System and method for measurement aided prediction of temperature and airflow values in a data center

• US 8,725,307 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Healey, Christopher, Zhang, Xuanhang, VanGilder, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robertson, Dave
• Application Number:
  US13/171,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 700/278, 700/282, 700/300, 703/1, 703/2, 703/6, 702/181, 454/184, 361694-696, 361/679
• US Class Current: 700/300
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A system and method for evaluating cooling performance of equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks and at least one cooling provider. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a plurality of measured inlet and exhaust air temperature values for the at least one cooling provider and a subset of the plurality of equipment racks, implementing a cooling model, the model including an ambient air temperature value, a plurality of inlet and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a plurality of airflow values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, adjusting at least one of the ambient air temperature value and each of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model, adjusting the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted at least one of the ambient air temperature value and each of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model, substituting a first subset of the plurality of inlet and exhaust air temperature values in the cooling model with the plurality of measured inlet and exhaust air temperature values, and predicting a second subset of the plurality of inlet and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider in the cooling model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for evaluating cooling performance of equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks and at least one cooling provider, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the at least one cooling provider and a subset of the plurality of equipment racks;

implementing a cooling model, the cooling model including;

an ambient air temperature value;

a plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider; and

a plurality of airflow values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider;

adjusting the ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

adjusting the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

substituting a first subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values in the cooling model with the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values; and

predicting a second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider in the cooling model;

wherein adjusting the cooling model to compensate for each adjusted airflow value of the plurality of airflow values includes determining a set of factors for the plurality of airflow values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted ambient air temperature value comprises:

establishing an equal ambient air temperature value for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider; and

including an airflow between the at least one cooling provider and each of the equipment racks.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further including determining whether the inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values of each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider pass error checking as a result of adjusting the cooling model.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted ambient air temperature value comprises establishing different ambient air temperature values for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the cooling model to compensate for each adjusted airflow value of the plurality of airflow values further includes adjusting each airflow percentage value of a plurality of airflow percentage values.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein adjusting each airflow percentage value of the plurality of airflow percentage values further includes determining a set of factors for the plurality of airflow percentage values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein receiving the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values includes receiving a plurality of historically measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and adjusting each airflow percentage value further includes determining a set of factors for the plurality of airflow percentage values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of historically measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further including:

receiving a plurality of measured airflow values for each perforated tile of a plurality of perforated tiles;

determining a plurality of estimated airflow values for each perforated tile;

calculating a ratio between the plurality of measured airflow values and the plurality of estimated airflow values; and

adjusting a leakage factor until a difference between a subset of the plurality of measured airflow values and a subset of the plurality of estimated airflow values reaches a threshold.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the leakage factor further includes determining a damping parameter based on a confidence parameter and a uniformity parameter.

10. A system for evaluating equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks, and at least one cooling provider, the system comprising:

an interface; and

a controller coupled to the interface and configured to;

receive a plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the at least one cooling provider and a subset of the plurality of equipment racks;

implement a cooling model, the cooling model including an ambient air temperature value, a plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a plurality of airflow values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider;

adjust the ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

adjust the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

substitute a first subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values in the cooling model with the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values; and

predict a second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider in the cooling model;

wherein the controller is further configured to adjust each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values by determining a set of factors for the plurality of airflow values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet and exhaust air temperature values.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the ambient air temperature value by including an equal ambient air temperature value for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider and by including an airflow between the at least one cooling provider and each of the equipment racks in the ambient air temperature value.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values of each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider pass error checking as a result of adjusting the cooling model.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the ambient air temperature value by including different ambient air temperature values for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of airflow values includes a plurality of airflow percentage values.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a set of factors for the plurality of airflow percentage values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values include a plurality of historically measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the controller is further configured to adjust the plurality of airflow percentage values by determining a set of factors for the airflow percentage values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of historically measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to

receive a plurality of measured airflow values for each perforated tile of a plurality of perforated tiles;

determine a plurality of estimated airflow values for each perforated tile;

calculate a ratio between the plurality of measured airflow values and the plurality of estimated airflow values; and

adjust a leakage factor until a difference between a subset of the plurality of measured airflow values and a subset of the plurality of estimated airflow values reaches a threshold.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction including instructions that will cause a processor to:

receive a plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the at least one cooling provider and a subset of the plurality of equipment racks;

implement a cooling model, the cooling model including an ambient air temperature value, a plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a plurality of airflow values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider;

adjust the ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

adjust the cooling model to compensate for the adjusted ambient air temperature value and each airflow value of the plurality of airflow values in the cooling model;

substitute a first subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values in the cooling model with the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values; and

predict a second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values for the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider in the cooling model;

wherein the instructions causing the processor to adjust the cooling model to compensate for each adjusted airflow value of the plurality of airflow values further include determining a set of factors for the plurality of airflow values, wherein the set of factors reduces a difference between the plurality of measured inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values and the second subset of the plurality of inlet air temperature and exhaust air temperature values.