coolant can be variable speed pumps that are controlled to maintain a particular temperature in the workspace 106. Such control mechanisms can be used to maintain a constant temperature in the workspace 106 or in the plenums. 104a, 104b and attic 105.
The air from the workspace 106 can then be drawn into cabinets 102a, 102b, such as by means of fans mounted on the many trays that are mounted in cabinets 102a, 102b. This air can be heated as it passes over the trays and through the power supplies by running the computers in the trays, and can then enter the hot air plugs 104a, 104b. Each tray can have its own power supply and its own fan or fans. In some implementation, the power supply is located at the rear edge of the tray, and the fan is attached to the back of the power supply. All fans can be configured or programmed to deliver air at a single common temperature, such as one set at 113 ° F (45 ° C). The process can then be readjusted continuously as the fan 110 captures and circulates the hot air.
Additional items can also be cooled using system 100. For example, enclosure 116 is provided with a self-contained fan and coil unit 114 that contains a fan and a cooling coil. Unit 114 can operate, for example, in response to a thermostat provided in room 116. Room 116 can be, for example, an office or other auxiliary workspace for the main parts of data center 101.
In addition, supplementary cooling can also be provided for room 116 if necessary. For example, a roof top or similar standard air conditioning unit (not shown) can be installed to provide particular cooling needs on a point basis. As an example, system 100 can be designed to deliver 78 ° F (25.56 ° C) supply air to workspace 106, and workers may prefer to have an office in room 116 that is cooler. Thus, a dedicated air conditioning unit can be provided for the office. This unit can be operated relatively efficiently, however, where its coverage is limited to a relatively small area of a building or a relatively small part of the heat load from a building. Also, cooling units, such as chillers, can allow for additional cooling, although their sizes can be reduced substantially when compared to if they were used to provide substantial cooling for the system 100.
Fresh air can be supplied to the workspace 106 via various mechanisms. For example, a supplementary air conditioning unit (not shown), such as a standard roof top unit, can be provided to provide necessary external air changes. Also, a unit like this can serve to dehumidify the workspace 106 for the latent loads limited in system 100, such as human transpiration. Alternatively, shutters can be provided from the external environment for system 100, such as shutters driven to connect to the hot air plenum 104b. System 100 can be controlled to draw air through the plenums when ambient humidity and outside temperature (outside) are low enough to allow cooling with outside air. Such shutters can also be ducted to the fan 110, and hot air in the full 104a, 104b can simply be exhausted to the atmosphere, so that the outside air does not mix and is not diluted by the hot air from the computers. Proper filtration can also be provided in the system, particularly where external air is used.
Also, workspace 106 may include heat loads other than trays, such as people in space and lighting. Where the volume of air passing through the various cabinets is very high and absorbs a very large thermal load from multiple computers, the small additional load from other sources can be negligible, except perhaps a small latent heat load caused by workers, which can be removed by means of a minor auxiliary air conditioning unit as previously described.
Cooling water can be supplied from the modular cooling installation 222 which can include a cooling water circuit and a condenser water circuit. The cooling water circuit can be powered by pump 124. The cooling water circuit can be formed as a direct return or indirect return circuit, and in general it can be a closed loop system. Pump 124 can be of any suitable shape, such as a standard centrifugal pump. The heat exchanger 122 can remove heat from the cooling water in the circuit. The heat exchanger 122 can be of any suitable form, such as a plate and frame heat exchanger or a shell and tube heat exchanger.
Heat can be passed from the cooling water circuit to a condenser water circuit that includes heat exchanger 122, pump 120 and cooling tower 118. Pump 120 can also be of any suitable form, such as a pump centrifuge. The cooling tower 118 can be, for example, one or more forced suction towers or induced suction towers. The cooling tower 118 can be considered a source of free cooling, because it requires energy only for the movement of water in the system and in some implementations for the activation of a fan to cause evaporation; it does not require operation of a compressor in a chiller or similar structure.
The cooling tower 118 can be of a variety of forms, including a hybrid cooling tower. A tower like this can combine the evaporative cooling structures of a cooling tower with a water-to-water heat exchanger. As a result, a tower like this can be fitted to a smaller surface and operated more modularly than a standard cooling tower with a separate heat exchanger. Additional advantage may be that hybrid towers can be operated dry, as discussed earlier. In addition, hybrid towers can also better prevent the creation of water smoke columns that can be viewed negatively by neighbors of a facility.
As shown, fluid circuits can create an economical arrangement on the indirect water side. This arrangement can be relatively energy efficient, in that the only energy needed to drive it is the energy to operate several pumps and fans. Furthermore, this system can be relatively inexpensive to implement, because pumps, fans, cooling towers and heat exchangers are relatively simple technological structures that are widely available in many forms. Furthermore, because the structures are relatively simple, repairs and maintenance can be cheaper and easier to complete. Such repairs may be possible without the need for technicians with highly specialized knowledge.
Alternatively, direct free cooling can be employed, such as by eliminating the heat exchanger 122 and routing the cooling tower water (condenser water) directly to the cooling coils 112a, 112b (not shown). Such an implementation can be more efficient, as it removes a heat exchange step. However, an implementation like this also causes water from cooling tower 118 to be introduced, which would otherwise be a closed system. As a result, the system in an implementation like this can be filled with water that can contain bacteria, algae and atmospheric contaminants, and can also be filled with other contaminants in the water. A hybrid tower, as discussed earlier, can provide similar benefits without the same damage.
Control valve 126 is provided in the condenser water circuit to supply replacement water for the circuit. Replacement water in general may be required because the cooling tower 118 operates by evaporating large amounts of water from the circuit. The control valve 126 can be connected to a water level sensor in the cooling tower 118, or to a basin shared by multiple cooling towers. When the water drops below a predetermined level, the control valve 126 can be induced to open and supply additional replacement water to the circuit. A reverse flow preventer (BFP) can also be provided on the replacement water line to prevent water from flowing back from the cooling tower 118 to a main water system, which can cause contamination of a water system such as This one.
Although figure 1 shows the modular cooling installation 222 connected to only one cooling unit on the floor 160, a modular cooling installation 222 can be connected to several cooling units on the floor 160, as shown in figure 2A, with the cooling units on the floor 160 connected in parallel to the modular cooling installation 222. Each modular cooling installation 222 can serve, for example, 12 or more cooling units on the floor 160. In addition, system 100 may have several modular cooling facilities 222. System 100 can be, for example, a building using 30 megawatts (MW) of electricity. There may then be several modular cooling installations 222 connected to the building, for example, fifteen modular cooling installations 222, each providing cooling for every 2 MW of electrical energy used by the data center.
