Method for air conditioning an IT environment or an environment which contains heat generators

• US 10,047,966 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rittal GmbH & Company KG (Friedhelm Loh, PhD)
• Original Assignee: Rittal GmbH & Company KG (Friedhelm Loh, PhD)
• Inventors: Nicolai, Michael, Nonn, Helmut, Siegel, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Len
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tavakoldavani, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US14/761,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20150377509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,672 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/77 by controlling the speed of ventilators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1919 characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/54 Free-cooling systems

Abstract

The invention relates a method for air conditioning of an IT environment which comprises hardware IT devices, computers, memories, telecommunication devices and peripheral devices, wherein a refrigeration supply system of the IT environment has a free cooler, refrigerators and an air circulation system which is operated by means of fans and contains heat exchangers for drawing off the heat generated by the hardware, wherein the method includes the following steps: determining a basic desired value for the feed air temperature of the IT environment on the basis of the existing hardware-configuration, measuring at least one parameter of the hardware which represents a disturbance variable which has a direct or indirect effect on the feed air temperature, and storing the measured value of the parameter, ascertaining a desired value for the feed air temperature from the measured parameter value of the hardware, and raising the target value for the feed air temperature until a critical parameter value is measured, then reducing the desired value for the feed air temperature until the stored value is achieved again, and optionally, if the stored value is not reached within a previously defined time period, resetting the desired value for the feed air temperature to the basic desired value.

Claims

1. A method for air conditioning an IT environment which includes, as heat generating hardware, IT devices, computers, memories, telecommunication devices and peripheral devices, wherein, in a refrigeration supply system, free coolers, refrigerators and an air circulation system operated with fans and containing heat exchangers for drawing off the heat generated by the hardware are provided, the method comprising:

air conditioning an IT environment with the refrigeration supply system which supplies air with a feed air temperature to the IT environment via the air circulation system;

determining a basic desired value for the feed air temperature to the IT environment on the basis of the existing hardware configuration;

measuring the electrical power consumption of the hardware and memories and storing a respective value measured in the process;

determining a desired value for the feed air temperature from the measured value for the electrical power consumption of the hardware, namely

raising the desired value for the feed air temperature as long as no change of the value of the electrical power consumption of the hardware has been detected, then,

in the case of detection of an increase of the value for the electrical power consumption of the hardware towards a critical value, lowering of the raised basic desired value for the feed air temperature until the stored value of the electrical power consumption is reached again;

if the stored value of the hardware is not reached within a previously defined time period, resetting of the desired value for the feed air temperature to the basic desired value.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

measuring the feed air temperature toward the hardware;

measuring the return air temperature from the hardware;

determining the desired value of the rotation speed for the fans of the air circulation system with the feed air temperature and the return air temperature as parameters;

measuring the actual value of the rotation speed of the fans of the air circulation system;

increasing or lowering the rotation speed in order to match the desired value and the actual value to one another, so that an updated actual value is obtained.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein all the fans of the air circulation system are controlled in parallel with one signal.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the desired value of the feed flow temperature of the heat exchangers from the actual value of the feed air temperature.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the feed flow temperature of the heat exchangers is used as a setting variable for the rotation speed of the fans of the free cooler.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a verification is carried out at regular or irregular intervals in order to determine whether measured parameter values that correlate with currently acting disturbance variables are available.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the measured parameter values are conditioned and the conditioned value determines the setting variable of the feedback control.

8. A method for air conditioning heat generating IT hardware housed within a casing with an air conditioning system, the heat generating IT hardware including IT devices, computers, memory, telecommunication devices and peripheral devices, the method comprising:

air conditioning the heat generating IT hardware housed within the casing with the air conditioning system supplying feed air to the casing with an air circulation system;

measuring electrical power consumption of the heat generating IT hardware, identifying a base level of electrical power consumption of the heat generating IT hardware, and storing the base level of electrical power consumption;

determining a base desired feed air temperature of the feed air for cooling the heat generating IT hardware operating at the base level of electrical power consumption;

modifying the base desired feed air temperature based on the measured electrical power consumption of the heat generating IT hardware, including;

increasing the base desired feed air temperature to a modified desired feed air temperature according to a linear function;

stopping the increasing of the base desired feed air temperature when an increase in electrical power consumption of the heat generating IT hardware from the base level to a critical level of electrical power consumption is measured;

lowering the modified desired feed air temperature until electrical power consumption of the heat generating IT hardware returns to the base level of electrical power consumption; and

resetting the modified desired feed air temperature to the base desired feed air temperature if the base level of electrical power consumption is not reached within a predetermined period of time.