Controlling data center cooling
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A data center cooling system, comprising:
- a data center having electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks;
a cooling fluid source;
a plurality of cooling units in the data center, each cooling unit configured to cool air warmed by a sub-set of the electronic equipment in the data center;
a plurality of control valves, including a particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units; and
a controller arranged to modulate the particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit, to open or close the control valve to substantially maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined by a difference between a temperature of an airflow circulated from the cooling unit and a temperature of the cooling fluid source circulated to the particular cooling unit, and wherein the controller is arranged to receive a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point, wherein the controller is one of a plurality of controllers, each of the plurality of controllers associated with one of the plurality of cooling units, where the controller is arranged to modulate the particular control valve based on receipt of a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point based, at least in part, on the particular control valve being at a percentage open position that varies from a threshold percentage open setpoint.
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Abstract
A data center cooling system includes a data center having electronic equipment that is supported in multiple racks; a cooling fluid source; multiple cooling units in the data center, where each cooling unit is configured to cool air warmed by a sub-set of the electronic equipment in the data center; multiple control valves, including a control valve associated with a particular cooling unit of the cooling units; and a controller arranged to modulate the control valve associated with a particular cooling unit, to open or close the control valve to substantially maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit.
47 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A data center cooling system, comprising:
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a data center having electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; a cooling fluid source; a plurality of cooling units in the data center, each cooling unit configured to cool air warmed by a sub-set of the electronic equipment in the data center; a plurality of control valves, including a particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units; and a controller arranged to modulate the particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit, to open or close the control valve to substantially maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined by a difference between a temperature of an airflow circulated from the cooling unit and a temperature of the cooling fluid source circulated to the particular cooling unit, and wherein the controller is arranged to receive a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point, wherein the controller is one of a plurality of controllers, each of the plurality of controllers associated with one of the plurality of cooling units, where the controller is arranged to modulate the particular control valve based on receipt of a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point based, at least in part, on the particular control valve being at a percentage open position that varies from a threshold percentage open setpoint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for cooling a data center, the method comprising:
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circulating a cooling fluid, through a plurality of control valves, to a plurality of cooling units in a data center that contains electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; circulating air from an ambient workspace that is adjacent the plurality of racks, across a sub-set of the electronic equipment that is supported in the plurality of racks, through a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units, and from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace; determining a temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit; determining a temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit; modulating a flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated through a particular control valve to the particular cooling unit to maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined using a difference between the temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit and the temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit; modulating the flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit based on a change in the approach temperature set point that is received from a control system; varying a rate of the air circulated from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace in response to the change in the approach temperature set point; and modulating the particular control valve based on receipt of a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point based, at least in part, on the particular control valve being at a percentage open position that varies from a threshold percentage open setpoint. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A data center cooling system, comprising:
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a computer rack that supports a plurality of heat-generating devices; a fan coil unit arranged adjacent to the computer rack and comprising; at least one fan arranged to circulate air from an open front side of the computer rack adjacent a human-occupiable workspace through the rack and to an open back side of the computer rack adjacent the fan coil unit; and at least one cooling coil adjacent the open back side of the computer rack and arranged to receive heated air circulated from the computer rack and cool the heated air; a control valve configured to control a volumetric flow of cooling fluid circulated to the cooling coil; a unit controller communicably coupled to the control valve and configured to modulate the valve to meet an approach temperature set point of the fan coil unit, wherein an approach temperature is a difference between a leaving air temperature of the fan coil unit and an entering cooling fluid temperature of the fan coil unit, wherein the approach temperature set point is varied based on an open percentage of the modulating valve; and a main controller communicably coupled to the unit controller, and the main controller is operable to receive a signal representative of the open percentage of the control valve, and in response to the signal, transmit a command to the unit controller to vary the approach temperature set point, where the unit controller is operable to receive a signal from the main controller adjusting the approach temperature set point based, at least in part, on the control valve being at a percentage open position that varies from a threshold percentage open setpoint. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A data center cooling system, comprising:
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a data center having electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; a cooling fluid source; a plurality of cooling units in the data center, each cooling unit configured to cool air warmed by a sub-set of the electronic equipment in the data center; a plurality of control valves, including a particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units; and a controller arranged to modulate the particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit, to open or close the control valve to substantially maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined by a difference between a temperature of an airflow circulated from the cooling unit and a temperature of the cooling fluid source circulated to the particular cooling unit, and wherein the controller is arranged to receive a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point, wherein the controller is one of a plurality of controllers, each of the plurality of controllers associated with one of the plurality of cooling units, wherein the controller is arranged to modulate the plurality of control valves to open the plurality of control valves until about 98% of the plurality of control valves are about 95% open.
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32. A data center cooling system, comprising:
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a data center having electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; a cooling fluid source; a plurality of cooling units in the data center, each cooling unit configured to cool air warmed by a sub-set of the electronic equipment in the data center; a plurality of control valves, including a particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units; and a controller arranged to modulate the particular control valve associated with a particular cooling unit, to open or close the control valve to substantially maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined by a difference between a temperature of an airflow circulated from the cooling unit and a temperature of the cooling fluid source circulated to the particular cooling unit, and wherein the controller is arranged to receive a signal adjusting the approach temperature set point, wherein the controller is one of a plurality of controllers, wherein the particular valve is selected from the plurality of control valves based on a flow rate of the cooling fluid source.
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33. A method for cooling a data center, the method comprising:
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circulating a cooling fluid, through a plurality of control valves, to a plurality of cooling units in a data center that contains electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; circulating air from an ambient workspace that is adjacent the plurality of racks, across a sub-set of the electronic equipment that is supported in the plurality of racks, through a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units, and from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace; determining a temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit; determining a temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit; modulating a flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated through a particular control valve to the particular cooling unit to maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined using a difference between the temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit and the temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit; modulating the flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit based on a change in the approach temperature set point that is received from a control system; varying a rate of the air circulated from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace in response to the change in the approach temperature set point; and modulating a plurality of control valves associated with the plurality of cooling units to open the plurality of control valves until about 98% of the plurality of control valves are about 95% open.
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34. A method for cooling a data center, the method comprising:
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circulating a cooling fluid, through a plurality of control valves, to a plurality of cooling units in a data center that contains electronic equipment that is supported in a plurality of racks; circulating air from an ambient workspace that is adjacent the plurality of racks, across a sub-set of the electronic equipment that is supported in the plurality of racks, through a particular cooling unit of the plurality of cooling units, and from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace; determining a temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit; determining a temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit; modulating a flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated through a particular control valve to the particular cooling unit to maintain an approach temperature set point of the particular cooling unit, wherein the approach temperature is defined using a difference between the temperature of the air leaving the particular cooling unit and the temperature of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit, and the particular valve is selected from the plurality of control valves based on a flow rate of the cooling fluid source; modulating the flow rate of the cooling fluid circulated to the particular cooling unit based on a change in the approach temperature set point that is received from a control system; and varying a rate of the air circulated from the particular cooling unit to the ambient workspace in response to the change in the approach temperature set point.
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Specification