The modular cooling installations 222 and the cooling units on the floor 160 can be connected by means of the progressing tubes 244. The supply line 246 can supply cooling water to the cooling units on the floor, while the cooling line return 248 can return hot water to the modular cooling facilities 222 to be cooled. Along at least one tube is a corresponding control valve 224 located so that flow to a single refrigeration unit can be controlled. The modular cooling installation 222, the corresponding cooling units 160 and the control valves 224 together can be called a module 230. Each control valve 224 can control the flow of water through the cooling unit on the corresponding floor 160 without affect the other cooling units in the module. The control valves 224 can supply only the water that the cooling unit on the particular floor 160 needs. That is, the control valve 224 can be a supply valve instead of a digital "open" or "closed" control valve. Each control valve 224 can have a motor (not shown) that can change the position of the corresponding valve in such a way that it is as open as necessary to circulate the necessary water through the cooling unit on the corresponding floor 160. A controller can control the engine. There may, for example, be a master controller to control all 224 control valves. Alternatively, each 224 control valve may have a corresponding controller to independently control each engine. In some implementations, a master controller can control all individual controllers. Controllers can control control valves 224 to respond to the outlet air temperature (LAT) or other local variables of each refrigeration unit 160. For example, controllers can control control valves 224 to respond to a change in difference between the outlet air temperature and the inlet water temperature. Each control valve 224, and thus each refrigeration unit on floor 160, can act independently of another valve 224 or the refrigeration unit on floor 160. That is, all increases or decreases in flow through system 100 can be local by means of controllers in each refrigeration unit on the corresponding floor 160.
When designing the system 100 in such a way that the amount of water for each cooling unit on the floor 160 is controlled individually and in such a way that all modular cooling installations 222 are connected to a common communication pipe, water from the system can be distributed to the load in the system 100 instead of flowing a constant amount of water through the total system 100. In this way, water that is not needed for a cooling unit on the floor 160 can be made available to another cooling unit on the floor 160. Because the cooling units on the floor 160 act independently, there may be a large number of cooling units on the floor 160 in system 100, for example, above 1,000 cooling units. In addition, system 100 can be designed in such a way that chilled air from multiple refrigeration units 160 can be mixed between the time it leaves cooling coils 112a, 112b and is pulled into servers 102a, 102b, just as when using highest ceiling for exhausting the cooled air by fan 110 and cooling coils 112a, 112b for the space above servers 102a, 102b. Having a design like this ensures that if a cooling unit on floor 160 fails, for example, as a result of control valve 224 flowing too much or too little water to the respective cooling unit on floor 160, the other cooling units cooling on the floor 160 can compensate for cooling the data center 101. In addition, system 100 can be designed in such a way that if a modular cooling installation 222 fails other modular cooling installations 222 along the same communication tube can take the load. A project like this can allow the cooling of a large number of servers. For example, system 100 may include over 1,000 cooling units and corresponding server cabinets.
Optionally, some coolers 130 may be available for use by system 100. A separate cooler communication tube 228 can be provided that connects a cooler to multiple modular cooling facilities 222. Operation of system 100 can connect some or all coolers 130 during periods of extreme atmospheric conditions (ie, hot and humid) or periods of high heat load in the data center 101. Referring again to figure 1, controlled mixing valves 134 are provided to switch electronically to the chiller circuit, or to mix cooling water from the chiller circuit with cooling water from the condenser circuit. Pump 128 is capable of delivering water from the tower to cooler 130, and pump 132 is capable of delivering chilled water, or cooling water, from cooler 130 to the rest of system 100. Cooler 130 can be of any suitable form , such as a centrifugal, alternating or screw cooler, or an absorption cooler.
The chiller circuit can be controlled to provide various temperatures appropriate for the cooling water. Chilled water can be supplied from chiller 130 at elevated temperatures from conventional chilled water temperatures. For example, chilled water can be supplied with temperatures from 55 ° F (13 ° C) to 70 ° F (21 ° C) or more. For example, the water supply temperature can be between 60-64 ° F (15-17 ° C), 65-70 ° F (18-21 ° C), 71-75 ° F (22-23 ° C) or 76-80 ° F (24-26 ° C). The water can then be taken up at higher temperatures, such as 59 to 176 ° F (15 to 80 ° C). In this approach that uses sources other than free cooling, or as an alternative to this, increases in the chilled water supply temperature can also result in substantial efficiency increases for the 100 system.
Referring to figure 2A, because the coolers 130 are on a circuit 228 separate from modules 230, coolers 130 can be shared between modules 230. An arrangement like this can be beneficial when a modular cooling installation 222 or cooler 130 fail. Because coolers 130 are shared between modules 160, any cooler 130 can provide chilled water to keep module 160 working when one of the coolers fails or when a corresponding modular cooling installation 222 fails. Thus, system 100 can become more robust as more modules 160 and more coolers 130 are added, as further described in this document. In addition, the number of coolers 130 can be less than the number of modules 230 to reduce costs. Valves between coolers and modular cooling installations 222 can control which chiller supplies chilled water to which modular cooling installation 222. Although not shown, and although in separate communication tubes from modules 230, chillers 130 can be housed in some or on all 222 modules.
Referring again to figure 1, pumps 120, 124, 128, 132, can be provided with variable speed drives. Such drives can be controlled electronically by a central control system to change the amount of water pumped by each pump in response to changing environmental conditions or changing conditions such as equipment failure or a new reference point in the 100 system. For example , pump 124 can be controlled to maintain a particular temperature in workspace 106, such as in response to signals from a thermostat or other sensor in workspace 106.
As shown in figure 2B, system 100 can be highly modular, and therefore can be scaled from a very small system to a very large system by adding additional components and subsystems. Because the system 100 is modular, the data center can be expanded as more capacity is required while maintaining installation operation during construction. A first set of electronic equipment cabinets, for example, server cabinets, and associated modular cooling installations and optional coolers can be installed and equipment operation can be started. As more electronic equipment is needed and received, a second set of electronic equipment and associated modular cooling facilities are installed and brought into line. The modular cooling facilities associated with the first set of equipment can be fluidly coupled to the modular cooling facilities associated with the second set of equipment to provide backup cooling in the event of an installation failure. In addition, although existing installation 301 and future installation 302 are shown as separate systems, connections, such as connection 303, can be made between the two installations in order to share components. Although sharing components between old and new systems can cause construction-based interruptions in the existing system, they can also allow for better use of the components in the total system. For example, chillers 130 can be extended to be shared between both facilities 301 and 302.
