Rack enclosure

• US 20060276121A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Neil
• Granted Patent: US 8,087,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 454/184
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20572 within cabinets for removing heat from sub-racks, e.g. plenum

Abstract

An enclosure is provided for housing electronic equipment that accommodates the different cooling and ventilating requirements of different types of equipment. The enclosure is constructed and arranged to support cooling airflow in a front-to-back configuration through the enclosure and in a side-to-side configuration from one side to an opposite side of the enclosure. The enclosure can thereby provide within a single enclosure means cooling air for components using front-to-back airflow for cooling, such as information technology (IT) equipment, and for components using side-to-side airflow, such as certain types of telecommunications equipment. The enclosure can thereby support a mix of IT and telecommunications equipment, providing flexibility and adaptability in network room and data center configuration. The enclosure is further configured to separate intake air used by equipment for cooling from exhaust air vented by equipment into its interior during operation. As a result, the enclosure promotes sufficient equipment cooling and prevents/minimizes equipment overheating.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. An enclosure for containing electronic equipment that produces heat during operation, the enclosure comprising:

a housing including a front panel and a back panel opposite to the front panel, a first side panel and a second side panel opposite to the first side panel, and a top panel and a bottom panel opposite to the top panel, the housing defining an interior chamber;

the housing further defining at least one air intake opening defined along at least one of the front panel and the bottom panel; and

a side air intake plenum defined between one of the first side panel and the second side panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber, the side air intake plenum being disposed in fluid communication with the at least one air intake opening to receive air flowing from the at least one air intake opening, and being further disposed and configured to contain received air such that any of the one or more equipment components may draw air from the side air intake plenum into its interior to achieve side-to-side airflow for cooling.

19. The enclosure of claim 18, wherein the side air intake plenum is further defined by one or more airflow blocking partitions disposed within the interior chamber between one of the first side panel and the second side panel and one or more equipment components, and between the top panel and the bottom panel.

20. The enclosure of claim 19, wherein the one or more airflow blocking partitions collectively extend between the top panel and the bottom panel to form a barrier to prevent mixing of air contained within the side air intake plenum with air contained along an exhaust side of the enclosure defined between the back panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber.

21. The enclosure of claim 19, wherein the one or more airflow blocking partitions are configured to removably connect to at least one of the first side panel and the second side panel, and at least one of the top panel, the bottom panel, another airflow blocking partition and an equipment component contained in the interior chamber.

22. The enclosure of claim 18, further comprising a front air intake plenum defined between the front panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber, the front air intake plenum being disposed in fluid communication with the at least one air intake opening to receive air flowing from the at least one air intake opening, and being further disposed and configured to contain received air such that any of the one or more equipment components may draw air from the front air intake plenum into its interior to achieve front-to-back airflow for cooling.

23. The enclosure of claim 22, wherein the front air intake plenum being disposed and configured to permit at least a portion of air contained within the front air intake plenum to flow into the side air intake plenum.

24. The enclosure of claim 22, wherein the front intake air plenum being disposed opposite to an exhaust side of the enclosure defined between the back panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber and being configured to receive exhaust air vented from any of the one or more equipment components achieving cooling by front-to-back airflow.

25. The enclosure of claim 24, wherein the housing further defines at least one air exhaust opening defined along at least one of the back panel and the top panel.

26. The enclosure of claim 18, further comprising a side air exhaust plenum defined between one of the first side panel and the second side panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber, the side air exhaust plenum being disposed opposite to the side air intake plenum and being configured to receive exhaust air vented from any of the one or more equipment components achieving cooling by side-to-side airflow.

27. The enclosure of claim 26, wherein the side air exhaust plenum is in fluid communication with an exhaust side of the enclosure defined between the back panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber.

28. The enclosure of claim 26, wherein the housing further defines at least one air exhaust opening defined along at least one of the back panel and the top panel.

29. The enclosure of claim 18, further comprising one or more blanking panels disposed at locations along at least one of:

(i) above, (ii) below and (iii) between one or more equipment components, the one or more blanking panels being disposed and configured to prevent flow of received air from the side air intake plenum into one or more other portions of the interior chamber.

30. An enclosure for containing electronic equipment that produces heat during operation, the enclosure comprising:

a housing including a front panel and a back panel opposite to the front panel, a first side panel and a second side panel opposite to the first side panel, and a top panel and a bottom panel opposite to the top panel, the housing defining an interior chamber;

the housing further defining at least one air intake opening defined along at least one of the front panel and the bottom panel; and

a side air intake plenum defined within the interior chamber between the first side panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber, the side air intake plenum being disposed in fluid communication with a front air intake area defined within the interior chamber between the front panel and one or more components contained within the interior chamber, the front air intake area being in fluid communication with the at least one air intake opening,

the side air intake plenum being further disposed at a substantially perpendicular orientation relative to the front air intake area and being configured to receive at least a portion of air flowing from the at least one air intake opening into the front air intake area,

wherein any of the one or more equipment components may draw air from the front air intake area into its interior to achieve front-to-back airflow for cooling, or may draw air from the side air intake plenum into its interior to achieve side-to-side airflow for cooling.

31. The enclosure of claim 30, further comprising a side air exhaust area defined within the interior chamber between the second side panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber and being disposed opposite to the side air intake plenum and being configured to receive exhaust air vented from any of the one or more equipment components achieving cooling by side-to-side airflow.

32. The enclosure of claim 31, further comprising a back air exhaust area defined within the interior chamber between the back panel and one or more equipment components contained within the interior chamber and being disposed opposite to the front air intake area and being configured to receive exhaust air vented from any of the one or more equipment components achieving cooling by front-to-back airflow.

33. A method of cooling electronic equipment rack-mounted or contained within an enclosure that produces heat during operation, the method comprising:

receiving air from an area external to an interior of the enclosure along a front air intake area defined within the interior between a front panel of the enclosure and one or more electronic components contained within the enclosure, at least one air intake opening defined along at least one of the front panel and a bottom panel of the enclosure permitting air to flow into the front air intake area;

permitting at least a portion of received air to circulate from the front air intake area to a side air intake plenum defined within the interior of the enclosure between a first side panel of the enclosure and one or more electronic components contained within the enclosure;

containing air received in the side air intake plenum such that any of one or more electronic components may draw air from the side air intake plenum into its interior to achieve side-to-side airflow for cooling; and

receiving exhaust air vented from any of the one or more electronic components achieving cooling by side-to-side airflow along a side exhaust area defined within the interior of the enclosure between a second side panel opposite to the first side panel and one or more electronic components contained within the enclosure, the side exhaust area being disposed opposite to the side air intake plenum.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising containing air received from the at least one air intake opening in the front air intake area such that any of one or more electronic components may draw air from the front air intake area into its interior to achieve front-to-back air for cooling.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising receiving exhaust air vented from any of the one or more electronic components achieving cooling by front-to-back airflow along a back exhaust area defined within the interior of the enclosure between a back panel opposite to the front panel and one or more electronic components contained within the enclosure, the back exhaust area being disposed opposite to the front air intake area.