MULTI-STAGE HUMIDITY CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20110264277A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Shah, Amip, Bash, Cullen
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• 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 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A system for multi-stage control of humidity in fluid flow supplied to at least one information technology apparatus includes a sensor, a first stage apparatus configured to vary humidity levels in the fluid flow, and a second stage apparatus positioned downstream of the first stage apparatus along the fluid flow to further vary humidity levels in the fluid flow. The system also includes a controller configured to receive environmental condition information from the sensor, to determine whether the information indicates that the humidity level is outside of a predetermined range, and to manipulate an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus to vary the humidity level in the fluid flow in response to the information indicating that the humidity level is outside of the predetermined range.

Claims

1. A system for multi-stage control of humidity in fluid flow supplied to at least one information technology apparatus, said system comprising:

a sensor for detecting an environmental condition of the fluid flow;

a first stage apparatus configured to vary humidity levels in the fluid flow;

a second stage apparatus positioned downstream of the first stage apparatus along the fluid flow, wherein the second stage apparatus is configured to further vary humidity levels in the fluid flow; and

a controller configured to receive the detected environmental condition of the fluid flow from the sensor, to determine whether the detected environmental condition indicates that the humidity level in the fluid flow is outside of a predetermined range, and to manipulate an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus to vary the humidity level in the fluid flow in response to the detected environmental condition indicating that the humidity level in the fluid flow is outside of the predetermined range.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range comprises a first predetermined range and a second predetermined range, wherein the second predetermined range is within the first predetermined range, and wherein the controller is further configured to manipulate an operation of the first stage apparatus in response to the environmental condition being outside of the first predetermined range and to manipulate an operation of the second stage apparatus in response to the environmental condition being outside of the second predetermined range.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first stage apparatus is configured to vary humidity levels in fluid flow supplied to a zone and the second stage apparatus configured to vary humidity levels in fluid flow supplied to a local area within the zone, and wherein the second stage apparatus is configured to vary humidity levels at a finer humidity level as compared with the first stage apparatus.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information technology apparatus comprises a rack positioned in a room, and wherein the first stage apparatus comprises a humidity control apparatus configured to control humidity levels of the fluid flow in at least one zone of the room and wherein the second stage apparatus comprises a humidity control apparatus configured to control humidity levels of the fluid flow at an inlet of the rack.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information technology apparatus is housed in a rack, and wherein the first stage apparatus comprises a humidity control apparatus configured to control humidity levels of the fluid flow at an inlet of the rack and wherein the second stage apparatus comprises a humidity control apparatus configured to control humidity levels of the fluid flow flowing through the information technology apparatus.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured for multi-stage control of humidity levels in fluid flow supplied to a plurality of information technology apparatuses, said system further comprising:

a plurality of sensors positioned to detect an environmental condition of the fluid flow supplied through each of the plurality of information technology apparatuses;

a plurality of second stage apparatuses positioned to vary humidity levels of fluid flow supplied to each of said plurality of information technology apparatuses; and

wherein the controller is further configured to independently manipulate an operation of each of the plurality of second stage apparatuses to vary the humidity levels in the fluid flow supplied through each of the plurality of information technology apparatuses based upon the environmental conditions detected by the respective plurality of sensors.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus comprises a cooling system having at least one of an air-to-air and a liquid-to-air heat exchanger positioned in the fluid flow to indirectly vary humidity levels of the fluid flow.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus comprises a device for directly one or both of adding moisture into and removing moisture from the fluid flow.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus comprises an active humidity varying device and wherein the other one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus comprises a passive humidity varying device.

10. A method for controlling humidity in fluid flow supplied to at least one information technology apparatus with a multi-stage humidity level varying system comprising a first stage apparatus configured to vary humidity levels in the fluid flow and a second stage apparatus positioned downstream of the first stage apparatus along the fluid flow, wherein the second stage apparatus is configured to further vary humidity levels in the fluid flow, said method comprising:

receiving a detected environmental condition of the fluid flow supplied at least one of near and within the at least one information technology apparatus;

determining whether the detected environmental condition indicates that the humidity level of the fluid flow is outside of a predetermined range; and

manipulating an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus to vary the humidity level in the fluid flow in response to the detected environmental condition indicating that the humidity level of the fluid flow is outside of the predetermined range.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined range comprises a first predetermined range and a second predetermined range, wherein the second predetermined range is within the first predetermined range, said method further comprising:

determining where the detected environmental condition indicates that the humidity level falls with respect to the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range; and

wherein manipulating an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus further comprises manipulating the first stage apparatus in response to the environmental condition indicating that the humidity level is outside of the first predetermined range and manipulating the second stage apparatus in response to the environmental condition indicating that the humidity level is outside of the second predetermined range and within the first predetermined range.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein manipulating an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus further comprises manipulating operations of both the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus in response to the detected environmental condition indicating that the humidity level falls outside of the first predetermined range.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the multi-stage humidity level varying system is configured for multi-stage control of humidity control in fluid flow supplied to a plurality of information technology apparatuses, and wherein a plurality of second stage apparatuses are positioned to vary humidity levels of fluid flow supplied to each of said plurality of information technology apparatuses, said method further comprising:

receiving detected environmental conditions of the fluid flow supplied through each of the plurality of information technology apparatuses; and

manipulating an operation of at least one of the plurality of second stage apparatuses independently from at least another one of the plurality of second stage apparatuses based upon the environmental conditions detected by the respective plurality of sensors.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein manipulating the at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus further comprises manipulating an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus to vary humidity levels in the fluid flow in at least one of an indirect and a direct manner.

15. A computer readable storage medium on which is embedded one or more computer programs, said one or more computer programs implementing a method of controlling humidity levels in fluid flow supplied to at least one information technology apparatus with a multi-stage humidity level varying system comprising a first stage apparatus configured to vary humidity levels in the fluid flow and a second stage apparatus positioned downstream of the first stage apparatus along the fluid flow, wherein the second stage apparatus is configured to further vary humidity levels in the fluid flow, said one or more computer programs comprising a set of instructions for:

receiving data pertaining to a detected environmental condition of a fluid flow supplied at least one of near and within the at least one information technology apparatus;

determining whether the detected environmental condition indicates that the humidity level of the fluid flow is outside of a predetermined range; and

manipulating an operation of at least one of the first stage apparatus and the second stage apparatus to vary the humidity level in the fluid flow in response to the detected environmental condition indicating that the humidity level is outside of the predetermined range.