In operation, the system 100 can respond to signals from one or more sensors 192 placed in the system 100. The sensors can include, for example, thermostats, humidity meters, flow meters and other similar sensors. In an implementation, one or more thermostats can be provided to monitor the temperature within the data center. In some embodiments, air adjacent to a cooling unit on the floor 160 is partially isolated from the air adjacent to a neighboring cooling unit on the floor 160. A single cooling unit on the floor 160 cools the heated air generated by the servers in the associated workspace. The sensors 192 can measure the temperature of the outlet air, defined as the temperature leaving the cold air coils 112a, 112b or the cooling air plenum 108. To measure the temperature of the outlet air, the one or more sensors 192 can be placed, for example, near the cold air coils 112a, 112b or the cooling air plenum 108 of each refrigeration unit on the floor 160.
As shown in figure 1, a single temperature sensor 192 can be used for each refrigeration unit on the floor 160. Alternatively, a set of sensors, such as between two and ten sensors, for example, four sensors, can be used for each refrigeration unit on the floor and the average temperature, such as the average outlet air temperature, can be determined. Although other implementations may include placing multiple thermostats throughout system 110, such as in hot air 104a, 104b or close to servers 102a, such temperatures tend to vary. Measuring the outlet air temperature, therefore, can be a more robust method of controlling the 100 system.
The outlet air temperature measured by the thermostats can be used to control the valves 224 associated with the cooling units on the floor 160. Additionally, although in some implementations the pumps 120, 124, 128, 132 are fixed speed pumps , in other implementations the temperature reading of the thermostats can be used to control the speed of associated pumps. When the outlet air temperature starts to rise above an internal setpoint, control valves 224 can be opened more widely or pumps 120, 124, 128, 132 can run faster to provide additional cooling water. Such additional cooling water can reduce the outlet air temperature. The outlet air temperature can also be used to indirectly affect server fans. That is, for computers that regulate their fan speed based on how hard the server is working, controlling the cooling unit outlet air temperature to eliminate hot spots in the work area 106 can allow these servers to run their fans more slow, thus using less energy than would otherwise be required.
When additional water is circulated through system 100 as a result of opening valves 224 or pumps 120, 124, 128, 132 pulling more water, the pressure differential between supply 246 and return 248 falls, requiring pumps 120, 124, 128, 132 stabilize at a lower pressure balance than usual (called "bending the pump curve"), so the pressure drop across the refrigeration units houses the pressure differential of the pumps. As excess water is drawn from the modular cooling installation 222, the modular cooling installation 222 may not be able to maintain a predetermined water supply temperature. For example, because water is cycling through the system more quickly and the ambient temperature is higher, cooling towers may not have enough time to pass heat from the water into the environment than when the outside temperature is lower. As a result, water that is higher than the predetermined water supply temperature is circulated through system 100.
The potentially negative result of circulating water that has a temperature higher than the predetermined water supply temperature through a cooling unit on the floor 160, that is, less cooling capacity of the water flowing through the cooling unit 160, however, it can be greater than that compensated by the positive result of extra water flowing through the cooling unit over the floor 160. Thus, the resulting outlet air temperature can be reduced below the internal set point. In some embodiments, although the cooling water supplied to the cooling units on the floor 160 may be 1 degree above the predetermined water supply temperature, the resulting outlet air temperature may be more than 1 degree below the set point. internal adjustment.
Controllers can also be used to control the speed of various items such as the fan 110 to maintain a defined pressure differential between two spaces, such as the attic 105 and the workspace 106, and thus maintain an air flow rate desired. Where mechanisms to increase cooling, such as speeding up pump operation, are no longer able to hold up with increasing loads, a control system can activate the cooler 130 and associated pumps 128, 132, and can modulate the control valves 134 in this way to provide additional cooling.
System 100 can also respond to signals from outside the data center 101, for example, to the temperature outside the data center 101 (which can be correlated and monitored by the water temperature provided by the cooling tower). Thermostats can be used to monitor the temperature outside the data center 101. When the temperature, for example, the air temperature or the wet bulb temperature, outside the data center 101 is below a predetermined value, water which is cooled in the cooling tower is at least as cold as a predetermined water supply temperature. This chilled water can be circulated through the system 100 in order to maintain the temperature within the data center 101, for example, the temperature of the outlet air of each refrigeration unit on the floor 160, below an internal setpoint. The internal setpoint can be, for example, less than 120 ° F (49 ° C), such as less than 115 ° F (46 ° C) or less than 110 ° F (43 ° C), such as 75 ° F (23 ° C) to 85 ° F (29 ° C) and can vary throughout the year, as discussed below. Federal OSHA and California OSHA guidelines may also provide limitations on the internal setpoint. In addition, the setpoint may vary by geographic location to account for the average temperature and humidity at the respective location. When the temperature outside the data center 101 rises above the predetermined value, water with a temperature higher than the predetermined water supply temperature can be circulated through system 100, thereby inducing the temperature within the data center 101 to rise above the internal set point. Data center 101 can be rated to run on water having a temperature that is less than the predetermined water supply temperature, that is, data center 101 can have sufficient water resources to keep the outlet air temperature below of a predetermined temperature and, in some cases, to keep the water temperature in the system 100 below the predetermined water supply temperature.
In an implementation, supply temperatures for cooling water can be between 65 ° F (18 ° C) and 70 ° F (21 ° C), such as 68 ° F (20 ° C), while return temperatures they can be between 100 ° F (38 ° C) and 110 ° F (43 ° C), such as 104 ° F (40 ° C). In other implementations, the supply water can be supplied at temperatures of 50 ° F to 84.20 ° F or 104 ° F (10 ° C to 29 ° C or 40 ° C) and the return water can be supplied at temperatures 59 ° F to 176 ° F (15 ° C to 80 ° C) for return water. The water temperature supplied by the cooling tower in general can be slightly above the wet bulb temperature under ambient atmospheric conditions, while the temperature of the water returned to the cooling tower will depend in part on the heat inside the building. 101.
