Data center power distribution

• US 7,646,590 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Exaflop LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lam, Alan, Beck, Jonathan D., Hamburgen, William, Clidaras, Jimmy, Sykora, Montgomery, Corhodzic, Selver, Leung, Winnie, Carlson, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chervinsky; Boris L
• Application Number:
  US11/774,447
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 361/641
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A power distribution apparatus includes a housing holding a plurality of electrical outlets, a plurality of independent electrical circuits within the housing, and a plurality of cord sets serving the plurality of independent electrical circuits and extending from the housing.

Claims

1. A power distribution apparatus, comprising:

a housing holding a plurality of electrical outlets;

a plurality of separate and independent electrical circuits within the housing; and

a plurality of cord sets, wherein each cord set of the plurality of cord sets (i) enters the housing separately from the other cord sets; and

(ii) serves one of the plurality of independent electrical circuits to the exclusion of the other of the plurality of separate and independent electrical circuits.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrical plugs at an exterior portion of the housing each electrical plug receiving one of the plurality of cord sets in a fixed but releasable male-female connection.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical outlets are positioned in one or more substantially linear arrangements.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the electrical outlets are spaced from each other to correspond in position to motherboards in a rack-mount computer system, when the apparatus is placed vertically along an edge of a computer rack.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fuse sockets in the housing, wherein each fuse socket of the plurality of fuse sockets is associated with one of the independent electrical circuits.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising conductors associated with each of the independent circuits, wherein the conductors are uninsulated along a substantial length inside the housing corresponding to outlets served by the conductors.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the conductors are fixedly joined to the electrical outlets.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first separate and independent electrical circuit serves a first plurality of contiguous electrical outlets and a second separate and independent electrical circuit serves a second plurality of contiguous electrical outlets.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrical distribution box having a plurality of outlets, wherein each of the plurality of outlets is associated with one of the plurality of cord sets.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the electrical distribution box receives three-phase power and supplies single-phase power.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cords sets is each less than about fifteen feet in length.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an elongated enclosure in which the plurality of electrical outlets are arranged in a substantially linear array.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the housing is mounted to a rack that is configured to support a plurality of computer boards.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the elongated enclosure defines a longitudinal axis that is oriented vertically when the enclosure is attached to the rack.

15. A power distribution apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of electrical outlets arranged in a substantially linear array;

a plurality of electrical circuits in a common housing, wherein each electrical circuit serves one or more of the plurality of electrical outlets and is separate from each of the other electrical circuits; and

a plurality of cord sets, wherein each cord set is connected to one of the plurality of electrical circuits and is physically separate from each of the other cords sets outside of the common housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of cord sets serves one of the plurality of electrical circuits.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising conductors associated with each of the electrical circuits, wherein the conductors are uninsulated inside the common housing along a substantial length corresponding to outlets served by the conductors.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a first electrical circuit serves a first plurality of contiguous electrical outlets and a second electrical circuit serves a second plurality of contiguous electrical outlets.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an electrical distribution box having a plurality of outlets, wherein each of the plurality of outlets is associated with one of the plurality of cord sets.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the common housing defines a plurality of openings in the housing arranged in a substantially linear array along a length of the housing, the housing being further arranged to receive the plurality of electrical outlets such that a plug that corresponds to the electrical outlets can be releasably coupled to one of the plurality of electrical circuits at each of the plurality of electrical outlets.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of electrical circuits is configured to draw a current independent of currents drawn by each of the other electrical circuits.

22. An data center electrical distribution system, comprising:

a bus tap configured to connect to an electrical bus;

a conductor attached at a first end to the bus tap;

an electrical distribution box attached to a second end of the conductor; and

a plurality of cords each extending from the electrical distribution box to one of a plurality of power strips for rack-mounted computers, wherein each cord of the plurality of cords (i) enters one of the plurality of power strips separately from the other cords; and

(ii) serves one of a plurality of independent electrical circuits within the entered power strip to the exclusion of the other of the plurality of separate and independent electrical circuits within the entered power strip.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein each power strip receives three separate cords.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the power strips are positioned along vertical front edges of data center computer racks.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the power strips are mobile relative to the electrical distribution box.

26. A data center electrical distribution system, comprising:

an electrical bus bar;

a first plurality of electrical distribution boxes electrically connected to the bus bar, each of the first plurality of electrical distribution boxes including a plurality of outlets connecting a plurality of cord sets to a plurality of power strips for powering computer units, wherein each cord set of the plurality of cord sets (i) enters one of the plurality of power strips separately from the other cord sets; and

(ii) serves one of a plurality of independent electrical circuits within the entered power strip to the exclusion of the other of the plurality of separate and independent electrical circuits within the entered power strip; and

a second plurality of electrical distribution boxes electrically connected to the bus bar, each of the second plurality of electrical distribution boxes including a plurality of outlets for connecting to cord sets for powering mechanical services associated with the computer units.

27. A method of establishing an electrical distribution array, comprising:

electrically connecting a plurality of rack-mounted computers to a rack-mounted power strip having a plurality of input power cords, wherein each input power cord of the plurality of input cords (i) enters the power strip separately from the other cords; and

(ii) serves one of a plurality of independent electrical circuits within the power strip to the exclusion of the other of the plurality of separate and independent electrical circuits within the power strip;

positioning a rack holding the rack-mounted computers near an electrical distribution box;

electrically connecting the plurality of input power cords to the electrical distribution box; and

powering the electrical distribution box.