Data center cooling

• US 8,113,010 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Exaflop LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Andrew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US12/611,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20110100045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 62/96, 62/98, 622/592, 165/104.33
• US Class Current: 62/259.2
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/06 Damage
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 16/00 Devices using a combination of a cooling mode associated with refrigerating machinery with a cooling mode not associated with refrigerating machinery
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A system for cooling air in a data center includes a data center having electronic equipment in operation, a cooling water source, and a plurality of on-floor cooling units. The cooling water source is configured to retain at maximum capacity a total amount of water. Each on-floor cooling unit is configured to cool air heated by a portion of the electronic equipment in the data center using water from the cooling water source. The total amount of water is insufficient to maintain a leaving air temperature of each on-floor cooling unit below an inside setpoint when a temperature outside of the data center is above a predetermined external temperature.

Claims

1. A system for providing cooled air to electronic equipment, comprising:

a data center having electronic equipment, wherein the electronic equipment is in operation;

a plurality of modules connected by a first header, wherein each module comprises a plurality of on-floor cooling units in the data center and a cooling water source; and

at least one chiller connected by a second header such that the at least one chiller is in fluid connection with more than one module in the plurality of modules.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a number of chillers that includes the at least one chiller is less than a number of modules that includes the plurality of modules.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each on-floor cooling unit comprises a corresponding proportioning control valve configured to control a flow of cooling water through the on-floor cooling unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the cooling water source comprises a cooling tower.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each on-floor cooling unit comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the electronic equipment to the cooling water source.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the heat exchanger comprises coils located adjacent to one or more common hot air plenums that receive heated air from the electronic equipment.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the cooling tower comprises a hybrid cooling tower, the hybrid cooling tower comprising a water-water heat exchanger.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of on-floor cooling units comprises a number of fans configured to draw air across the electronic equipment and to maintain a predetermined temperature rise of the air across the electronic equipment.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the temperature at an exhaust end of the electronic equipment is between about 113°

F. and 212°

F.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of on-floor cooling units are coupled to the cooling water source in parallel such that the cooling water source is operable to provide cooling water to each of the on-floor cooling units simultaneously.

17. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

a controller in communication with the proportional control valve of each on-floor cooling unit and configured to operate the control valves individually in response to signals received from one or more sensors.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured to measure a leaving air temperature of an on-floor cooling unit.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured to measure the temperature outside the data center.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature of cooling water provided to at least one of the on-floor cooling units by the cooling water source is sufficient to inhibit air within the data center from condensing.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein cooling water is provided to at least one of the on-floor cooling units at a temperature of at least about 68°

F.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the cooling water source comprises a cooling water circuit and a condenser circuit, the condenser circuit being configured to remove heat from the cooling water circuit.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the cooling water circuit comprises a closed-loop circuit.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the cooling water circuit and the condenser circuit are arranged such as to form an indirect water-side economizer.

7. A system for cooling air in a data center, comprising:

a data center having electronic equipment, wherein the electronic equipment is in operation;

a cooling water source configured to retain at maximum capacity a total amount of water; and

a plurality of on-floor cooling units in the data center, each on-floor cooling unit configured to cool air heated by a portion of the electronic equipment in the data center using water from the cooling water source;

wherein the total amount of water is insufficient to maintain a leaving air temperature of each on-floor cooling unit below an inside setpoint when a temperature outside of the data center is above a predetermined external temperature.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the cooling water source consists of a cooling tower.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein each on-floor cooling unit comprises a heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the electronic equipment to the cooling water source.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the heat exchanger comprises coils located adjacent to one or more common hot air plenums that receive heated air from the electronic equipment.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the system is located in a geographical region; and

for at least 90% of a year, temperatures outside of the data center are below the predetermined external temperature.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein for at least 95% of the year, temperatures outside of the data center are below the predetermined external temperature.

25. The system of claim 8, wherein the cooling tower comprises a hybrid cooling tower, the hybrid cooling tower comprising a water-water heat exchanger.

26. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of on-floor cooling units comprises a number of fans configured to draw air across the electronic equipment and to maintain a predetermined temperature rise of the air across the electronic equipment.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the temperature at an exhaust end of the electronic equipment is between about 113°

F. and 212°

F.

28. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of on-floor cooling units are coupled to the cooling water source in parallel such that the cooling water source is operable to provide cooling water to each of the on-floor cooling units simultaneously.

29. The system of claim 7, wherein each on-floor cooling unit comprises a corresponding proportioning control valve configured to control a flow of cooling water through the on-floor cooling unit.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a controller in communication with the proportional control valve of each on-floor cooling unit and configured to operate the control valves individually in response to signals received from one or more sensors.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured to measure a leaving air temperature of an on-floor cooling unit.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured to measure the temperature outside the data center.

33. The system of claim 7, wherein the temperature of cooling water provided to at least one of the on-floor cooling units by the cooling water source is sufficient to inhibit air within the data center from condensing.

34. The system of claim 7, wherein the temperature of cooling water provided to at least one of the on-floor cooling units is about 68°

F.

35. The system of claim 7, wherein the cooling water source comprises a cooling water circuit and a condenser circuit, the condenser circuit being configured to remove heat from the cooling water circuit.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the cooling water circuit comprises a closed-loop circuit.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the cooling water circuit and the condenser circuit are arranged to form an indirect water-side economizer.