Using these parameters and the parameters discussed previously for the inlet and outlet air, relatively low approach temperatures can be achieved with the 100 system. The approach temperature, in this example, is the difference in temperature between the air flowing to away from a serpentine and the water entering a serpentine. The approach temperature is always positive because the water entering the coil is the coldest water, and the water is heated as it moves along the coil. As a result, the water can be appreciably warmer by the time it leaves the coil. Air passing over the coil near the water outlet is hotter than the air passing over the coil at the water inlet. Because the cooler outlet air at the cooling water inlet point is warmer than the incoming water, the temperature of the total outlet air is at least slightly higher than the inlet cooling water temperature.
Keeping the approach temperature low allows a system to be operated with free cooling, or evaporative, for a greater part of the year and reduces the size of a cooler used with the system, if a cooler is needed in any way. To decrease the approach temperature, the cooling coils can be designed for counterflow. In counterflow, the warmer air flows near the warmer water and the colder air comes out close to where the coldest water enters.
In certain implementations, the inlet water temperature can be 64 ° F (18 ° C) and the outlet air temperature can be 77 ° F (25 ° C), as noted earlier, for an approach temperature of 13 ° F (7 ° C). In other implementations, a wider or lower approach temperature can be selected based on economic considerations for a total installation.
With a concise approach temperature, the temperature of the chilled air leaving the coil closely follows the temperature of the cooling water entering the coil. As a result, the air temperature can be maintained, generally independent of the load, by maintaining a constant water temperature. In an evaporative cooling mode, a constant water temperature can be maintained as the wet bulb temperature remains constant (or changes very slowly), and by mixing warmer return water with supply water or modulating tower fans. cooling as the wet bulb temperature drops. As such, active control of the cooling air temperature can be avoided in certain situations, and control can occur simply at the cooling water supply and return temperatures.
Figure 3 is a psychrometric graph showing a heating and cooling cycle for air in a data center. A psychometric chart graphically represents the thermodynamic properties of moist air (which is air containing any appreciable moisture, not air that is merely perceived as moist by a person). The graph is ASHRAE Psychometric Graph No. 1, which defines air properties for sea level applications. See 1997 ASHRAE Handbook - Fundamentals, on page 6.15. Other graphs can also be used, and the graph shown here is used merely to exemplify certain aspects of the concepts discussed in this document.
The psychrometric graph is a grid with several lines representing various properties of air. Air cooling and heating processes can be analyzed by identifying a point on the graph that represents air in a particular condition (for example, temperature and humidity), and then locate another point that represents air in another condition. A line between these points, generally drawn as a straight line, can reasonably be assumed to represent the conditions of air as it moves from the first condition to the second, such as through a cooling process.
Several properties will be discussed here. First, saturation temperature is an arc along the left part of the graph and represents the temperature at which air becomes saturated and moisture starts to come out of the air as a liquid, also popularly known as the "dew point". When the air temperature is considered below the dew point, more and more water appears from the air because the cooler air is able to retain less water.
The dry air bulb temperature is listed along the bottom of the graph and represents what is popularly seen as temperature, that is, the temperature returned by a typical mercury thermometer.
The graph shows two numbers relating to air humidity. The first is the moisture content, listed along the right edge of the graph, and it is simply the weight of moisture per unit weight of dry air. Thus, the moisture content will remain constant at various air temperatures, until moisture is removed from the air, such as by lowering the air temperature to its dew point (for example, moisture leaves the air and ends on the grass. morning) or when placing moisture in the air (for example, by atomizing water such as fine mist in a humidifier where the mist can be supported by the natural movement of air molecules). Thus, when graphing processes involving simple changes in air temperature, the point that represents the state of the air will shift directly from left to right along the graph in a constant moisture content. This is because the dry bulb temperature will go up and down, but the moisture content will remain constant.
The second humidity parameter is the so-called relative humidity. Unlike moisture content, which measures the absolute amount of moisture in the air, relative humidity measures the amount of moisture in the air as a percentage of the total humidity that the air can possibly retain at its current temperature. Warmer air can retain more moisture than colder air can, because the molecules in the warmer air move more quickly. Thus, for an equal amount of moisture in the air (that is, an equal moisture content), the relative humidity will be lower at a high temperature than at a low temperature.
As an example, on a summer day when the night before the temperature was 55 ° F (13 ° C) and there is dew on the earth, and during the day it is around 75 ° F (23 ° C), the Early morning relative humidity will be around 100% (the dew point), but the afternoon relative humidity will be a very comfortable 50%, even assuming the identical amount of water is in the air in both periods. This exemplary process is shown in figure 3 by means of points marked by C and D, with point C showing air saturated at 55 ° F (13 ° C) (the night before), and point D representing that same heated air for 75 ° F (23 ° C) (the temperature during the day).
Commercial air handling systems take advantage of this same process in providing air conditioning in a building. Specifically, systems can collect air from an office space at 75 ° F (23 ° C) and a relative humidity of 60%. The systems pass the air through a cooling coil that looks like an automobile radiator to cool the air to 55 ° F (13 ° C), which will typically push the air to its dew point. This will remove moisture from the air as it passes through the cooling coil. Moisture can be captured in drains below the cooling coil and can then be removed from the building. The air can then be returned to the workspace, and when it heats back to 75 ° F (23 ° C), it will be at a comfortable 50% relative humidity.
This common cooling process is shown by means of points A, B, C and D in the graph in figure 3. Point A shows the air at 75 ° F (23 ° C) and 70% relative humidity. Point B shows the air cooled to its dew point, which it reaches at a temperature (dry bulb) of about 65 ° F (18 ° C). Additional cooling of the air to 55 ° F (13 ° C) (for point C) is superimposed along the saturation curve, and water will come out of the air during that part of the cooling. Finally, the state of the air moves to point D as the air is heated and reaches 75 ° F (23 ° C) again. At this point, the relative humidity will be 50% (assuming it does not capture additional humidity from the room or from the existing ambient air) instead of the original 60% because the cooling process has dehumidified the air by removing moisture from the air. in the cooling coil. If the ambient air contains more moisture than the refrigerated air does, point D will be slightly above its position shown in figure 3, but still below point A.
