Cooling system and method

• US 7,365,973 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2006
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Rasmussen, Neil, Bean, John H., Uhrhan, Greg R., Buell, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DATSKOVSKIY, MICHAIL V
• Application Number:
  US11/335,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20070165377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 361/679, 361686-698, 361720-727, 361/730, 361/732, 361699-702, 454/184, 454/186, 165/104.21, 165/104.33, 165121-127, 165/104.34, 165/80.4, 165/104.27, 622/591, 622/592, 622/67, 624/40, 624/41, 174/50, 174/51.2, 174/16.1, 236/49.3, 312/223.21, 312/223.3
• US Class Current: 361/694
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2079 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets

Abstract

A system for cooling a data center includes a plurality of cooling racks, with each cooling rack including a housing and cooling system components supported by the housing. The system further includes a fluid communication system coupled to the cooling system components of the plurality of racks. The fluid communication system is configured to provide chilled coolant to and exhaust heated coolant from coolant system components of each cooling rack. The system also includes at least one controller coupled to each cooling rack of the plurality of cooling racks to control the operation of each cooling rack. The plurality of cooling racks and the fluid communication system are configured to be modular to allow placement of cooling racks in different locations in a row of equipment racks within the data center. Methods of cooling a data center are further disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for cooling a data center having a volume of space designed to house a plurality of electronic equipment racks, each equipment rack being arranged in a row and having a housing adapted to support at least one piece of electronic equipment, the system comprising:

a plurality of cooling racks, each cooling rack comprising a housing and cooling system components supported by the housing;

a fluid communication system coupled to the cooling system components of the plurality of racks, the fluid communication system being configured to provide chilled coolant to and exhaust heated coolant from coolant system components of each cooling rack;

at least one controller coupled to each cooling rack of the plurality of cooling racks to control operation of each cooling rack;

a control valve, operably coupled to the controller, to control flow of coolant to the at least one cooling rack; and

a monitor, operably coupled to the controller, to measure environmental conditions of the volume of space,

wherein the plurality of cooling racks and the fluid communication system are configured to be modular to allow placement of cooling racks in different locations in a row of equipment racks within the volume of space of the data center, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the cooling capacity of each cooling rack and display the capacity on the monitor.

2. A system for cooling a data center having a volume of space designed to house a plurality of electronic equipment racks, each equipment rack being arranged in a row and having a housing adapted to support at least one piece of electronic equipment, the system comprising:

a plurality of cooling racks, each cooling rack comprising a housing and cooling system components supported by the housing;

a fluid communication system coupled to the cooling system components of the plurality of racks, the fluid communication system being configured to provide chilled coolant to and exhaust heated coolant from coolant system components of each cooling rack; and

at least one controller coupled to each cooling rack of the plurality of cooling racks to control operation of each cooling rack,

wherein the plurality of cooling racks and the fluid communication system are configured to be modular to allow placement of cooling racks in different locations in a row of equipment racks within the volume of space of the data center, and wherein the controller is a main controller that includes a controller unit provided in one of the plurality of cooling racks.