DATA CENTER USING FUEL CELLS IN PLACE OF DIESEL GENERATORS FOR BACKUP POWER

• US 20110156480A1
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, Seung Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/30 The power source being a fuel cell
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/40 Fuel cell technologies in production processes

Abstract

The need for backup diesel generators in a data center is obviated by using fuel cells to convert a fuel to electrical energy, which provide backup power to equipment in a data center, which may include the servers in the data center and other important systems that normally use utility power. When the utility power fails, the equipment switches to backup power that is provided by fuel cells supplied with fuel (such as natural gas), possibly using a source of temporary power (e.g., a UPS or direct tie-in of batteries) while the fuel cells come online. The fuel may also be used to power a turbine or generator, coupled to a chiller for providing a cooled liquid to a cooling system.

Claims

1. A server system comprising:

a plurality of servers;

an input power terminal coupled to receive electrical power from a utility service and further coupled to provide the electrical power from the utility service to the plurality of servers;

a fuel cell configured to convert a fuel to electrical power, the fuel cell coupled to the servers to provide backup power thereto; and

a control system configured to direct the electrical power from the utility service to the servers during normal operation, and further configured to direct the electrical power from the fuel cell to the servers upon failure of the utility service.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) coupled between the input power terminal and the servers.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a DC backup power source coupled to provide DC power to the servers during a period of time while the fuel cell is starting up.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the fuel cell is coupled between the DC backup power source and the servers to provide DC power directly to the servers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the servers comprise a power supply that is configured to receive AC power from the utility service and to receive DC power from the fuel cell, and wherein the control system is a component of the power supply.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a DC/AC inverter coupled to a fuel cell and configured to receive DC power from the fuel cell and generate AC power therefrom, the DC/AC inverter coupled to one or more outlets in the data center for providing AC power to electrical systems in the data center.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a chiller system configured to generate cooled liquid and coupled to provide the cooled liquid to a cooling system in the data center; and

a turbine or generator coupled to a source of the fuel and configured to use the fuel to generate power for the chiller system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the data center further comprises one or more fans external to the servers that are configured to cause a cooling airflow through the servers, wherein the external fans are coupled to the input power terminal and configured to operate based on power from the utility service, and wherein the servers include internal fans that are configured to generate a cooling airflow through the servers upon failure of the utility service.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel storage tank coupled to receive and store the fuel, and further coupled to provide the fuel to the fuel cell.

10. A server system comprising:

an input power terminal configured to receive AC power from a utility service and to supply the AC power to electrical equipment;

one or more fuel cells configured to convert a fuel to DC power; and

a server comprising a motherboard that contains electrical components configured to operate using DC power; and

a power supply coupled to the input power terminal to receive the AC power therefrom and coupled to the fuel cell to receive DC power therefrom, the power supply further coupled to the server and configured to convert the AC power to DC power for the server during normal operation of the utility service, and to provide DC power from the fuel cell to the server upon failure of the utility service.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a DC backup power source coupled to provide DC power to the servers during a period of time while the one or more fuel cells are starting up.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the fuel cells are coupled between the DC backup power source and the servers to provide DC power directly to the server.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a DC/AC inverter coupled to one or more of the fuel cells and configured to receive DC power from the fuel cells and generate AC power therefrom, the DC/AC inverter coupled to one or more outlets in the data center for providing AC power to electrical systems in the data center.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a chiller system configured to generate cooled liquid and coupled to provide the cooled liquid to a cooling system in the data center; and

a turbine or generator coupled to a source of the fuel and configured to use the fuel to generate power for the chiller system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the data center further comprises one or more fans external to the servers that are configured to cause a cooling airflow through the server, wherein the external fans are coupled to the input power terminal and configured to operate based on power from the utility service, and wherein the server includes an internal fan that is configured to generate a cooling airflow through the server upon failure of the utility service.

16. A method for supplying backup power for a server system, the method comprising:

receiving electrical power at a data center from a utility service;

supplying the received electrical power to a plurality of servers located at the data center;

coupling the servers to a backup power source, the backup power source comprising one or more fuel cells configured to convert a fuel to electrical power;

supplying the fuel to the one or more fuel cells; and

upon failure of the electrical power from the utility service, supplying electrical power to the servers from the one or more fuel cells.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

activating the one or more fuel cells upon failure of the electrical power; and

providing a temporary power supply to the servers while the fuel cells are starting up.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the temporary power supply to the servers comprises coupling the servers to an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein providing the temporary power supply to the servers comprises coupling the servers to a DC backup power source.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the fuel cells are coupled between the DC backup power source and the servers to provide DC power directly to the servers.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

converting DC power from one or more of the fuel cells into AC power;

powering one or more electrical systems in the data center using the converted AC power.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a cooled liquid for a cooling system in the data center using a chiller system; and

powering the chiller system by a turbine or generator that is coupled to a source of the fuel and configured to use the fuel to generate power for the chiller system.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

cooling the servers by generating an airflow through the servers using one or more fans external to the servers that are powered by the power received from the utility service during operation of the utility service; and

cooling the servers by generating an airflow through the servers using internal server fans that are powered by the power supplied to the servers from the one or more fuel cells upon failure of the utility service.

24. A server system comprising:

a plurality of servers;

an input power terminal coupled to receive electrical power from a utility service and further coupled to provide the electrical power from the utility service to the plurality of servers;

a fuel cell configured to convert a fuel to electrical power, the fuel cell coupled to the servers to provide power thereto; and

a control system configured to direct the electrical power from at least one of the utility service and the fuel cell to the servers during normal operation, and further configured to direct the electrical power from either of the utility service or the fuel cell to the servers upon failure of the other.

25. The server system of claim 24, wherein the control system is configured to direct the electrical power from the fuel cell to the servers during normal operation, and further configured to direct the electrical power from the utility service to the servers upon failure of the fuel cell.