A common process like this brings with it several challenges. First, in order to cool the air to 55 ° F (13 ° C), the system must supply cooling water to the cooling coil that can absorb all the heat. Such water would need to be at least colder than 55 ° F (13 ° C). It can be expensive to create such cooling water, requiring systems such as chillers and other energy-intensive systems. In addition, the area immediately around the tubes supplying the cooling water will be colder than 55 ° F (13 ° C), ie cooler than the dew point of the air if the tubes are located through of the workspace or through the air having the same state as the air in the workspace. As a result, moisture in the air can condense in the tube because the temperature of the surrounding air has dropped to its dew point. Thus, insulation may be required around the cooling tubes to prevent such condensation, and condensation can occur in any case, and can cause rust, mold, puddle or other problems. Finally, it consumes a large amount of energy for dehumidification, that is, for changing water from one state to another.
The hot air cooling features discussed with respect to figure 1 above can avoid, in certain implementations, one or more of these challenges. An exemplary hot air cooling process is shown in the graph in figure 3 by means of points E and F. Point E shows an ambient air condition in a workspace that is close to the top, but within, common guidelines for comfort levels for people dressed in summer clothes. See 1997 ASHRAE Handbook - Fundamentals, on page 8.12. This condition is 75 ° F (24 ° C) and a relative humidity of about 70% (the same as for Point A in the previous example). The F point shows heating of this air without adding moisture, such as when passing the air over computer components generating heat in a cabinet-mounted server system. The temperature rise is 36 ° F (20 ° C) to bring the air to a state of 111 ° F (44 ° C) with about 23% relative humidity. The air can then be cooled to its original temperature (point E) of 75 ° F (24 ° C) in a cooling coil before being reintroduced into the workspace, without adding water or removing water from the air.
The G and H points on the graph represent the air condition in space immediately surrounding the cooling tubes. For this example, the cooling supply water is considered to be 68 ° F (20 ° C) and the return temperature is 104 ° F (40 ° C). It is also assumed that the air near the tubes contains the same humidity level as the rest of the air in space, and that the air immediately surrounding the tube has the same temperature as the water inside the tube. As can be seen, this air associated with the cooling water also remains above the saturation point, so that there must be no condensation in the cooling water tubes, and thus no need for insulation to prevent condensation in the tubes.
It can be seen through this process that the air never becomes saturated. As a result, the system does not need to supply energy to create a phase change in the air. In addition, the system does not need to provide liquid recovery structures in the cooling coil, or pipe insulation anywhere. Other similar temperatures and in many implementations higher temperatures can be used. The particular temperatures discussed here are intended to be exemplary only.
Figure 4 is a graph of an internal setpoint temperature for a computing facility over a one year time period. The internal setpoint temperature can be a temperature in a workspace such as workspace 106 in figure 1. As shown in the stepped graph, the internal setpoint temperature (ie, a directed temperature) is adjusted infrequently, such as by season or monthly, to more closely follow expected outdoor wet bulb temperatures. The indoor setpoint is increased in the summer because the smaller indoor winter setpoint cannot be effectively reached in hot summer weather conditions only when using evaporative cooling. So, while a "better", ie lower temperature such as 71 ° F (22 ° C), internal setpoint temperature applies in winter, that same internal setpoint is not realistic, in the example, in summer months.
The internal setpoint can be set manually by a user and can be adjusted infrequently in order to better approach a setpoint that is achievable using evaporative cooling techniques with little or no help from chillers or other similar components that require relatively high levels of energy to operate. While increasing the internal setpoint during warmer periods of the year can increase the typical operating temperature, it also decreases the number of thermal cycles that can occur in an installation, and thereby increase the life of electronic components in the installation. In contrast, if the setpoint is kept as low as possible, the conditioned space would be relatively cold on days having a low wet bulb temperature and relatively hot on days having a high wet bulb temperature. Thus, maintaining a constant setpoint throughout the year can actually increase the thermal cycle, particularly in warmer months, as the system is able to maintain the setpoint on some days, but not on other days. In another mode, the cooling units can be controlled to stabilize the difference between their outlet air temperature and their inlet water temperature. By applying resets to the cooling plant setpoints, the air temperature in the workspace 106 can be effectively linked to the water temperature from the cooling installation, thereby removing a layer of setpoints to be scaled.
The setpoint can also be adjusted substantially continuously, such as by varying the setpoint temperature in an annual sinusoidal mode that generally follows the expected outdoor wet bulb temperature, as shown by the line. sinusoidal set point. Studies have indicated that human discomfort is minimized by providing many small changes, or continuous changes, to temperature, as opposed to variations in large increases in temperature. In both examples the set point can be maintained, in certain implementations, even if a lower temperature can be readily reached (for example, because the outdoor wet bulb temperature is lower than expected) in order to minimize thermal cycle in a facility being cooled.
The temperatures of particular set points can be selected based on the capacities of the components in an installation and the prevailing local weather conditions. For example, cold weather setpoints can be in the range of 59-77 ° F (15-25 ° C), with particular values of 64.4, 68, 71.6 and 75.2 ° F (18, 20, 22 and 24 ° C). Hot weather setpoints can be in the range of 68-86T (20-30 ° C), with particular values of 71.6, 75.2, 78.8 and 82.4 ° F (22, 24, 26 and 28 ° C). In a particular implementation, air temperatures in hot weather conditions in an installation can be approximately 80.6-82.4 ° F (27-28 ° C) and temperatures in cold weather conditions can be around 71.60 ° F (22 ° C). The period to reset the setpoint can also vary, and can be weekly (for example, using an extended range weather forecast to select an achievable setpoint that follows the predicted wet bulb temperature), monthly or quarterly, for example. example.
When the wet bulb or air temperature becomes too high to reach the desired internal reference point, the temperature of the cooling water can be allowed to oscillate with the outside temperature, causing the temperature in space 106 to shift also upwards. If the outside temperature rises above a predetermined value, as discussed above, then the temperature inside the data center 101 may be allowed to rise above an internal setpoint, as shown by area 401 in the figure 4. This rise in temperature within the data center can be achieved, as discussed earlier, by flowing hot water, which is water that is hotter than a predetermined water supply temperature through system 100. Correspondingly, more water can be circulated through the system 100 in order to carry the heat away more quickly and to compensate for the hot water circulated through the system.
