METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING FACILITY POWER AND COOLING

• US 20090309570A1
• Filed: 06/16/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Dalgas, Mikkel, Harms, Flemming Nicolas, Lehmann, Gert
• Granted Patent: US 8,053,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 323/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks

Abstract

A method and corresponding apparatus provide a determination of available power capacity of a phase of a power supply in a data center rack. The method includes metering the power of a power supply and calculating an average peak power draw per phase of the power supply. Using average peak power draw per phase of the power supply and the expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply, the available power capacity can be calculated on a per phase of the power supply. A method and corresponding apparatus for managing data center equipment may use the phase based available power capacity calculations to determine the optimal placement of new data center equipment within a data center configuration.

Claims

1. A method for determining available power capacity of a phase of a power supply in a data center rack, the method comprising:

metering the power draw per phase of a power supply;

calculating an average power draw per phase of the power supply; and

calculating available power capacity per phase of the power supply based on the average power draw and expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the average power draw is the average peak power draw.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the power supply is a power distribution unit.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the power supply is an uninterruptible power supply.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the power supply is a polyphase phase power supply.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the power capacity of a phase of the power supply.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating available power capacity per phase is based on available power capacity per phase of the power supply based on the average peak power draw and expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the average peak power draw is a running average.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment is based on nameplate information for the data center equipment.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment is corrected nameplate information.

14. The method of claim 3 where in the average power draw is the average peak power draw.

11. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction including instructions that will cause a processor to:

meter the power draw per phase of a power supply;

calculate an average peak power draw per phase of a power supply; and

calculate available power capacity per phase of the power supply based on the average peak power draw and expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply.

12. A method for managing data center equipment, the method comprising:

determining available power capacity of a phase of a power supply in a data center rack;

presenting, to a user of a computer system, an interactive representation of a layout of a data center room;

receiving, from the user, identification information for at least one element of data center equipment to be placed in the data room; and

presenting, to the user, a representation of an optimal location for the at least one element of data center equipment based on the determination of the available power capacity of a phase.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining available power capacity includes:

metering the power draw per phase of the power supply

calculating an average power draw per phase of the power supply; and

determining available power capacity per phase of the power supply based on the average power draw and expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the identification information for the at least one element includes power draw, nameplate information, infrastructure redundancy, or tagged information.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the optimal location of the at least one element of data center equipment is further based on at least one other available data center resource.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one other available data center resource is cooling capacity, physical space availability, weight support, remote equipment control capability, physical and logical security, or physical and logical network connectivity.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the optimal location of the at least one element of data center equipment is further based on power draw, nameplate information, infrastructure redundancy, or tagged information of the at least one element of data center equipment.

19. A computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction including instructions that will cause a processor to:

determine available power capacity of a phase of a power supply in a data center rack;

present, to a user of a computer system, an interactive representation of a layout of a data center room;

receive, from the user, identification information for the at least one element of data center equipment to be placed in the data room; and

present, to the user, a representation of an optimal location for the at least one element of data center equipment based on the determination of available power capacity of a phase.

20. A system for managing data center equipment the system comprising:

a memory for storing power draw data corresponding to data center equipment;

a power meter for measuring the power draw per phase of a power supply; and

a user interface configured to provide an interactive representation of a layout of a data center room, and to receive identification information for at least one element of data center equipment to be placed in the data room; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to calculate an average peak power draw per phase of a power supply, to calculate available power capacity per phase of the power supply based on the average peak power draw and expected power draw data corresponding to data center equipment coupled to the power supply, and to calculate an optimal location of the at least one element of data center equipment based on available power capacity of a phase;

wherein the user interface is further configured to display a representation of an optimal location of the at least one element of data center equipment based on available power capacity of a phase.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the user interface is located on at least one element of data center equipment.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the user interface is located on a handheld device.