Controlled cooling of a data center

• US 8,483,996 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Chandrakant D., Sharma, Ratnesh K., Bash, Cullen E., Beitelmal, Abdlmonem H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Craig, Dwin M
• Application Number:
  US13/173,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20110263193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 165/247, 700/252
• US Class Current: 703/1
• 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 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/20 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/125 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/40 HVAC with raised floors
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/42 Mobile autonomous air conditioner, e.g. robots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

A device for sensing at least one environmental condition in a data center. The device includes a chassis, a propelling mechanism, a power supply, a steering mechanism, and a controller supported on the chassis. The chassis also supports at least one environmental condition sensor and is operable to travel through the data center and sense at least one environmental condition at various locations throughout the data center.

Claims

1. A method for operating a device to detect at least one environmental condition in a data center, said method comprising:

plotting a route for said device;

maneuvering said device along said route; and

detecting at least one environmental condition with said device in said data center.

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

gathering information related to said at least one detected environmental condition; and

transmitting said information to a controller of said data center.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of gathering information comprises evaluating said information to determine a manner in which one of a vent and a cooling system may be manipulated.

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

receiving instructions to travel to a location determined to contain a hot spot; and

maneuvering said device to said location.

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

determining whether a new route is required to maneuver said device to said location; and

plotting a new route in response to said new route being required.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of detecting at least one environmental condition in said data center comprises detecting one or more of temperature, humidity, and air flow.

7. A method of cooling a plurality of components in a data center, said method comprising:

activating a cooling system and opening a plurality of vents, each of said plurality of vents being configured to supply cooling fluid to at least one of said plurality of components;

sensing temperatures in areas around said plurality of components;

receiving temperatures from a movable device configured to detect at least one environmental condition at various locations of said data center;

determining whether at least one of said sensed temperatures and said received temperatures are within a predetermined temperature range; and

varying at least one of said supply of said cooling fluid to said components and the temperature of said cooling fluid in response to at least one of said sensed and received temperatures being outside of said predetermined temperature range.

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

determining whether at least one of the sensed and received temperatures is below a predetermined minimum set point temperature; and

decreasing a supply of said cooling fluid to areas in said data center having one or more of sensed and received temperatures that fall below said predetermined minimum set point temperature.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

increasing the supply of said cooling fluid to areas in said data center having one or more of said sensed and received temperatures that exceed said predetermined minimum set point temperature.

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

decreasing an output of said cooling fluid from said cooling system in response to said decrease in cooling fluid supply to said areas exceeding said increase in cooling fluid supply to said areas, wherein decreasing the output comprises at least one of decreasing the temperature and speed of said cooling fluid supply.

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

increasing an output of said cooling fluid from said cooling system in response to said decrease in cooling fluid supply to said area falling below said increase in cooling fluid supply to said areas, wherein increasing the output comprises at least one of increasing the temperature and speed of said cooling fluid supply.

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

sensing a pressure of said cooling fluid;

determining whether said sensed pressure is within a predetermined pressure range; and

varying an output of said cooling system in response to said sensed pressure falling outside of said predetermined pressure range.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said step of varying said cooling system output includes determining whether said measured pressure falls below a predetermined minimum set point pressure.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

increasing the output of said cooling system in response to said measured pressure falling below or equaling said predetermined minimum set point pressure.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

decreasing the output of said cooling system in response to said measured pressure exceeding said predetermined minimum set point pressure.

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

determining whether any hot spots exist in areas near said components.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting the location of a hot spot to said device in response to a determination of a hot spot existing near said components.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

utilizing said device to more accurately determine the location of the hot spot.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

increasing one or more of the volume flow rate and velocity of the cooling fluid supplied to said location of said hot spot.

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

performing a numerical modeling of a temperature distribution and flow characteristics of air within the data center; and

manipulating said cooling system in response to said numerical modeling.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

implementing said numerical modeling to correlate at least two of temperature, velocity and pressure of said cooling fluid and power draw of said racks within said data center to thereby infer a thermal condition throughout said data center, wherein said manipulating step further comprises manipulating said cooling system in response to said inferred thermal condition.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising:

receiving information related to one or more of temperature, humidity, and air flow from said device; and

utilizing said received information in said step of implementing said numerical modeling.