The rise in temperature within the data center 101 above the internal setpoint can be limited in time, for example, to less than 10% of the operating time of the data center or equipment, such as less than 5%, less than 1%, or less than 0.5% of operating time. Likewise, the amount of time that hot water is circulated through system 100 can be limited in time, for example, to less than 1,000 hours per year, less than 500 hours per year, less than 100 hours per year, or less than 50 hours a year. If the temperature inside the data center 101 is above the internal setpoint for more than 10% of the operating time of the data center or equipment or if hot water is circulated for more than 1,000 hours per year, the electronic equipment can fail faster than desired. For example, electronic equipment can fail more quickly after circulating hot water for 15% of the annual operating time of the data center or equipment or for 1,500 hours.
Figure 5 is a flow chart 500 showing steps to cool a data center using one or more periods of high temperatures. The method is only exemplary; other steps can be added, steps can be removed and steps can be performed in different orders than those shown, as appropriate. The temperature outside the data center is monitored (step 502). The outlet air temperature of the data center is monitored (step 503). A determination is made as to whether the temperature outside the data center is above a predetermined value (step 504). When the temperature outside the data center is not above a predetermined value, the temperature of the outlet air can be kept below an internal setpoint by flowing cooling water through a cooling system within the data center. (step 505). That is, water that is at least as cold as a predetermined water supply temperature is circulated through the data center. When the temperature outside the data center rises above the predetermined value, the outlet air temperature may be allowed to be higher than the internal setpoint when water flows through the cooling system that is hotter than the supply temperature. predetermined water level (step 506).
Figure 6 is a flowchart 600 showing steps for cooling a data center using one or more periods of high temperatures for less than 90% of the operating time of the data center's electronic equipment. The method is only exemplary; other steps can be added, steps can be removed and steps can be performed in different orders than those shown, as appropriate. The temperature outside the data center is monitored (step 602). When the temperature outside the data center is not above a predetermined value, the temperature of the outlet air can be maintained below an internal setpoint when cooling water flows through a cooling system inside the data center (step 605). That is, water that is at least as cold as a predetermined water supply temperature is circulated through the data center. When the temperature outside the data center rises above the predetermined value, the outlet air temperature may be allowed to be higher than the internal setpoint when water flows through the cooling system that is hotter than the supply temperature. predetermined water level (step 606). The temperature can be kept below the internal set point for more than 90% of the operating time of the electronic equipment.
Chilled water as from a chiller can be supplied through the modular cooling installation. The chilled water can be mixed with cooling water so that the internal setpoint can be maintained or allowed to rise only for a predetermined time. Figure 7 is a flow chart 700 for cooling a data center having both chilled water and cooling water and using one or more periods of high temperatures. The method is exemplary only; other steps can be added, steps can be removed and steps can be performed in different orders than those shown, as appropriate. The outlet air temperature is monitored from a floor-mounted refrigeration unit in the data center (step 701). The outside temperature is monitored (step 703). It is determined whether the outside temperature is above a predetermined temperature (step 705). If the outside temperature is not above the predetermined temperature, then cooling water is drained through the data center (step 715). Alternatively, if the outside temperature is above a predetermined temperature, then it is determined whether hot water has been circulated through the data center for more than a predetermined time (step 707). If hot water has not been circulated through the data center for more than a predetermined time, then hot water continues to be circulated through the data center (step 709). Alternatively, if hot water has been circulated through the data center for more than a predetermined time, it is determined whether cooled water should be circulated through the data center (step 711). Chilled water is circulated through the data center (step 713).
In addition, although not shown, additional fans and local fan speed control can be used to maintain the temperature within the data center. Additional fans can be used to increase fans in the trays and refrigeration units. In one embodiment, fans can collect air from a plurality of cabinets. In another embodiment, fans can dispense chilled air to a plurality of cabinets. In another embodiment, a lifting fan can be used to compensate for pressure drops in the plenums. For example, referring to figure 1, if a suction inlet for fan 110 is much closer to the hot air plenum 104a than to the hot air plenum 104b, an additional fan can be provided in the path of the hot air plenum 104b so that the resulting static pressure in the hot air 104a and the hot air 104b are approximately equal. If the lift fan is not used, because of pressure drops across the plenum in attic 105, the static pressures in the hot air 104a and the hot air 104b may be sufficiently different to require larger tray fans in cabinet 102b or they can draw excess air through cabinet 102a. When designing a cooling system as described in this document, the efficiency of the system can be improved. For example, allowing the temperature inside the data center to rise above the internal setpoint for short periods of time can minimize the need for coolers. In addition, using control valves to individually control the flow of water to each refrigeration unit on the floor in such a way that only the amount of water that is needed is used, the total amount of water required for the system is reduced by 10 % -50%. If the facility is designed to provide enough water for all control valves to be fully open at all times, to provide water with a temperature below the predetermined water supply temperature, and to allow water lost due to cleaning and / or evaporation, then the facility would need to have more cooling water available than needed except for the hottest periods of the year, for example, for 30-40 hours a year. However, by allowing the water temperature to rise for short periods and / or with higher flow requirements, the installation can be designed to require less water. Likewise, cooling with relatively hot water can have certain benefits when coolers are used. In particular, when a chiller is allowed to provide a lower temperature change for a refrigerant, for example, water, the chiller can provide cooling with less electrical consumption per ton of refrigerant than if it were required to transmit a greater temperature change to the soda. By having high air temperatures in a refrigerated space, that is, inside the data center and adjacent to electrical equipment, the water supply temperature may also be higher, and the need for a chiller to cool the water may be less. . As a result of these improvements in efficiency and other design parameters discussed in this document, the system's energy use effectiveness (PUE), that is, the amount of energy entering the data center divided by the energy used to operate the electronic equipment or servers in the data center, it can be less than 1.5, for example, less than 1.3, or about 1.2.
Several modalities have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that several modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of what is described. For example, the steps in the exemplary flowchart in Figure 6 can be performed in another order, some steps can be removed and other steps added. Thus, other modalities are within the scope of the following claims.

