System and method for predicting temperature values in a data center

• US 8,972,217 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric IT Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: VanGilder, James W., Zhang, Xuanhang, Healey, Christopher M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US12/795,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20110301911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,729 Days
• Field of Search: 702/60, 702/61, 702/99, 702/130, 702/136, 702/186
• US Class Current: 702/136
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/026 arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/08 Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for evaluating 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 data regarding each of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a power draw value for each of the equipment racks, storing the received data, determining air flow between the at least one cooling provider and each of the equipment racks, determining inlet and exit air temperature for the at least one cooling provider based on the layout, the power draw and the airflow, and for each equipment rack, determining inlet and exit air temperature based on the layout, the power draw and the airflow.

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 data regarding each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a power draw value for each equipment rack;

storing the received data;

computing, by a computer system, a fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and a fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider;

computing, by the computer system, an ambient air temperature in the data center based on airflows in the data center;

computing, by the computer system, an inlet air temperature and an exit air temperature for the at least one cooling provider based on the ambient air temperature, the layout, the power draw value and the fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider;

for each equipment rack, computing an inlet air temperature and an exit air temperature, by the computer system, based on the ambient air temperature, the layout, the power draw value and the fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack; and

displaying an indication of the inlet air temperature and the exit air temperature for each equipment rack and the at least one cooling provider;

wherein computing the inlet air temperature and the exit air temperature of each equipment rack and the at least one cooling provider includes establishing a set of S coupled equations, with S equal to a number of temperature values to be computed, and solving the S coupled equations; and

wherein the displayed inlet air temperature and the exit air temperatures are further used to determine at least one configuration of the equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling provider includes a plurality of cooling providers, and the method further includes computing a maximum cooler capacity value for each cooling provider of the plurality of cooling providers based on a maximum inlet air temperature to the plurality of cooling providers.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising computing a maximum rack capacity for each equipment rack based on available space in each equipment rack, based on power available to each equipment rack, and based on the maximum cooler capacity of at least one of the plurality of cooling providers.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, where N is equal to a number of cooling providers in the data center, n is equal to a number of the plurality of equipment racks, and wherein S is equal to two times N plus two times n plus one.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein solving the S coupled equations includes solving at least one piece-wise linear equation of the S coupled equations by identifying a breakpoint in the piece-wise linear equation and using a different linear equation before and after the breakpoint.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein solving the S coupled equations includes using an iterative process to repeatedly solve the S coupled equations to reach a final value for the inlet air temperature and the exit air temperature of each equipment rack and the at least one cooling provider.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying an indication of the inlet air temperature and the exit air temperature for each equipment rack and the at least one cooling provider includes displaying a model of the data center with the indication displayed on the model.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein solving the set of S coupled equations includes setting the inlet air temperature of the at least one cooling provider equal to a set-point supply temperature of the at least one cooling provider.

9. 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 data regarding each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a power draw value for each equipment rack;

store the received data in a storage device associated with the system;

compute a fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and a fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider;

compute an ambient air temperature in the data center based on airflows in the data center;

compute an inlet air temperature and an exit air temperature for the at least one cooling provider and for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks based on the ambient air temperature, the layout, the power draw value, and the fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and the fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider by establishing a set of S coupled equations, with S equal to a number of temperature values to be computed, and solving the S coupled equations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one cooling provider includes a plurality of cooling providers, and the controller is further configured to compute a maximum cooler capacity value for each cooling provider of the plurality of cooling providers based on a maximum inlet air temperature to the plurality of cooling providers.

12. The system of claim 9, where N is equal to a number of cooling providers in the data center, n is equal to a number of the plurality of equipment racks, and wherein S is equal to two times N plus two times n plus one.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein solving the S coupled equations includes solving at least one piece-wise linear equation of the S coupled equations by identifying a breakpoint in the piece-wise linear equation and using a different linear equation before and after the breakpoint.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein solving the S coupled equations includes using an iterative process to repeatedly solve the S coupled equations to reach a final value for the inlet air temperature and the exit air temperature of each equipment rack and the at least one cooling provider.

11. 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 data regarding each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a power draw value for each equipment rack;

store the received data in a storage device associated with the system;

compute a fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and a fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider;

compute an ambient air temperature in the data center based on airflows in the data center;

compute an inlet air temperature and an exit air temperature for the at least one cooling provider and for each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks based on the ambient air temperature, the layout, the power draw value, and the fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and the fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider by establishing a set of S coupled equations, with S equal to a number of temperature values to be computed, and solving the S coupled equations; and

wherein the computed inlet air temperature and the exit air temperatures are further used to determine at least one configuration of the equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instruction for evaluating equipment in a data center, the equipment including a plurality of equipment racks and at least one cooling provider, the sequences of instruction including instructions that will cause at least one processor to:

receive data regarding each equipment rack of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, the data including a layout of the plurality of equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider, and a power draw value for each equipment rack;

store the received data in a storage device associated with the at least one processor;

compute a fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and a fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider;

compute an ambient air temperature based on airflows in the data center; and

compute an inlet air temperature and an exit air temperature for the at least one cooling provider and for each equipment rack based on the ambient air temperature, the layout, the power draw value, and the fraction of total airflow originating from the at least one cooling provider that is captured by each equipment rack and the fraction of total airflow from each equipment rack that is captured by the at least one cooling provider by establishing a set of S coupled equations, with S equal to a number of temperature values to be computed, and solving the S coupled equations; and

wherein the computed inlet air temperature and the exit air temperatures are further used to determine at least one configuration of the equipment racks and the at least one cooling provider.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one cooling provider includes a plurality of cooling providers, and the sequences of instructions include instructions that will cause the at least one processor to compute a maximum cooler capacity value for each of the plurality of cooling providers based on a maximum inlet air temperature to the plurality of cooling providers.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, where N is equal to a number of cooling providers in the data center, n is equal to a number of the plurality of equipment racks, and wherein S is equal to two times N plus two times n plus one.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein solving the S coupled equations includes solving at least one piece-wise linear equation of the S coupled equations by identifying a breakpoint in the piece-wise linear equation and using a different linear equation before and after the breakpoint.