Cooling system

• US 6,826,922 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Issued: 12/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Bash, Cullen E., Patel, Chandrakant D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US10/697,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20040118137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 622/29, 621/85, 622/08, 622/592, 621/78, 621/80, 622/284, 622/01, 236/49.3, 361/696
• US Class Current: 62/185
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/0253 with variable speed
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/112 of evaporator fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2515 Flow valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2104 of an indoor room or compartment
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2117 of an evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/02 for compression type machines, plants or systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 5/02 arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating

Abstract

A system and method for cooling a room configured to house a plurality of computer systems. A heat exchanger unit is configured to receive air from the room and to deliver air to the room. The heat exchanger unit is supplied with cooling fluid operable to cool the received air in the heat exchanger unit. At least one of the temperature of the cooling fluid supplied to the heat exchanger unit and the air delivery to the room may be controlled in response to temperatures sensed at one or more locations in the room.

Claims

1. A method for cooling a room configured to house a plurality of computer systems, said method comprising:

providing a heat exchanger unit configured to receive air from said room and to deliver air to said room;

supplying said heat exchanger unit with cooling fluid from an air conditioning unit having a refrigeration loop including a variable capacity compressor and a refrigerant;

cooling said received air through heat exchange with the cooling fluid in the heat exchanger unit;

detecting a level of operation of the heat exchanger unit;

communicating the level of operation of the heat exchanger unit to a controller of the air conditioning unit; and

controlling the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to vary the temperature of said cooling fluid in response to the communicated level of operation of the heat exchanger unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of controlling the capacity of the variable capacity compressor comprises varying the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to decrease the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively high level.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of controlling the variable capacity compressor comprises varying the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to increase the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively low level.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sensing temperatures at one or more locations in said room;

controlling at least one of the temperature of said cooling fluid and said air delivery to said room in response to said sensed temperatures at said one or more locations; and

determining whether the sensed temperatures at one or more locations in said room are within a predetermined range.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

varying the cooling fluid temperature in response to the sensed temperatures at one or more locations in said room being outside of said predetermined range.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

increasing said cooling fluid temperature in response to a sum of the sensed temperatures at one or more locations being below said predetermined range.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

decreasing said cooling fluid temperature in response to a sum of the sensed temperatures at one or more locations being above said predetermined range.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of controlling at least one of the temperature of said cooling fluid and said air delivery further comprises manipulating at least one of the temperature of said cooling fluid and said air delivery in response to a determination of the sensed temperatures at one or more locations in said room being outside the predetermined range.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

accessing an algorithm in a memory to determine manners of controlling at least one of the temperature of said cooling fluid and said air delivery to said room in response to a determination of the sensed temperatures at one or more locations in said room being outside the predetermined range.

10. A system for cooling a room containing one or more computer systems, said system comprising:

a heat exchanger unit configured to receive cooling fluid through a cooling fluid line from an air conditioning unit and to receive air through an opening in the heat exchanger unit, wherein said air is cooled through heat transfer with said cooling fluid in the heat exchanger unit;

said air conditioning unit having at least one of a variable capacity compressor, a heat exchanger, and a chiller;

said heat exchanger unit having at least one fan configured to cause air to flow into and flow out of the heat exchanger unit;

a heat exchanger controller operable to control a supply of said cooling fluid to said heat exchanger unit, to control the speed of the at least one fan, and to detect a level of operation of the heat exchanger unit;

said heat exchanger unit being configured to communicate the level of operation of the heat exchanger unit to an air conditioning unit controller, wherein the air conditioning unit controller is configured to operate the air conditioning unit to vary the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the communicated level of operation of the heat exchanger unit.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising one or more temperature sensors, wherein said heat exchanger controller is configured to receive environmental condition information from said one or more temperature sensors.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said cooling device controller is configured to control the air conditioning unit to decrease the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively high level.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein said cooling device controller is configured to control the air conditioning unit to increase the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively low level.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein said heat exchanger unit is configured to communicate at least one of temperature measurements and heat exchanger unit operations.

15. A system for cooling computer systems housed in one or more racks, said racks being maintained in a room, said system comprising:

means for receiving air from the room;

means for cooling the received air in the means for receiving air, said means for cooling including means for receiving cooling fluid from an air conditioning unit having a variable capacity compressor;

means for delivering cooled air to said computer systems;

means for detecting a level of operation of the means for delivering cooled air;

means for communicating the level of operation of the means for delivering cooled air to a means for controlling the air conditioning unit; and

means for controlling the air conditioning unit includes means for controlling the temperature of said cooling fluid based upon the communicated level of operation of the means for delivering cooled air.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

means for controlling delivery of cooling fluid through said cooling means.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the means for cooling air comprises means for receiving air from the room.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the means for controlling the temperature of said cooling fluid comprises means for varying the capacity of the variable capacity compressor.

19. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

means for measuring temperatures at one or more locations in said room;

means for controlling delivery of said cooled air in response to the temperature measurements; and

means for determining whether the sensed temperatures at one or more locations in said room are within a predetermined range.

20. A computer readable storage medium on which is embedded one or more computer programs, said one or more computer programs implementing a method for cooling a room configured to house a plurality of computer systems, said one or more computer programs comprising a set of instructions for:

supplying a heat exchanger unit configured to receive air from the room and to deliver air to the room with cooling fluid from an air conditioning unit having a refrigeration loop including a variable capacity compressor and a refrigerant;

cooling said received air through heat exchange with the cooling fluid in the heat exchanger unit;

detecting a level of operation of the heat exchanger unit;

communicating the level of operation of the heat exchanger unit to a controller of the air conditioning unit; and

controlling the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to vary the temperature of said cooling fluid in response to the communicated level of operation of the heat exchanger unit.

21. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 20, said one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for:

varying the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to decrease the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively high level.

22. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 20, said one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for:

varying the capacity of the variable capacity compressor to increase the temperature of the cooling fluid in response to the heat exchanger unit operating at a relatively low level.

23. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 20, said one or more computer programs further comprising a set of instructions for:

sensing temperatures at one or more locations in said room; and

controlling at least one of the temperature of said cooling fluid and said air delivery to said room in response to said sensed temperatures at said one or more locations.