权利要求:
Claims (20)
[0001]
1. System to supply chilled air to a data center, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a data center with electronic equipment, in which the electronic equipment is in operation; a source of cooling water; a plurality of floor-mounted cooling units in the data center, each floor-mounted cooling unit configured to cool heated air by a subset of electronic equipment in the data center; a plurality of proportioning control valves, each proportioning control valve associated with a single cooling unit on the floor; and a controller, where each proportional control valve is configured to change position in response to a signal from the controller, the valve capable of being closed, fully open or partially open, where when the valve is closed water from the cooling unit on the floor is blocked, when the valve is fully open a maximum volume of water is circulated through the cooling unit on the floor, and when the valve is partially open some percentage less than 100% the maximum amount of water is circulated through the refrigeration unit on the floor, and in which the controller is configured to change the position of the corresponding control valve in response to a change in temperature.
[0002]
2. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the controller is configured to change the position of the corresponding control valve in response to a change in the temperature of the outlet air of the refrigeration unit on the corresponding floor.
[0003]
3. System, according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the controller is configured to change the corresponding control valve position in such a way that the outlet temperature of the refrigeration unit on the corresponding floor remains below a set point. internal adjustment for at least 90% of the system's operating time.
[0004]
4. System according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that it additionally comprises a plurality of sensors, each sensor configured to measure the temperature of the outlet air of a refrigeration unit on the floor.
[0005]
5. System, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the proportional control valve acts independently of any other control valve.
[0006]
6. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the cooling water source comprises a cooling tower.
[0007]
7. System, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that each cooling unit on the floor comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the electronic equipment to the cooling water source.
[0008]
8. System according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the heat exchanger comprises coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment.
[0009]
9. System to supply refrigerated air for electronic equipment, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a data center with electronic equipment, in which the electronic equipment is in operation; a plurality of modules connected by a first communication tube, each module comprising a plurality of cooling units on the floor in the data center and a source of cooling water; and at least one cooler connected by a second communication tube in such a way that the at least one cooler is in fluid connection with more than one module in the plurality of modules.
[0010]
10. System according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that the number of coolers that includes at least one cooler is less than the number of modules that includes the plurality of modules.
[0011]
11. System according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that each refrigeration unit on the floor comprises a corresponding proportioning control valve configured to control a flow of cooling water through the refrigeration unit on the floor.
[0012]
12. System according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that the cooling water source comprises a cooling tower.
[0013]
13. System according to claim 9, characterized by the fact that each cooling unit on the floor comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the electronic equipment to the cooling water source.
[0014]
14. System according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that the heat exchanger comprises coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment.
[0015]
15. System for cooling air in a data center, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a data center with electronic equipment, in which the electronic equipment is in operation; a cooling water source configured to retain a full amount of water at maximum capacity; and a plurality of floor-mounted cooling units in the data center, each floor-mounted cooling unit configured to cool heated air by a portion of the electronic equipment in the data center using water from the cooling water source; where the total amount of water is insufficient to maintain an outlet air temperature for each cooling unit on the floor below an internal setpoint when a temperature outside the data center is above a predetermined outside temperature.
[0016]
16. System according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that the cooling water source consists of a cooling tower.
[0017]
17. System, according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that each cooling unit on the floor comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the electronic equipment to the cooling water source.
[0018]
18. System according to claim 17, characterized by the fact that the heat exchanger comprises coils located adjacent to one or more plumes of common hot air that receive air heated by electronic equipment.
[0019]
19. System, according to claim 15, characterized by the fact that: the system is located in a geographical region; and for at least 90% of a year temperatures outside the data center are below the predetermined outside temperature.
[0020]
20. System according to claim 19, characterized by the fact that for at least 95% of the year temperatures outside the data center are below the predetermined external temperature.

