Targeted cooling for datacenters

• US 10,136,561 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Clidaras, Jimmy, Leung, Winnie
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Probst, Samantha
• Application Number:
  US14/725,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264837A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 454184, 454187
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20754 Air circulating in closed loop within cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A method of cooling electronic equipment is disclosed and includes substantially continuously circulating ambient air across a plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices, monitoring the temperature of air in or around a group of devices in the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices, and providing substantially cooler-than-ambient air to the group of devices when the monitored air temperatures rises above a set value.

Claims

1. A data center cooling system, comprising:

a warm-air cooling system configured to cool a flow of ambient air that circulates in a human-occupiable workspace of a data center;

one or more fans positioned to circulate the cooled ambient air directly from the human-occupiable workspace of the data center across a plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices located in a rack that comprises a front that is open to the human-occupiable workspace, the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices serviceably accessible in the rack, wherein a majority of the rack is open to the human-occupiable workspace through the open front of the rack that is open to the human-occupiable workspace of the data center;

a cold-air cooling system positioned to circulate cooler-than-ambient air to the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices located in the rack; and

a control system communicably coupled to the first warm-air and cold-air cooling systems and operable to perform operations comprising;

monitoring a temperature at or near a first area of rack-mounted electronic devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices;

operating the cold-air cooling system to circulate cooler-than-ambient air, through at least one cooler-than-ambient air duct of a plurality of cooler-than-ambient air ducts of the cold-air cooling system, to the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices when the monitored temperature exceeds a threshold temperature; and

operating the warm-air cooling system, during circulation of the cooler-than-ambient air, to cool the ambient air circulated to a second area of rack-mounted electronic devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices that is different than the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

2. The data center cooling system of claim 1, wherein the one or more fans are mounted to one or more of the electronic devices that provide air warmed by the electronic devices to a warm air plenum that is thermally isolated from the human-occupiable workspace.

3. The data center cooling system of claim 2, wherein the warm-air cooling system further comprises a fan unit located in the warm air plenum to circulate the ambient air from the rack to the warm air plenum.

4. The data center cooling system of claim 1, wherein the warm-air cooling system comprises a cooling coil fluidly coupled to a free cooling system, the cooling coil positioned to receive a cooling liquid from the free cooling system and cool warmed air from a warm-air plenum that is thermally separated from the human-occupiable workspace to the ambient air.

5. The data center cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cold-air cooling system comprises a cooling coil fluidly coupled to a powered cooling system, the cooling coil positioned to receive a chilled liquid from the powered cooling system and cool warmed air from a warm-air plenum that is thermally separated from the human-occupiable workspace to the cooler-than-ambient air.

6. The data center cooling system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further operable to perform operations comprising at least one of:

monitoring a temperature of the ambient air circulating near the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices;

monitoring a component case temperature of at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices;

monitoring an electrical demand of at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices;

or

monitoring an exhaust air temperature of an airflow leaving a tray that supports at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

7. The data center cooling system of claim 1, wherein the cold-air cooling system comprises an air distributor that comprises an air outlet positioned at a front of the rack.

8. The data center cooling system of claim 7, wherein the air distributor comprises an air wand pivotally mounted to a riser duct associated with the rack.

9. The data center cooling system of claim 8, wherein the air wand is configured to pivot to direct the cooler-than-ambient air toward the first group area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

10. A method of cooling electronic equipment, comprising:

cooling a flow of ambient air with a warm-air cooling system that comprises an evaporative cooling source;

generating a flow of cooler-than-ambient air with a cold-air cooling system that comprises a compressor-based cooling source;

circulating the cooled ambient air, with one or more fans, directly from a human-occupiable workspace of a data center across a plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices located in a rack that is open, at the front, to the human-occupiable workspace during circulation of the ambient air, the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices serviceably accessible in the rack, wherein a majority of the rack is open to the human-occupiable workspace through the open front of the rack that is open to the human-occupiable workspace of the data center;

monitoring a temperature at or near a group area of rack-mounted electronic devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices;

circulating the cooler-than-ambient air, through at least one of a plurality of cooler-than-ambient air ducts of the cold-air cooling system and from a cooler-than-ambient air outlet of the cold-air cooling system positioned to provide the cooler-than-ambient air, to the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices when the monitored temperature exceeds a threshold temperature; and

cooling, during circulation of the cooler-than-ambient air, the ambient air circulated to a second area of rack-mounted electronic devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices that is different than the first group area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more fans are mounted to one or more of the electronic devices that provide air warmed by the electronic devices to a warm air plenum that is thermally isolated from the human-occupiable workspace.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ambient air is circulated by fan units located in the warm-air plenum.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the ambient air is supplied through cooling coils that receive warmed air from a common warm-air plenum that is thermally separated from the human-occupiable workspace and that captures warmed air that has been warmed by the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring a temperature at or near a first area of devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices comprises:

monitoring a temperature of the ambient air circulating near the first group area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring a temperature at or near a first area of devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices comprises at least one of:

monitoring a component case temperature of at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices;

or

monitoring an electrical demand of at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring a temperature at or near a first area of devices of the plurality of rack-mounted electronic devices comprises:

monitoring an exhaust air temperature of an airflow leaving a tray that supports at least one rack-mounted electronic device of the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein circulating cooler-than-ambient air from the cooler-than ambient air outlet comprises circulating the cooler-than-ambient air from an air distributor that comprises the cooler-than ambient air outlet positioned at a front of the rack.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the air distributor comprises an air wand pivotally mounted to a riser duct associated with the rack.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising pivoting the air wand to direct the cooler-than-ambient air toward the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the cooler-than-ambient air is introduced into the flow of ambient air at a position of the rack in front of, and at a same vertical level as, the first area of rack-mounted electronic devices.