类似技术:

公开号 | 公开日 | 专利标题

BR112012010390B1|2020-09-29|DATA CENTER REFRIGERATION

US8635881B2|2014-01-28|Data center with low power usage effectiveness

US10712031B2|2020-07-14|Warm water cooling

US10888030B1|2021-01-05|Managing dependencies between data center computing and infrastructure

US9091496B2|2015-07-28|Controlling data center cooling

US9158345B1|2015-10-13|Managing computer performance

JP5479374B2|2014-04-23|Dehumidification device and method

US9476657B1|2016-10-25|Controlling data center cooling systems

US9760098B1|2017-09-12|Cooling a data center

US9554491B1|2017-01-24|Cooling a data center

US9869982B1|2018-01-16|Data center scale utility pool and control platform

TWI479301B|2015-04-01|Data center cooling

同族专利:

公开号 | 公开日

WO2011053988A3|2011-09-09|

EP2496890B1|2016-04-20|

EP2496890A4|2014-05-07|

HK1174091A1|2013-05-31|

US8590333B2|2013-11-26|

US8113010B2|2012-02-14|

CN102762926B|2015-12-16|

US20110100045A1|2011-05-05|

CN102762926A|2012-10-31|

EP2496890A2|2012-09-12|

WO2011053988A2|2011-05-05|

US20120138259A1|2012-06-07|

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法律状态:
2017-11-28| B25A| Requested transfer of rights approved|Owner name: GOOGLE INC. (US) |

2018-01-09| B25D| Requested change of name of applicant approved|Owner name: GOOGLE LLC (US) |

2018-03-27| B15K| Others concerning applications: alteration of classification|Ipc: F24F 11/00 (2018.01), F24F 7/06 (2006.01), F24F 7/ |

2019-01-08| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|

2020-07-28| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|

2020-09-29| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted [chapter 16.1 patent gazette]|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 02/11/2010, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |

优先权:

申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

US12/611,069|US8113010B2|2009-11-02|2009-11-02|Data center cooling|

US12/611,069|2009-11-02|

PCT/US2010/055139|WO2011053988A2|2009-11-02|2010-11-02|Data center cooling|

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