Facility including externally disposed data center air handling units

• US 9,750,164 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Switch Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Switch Company Limited
• Inventors: Roy, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Samantha
• Application Number:
  US15/291,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20170099747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• Field of Search: 454184
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/005 using primary and secondary systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/173 of the evaporator fan
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/201 Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0213 Venting apertures; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1497 Rooms for data centers; Shipping containers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20145 Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20709 for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device

Abstract

Described herein is an integrated data center that provides for efficient cooling, as well as efficient wire routing.

Claims

1. A facility for maintaining electronic equipment at a cool temperature, the facility comprising:

a building having an interior and an exterior load wall disposed between the interior of the building and a periphery exterior, the periphery exterior being located outside;

a plurality of air conditioning units entirely disposed in the periphery exterior, each adjacent to the exterior load wall and disposed on a ground level support structure, the plurality of air conditioning units receiving heated air and emitting cooled air;

a plurality of heated air openings disposed in the exterior load wall, each heated air opening proximate to one of the plurality of air conditioning units;

a plurality of return air openings disposed in the exterior load wall, each return air opening proximate to one of the plurality of air conditioning units;

a plurality of warm exhaust outlet ducts, each warm exhaust outlet duct formed through one of the heated air openings;

a plurality of cool air inlet ducts, each cool air inlet duct formed through one of the return air openings;

a plurality of cabinet clusters arranged in an array of at least four cabinet clusters, with the at least four cabinet clusters sharing a common cold aisle, two cabinet clusters on one side of the common cold aisle and another two cabinet clusters on another side of the common cold aisle, and wherein a hot aisle enclosure area of each of the two cabinet clusters are aligned and parallel to the common cold aisle, and wherein the hot aisle enclosure area of each of the another two cabinet clusters are aligned and parallel to the common cold aisle, wherein each cabinet cluster including a plurality of cage cabinets positioned in a back-to-back configuration in two separated rows so that the electronic equipment disposed therein emit heated air in a predetermined direction from the cage cabinets toward the hot aisle enclosure area between the two separated rows of cage cabinets, and

wherein an opposite side of the cage cabinets each establish the cold aisle, wherein the hot aisle enclosure area and the cold aisle of each of the plurality of cabinet clusters are aligned;

a floor within the interior of the building on which the plurality of cage cabinets in each of the plurality of cabinet clusters are disposed, the floor being within the interior space of the building in a room with at least one interior wall and at least one of the exterior load wall thereby defining an equipment area room;

a structurally sound thermal shield providing a contiguous wall around a hot air area above the hot aisle enclosure area at a height above the two separated rows of cage cabinets to define a warm exhaust channel that traps the heated air within the hot aisle enclosure area and causes substantially all the heated air within the hot aisle enclosure area to rise up within the warm exhaust channel for each of the cabinet clusters, wherein the contiguous wall fully surrounds the hot aisle enclosure area from above each of the plurality of cabinet clusters;

a warm air escape channel disposed above the warm exhaust channel, the warm air escape channel feeding the heated air to the plurality of air conditioning units through the plurality of warm exhaust outlet ducts; and

a cool air channel disposed within the interior of the building above the plurality of plurality of cabinet clusters that delivers cool air from the plurality of air conditioning units to the cool aisle through the plurality of cool air inlet ducts, the cool air channel including a plurality of cold aisle air ducts each having vents disposed proximate a cabinet cluster, wherein each of the plurality of cold aisle air ducts are parallel to each other and parallel to the cool aisle.

2. The facility according to claim 1 further including a thermal barrier at an end of each of the two separated rows of cabinet cages in each of the plurality of cabinet clusters, thereby maintaining a contiguous sealed barrier, other than where the two separated rows of cabinet cages are disposed, around each of the hot aisle enclosure areas, thereby further ensuring that substantially all the heated air within each of the hot aisle enclosure areas rises up within the warm exhaust channel.

3. The facility according to claim 2 wherein some of the thermal barriers include a door that permits human access into the hot aisle enclosure area of the associated cabinet cluster.

4. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the structurally sound thermal shield is comprised of at least one of steel, a composite, or plastic pieces having an air space therebetween.

5. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of cold aisle air ducts are disposed at a height that is below an upper edge of the structurally sound thermal shield providing the contiguous wall around the hot air area for each of the plurality of cabinet clusters.

6. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the vents are adjustable to provide for directional downward flow at various angles.

7. The facility according to claim 6 wherein one or more of the vents include an actuator that allows for offsite control the corresponding vent, both in direction of airflow and volume of airflow.

8. The facility according to claim 7 further including temperature detectors, in various areas within one or more of the cabinet clusters, such that detected temperature is adapted to automatically control vents in a particular area corresponding thereto.

9. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the warm air escape channel is bounded at a bottom by a ceiling that covers the room in its entirety and provides a thermal barrier to prevent the heated air from passing therebelow, wherein an opening exists in the ceiling corresponding to each of the warm exhaust channels through which the heated air passes for each of the plurality of cabinet clusters, and wherein a top edge of the thermal shield connects to the ceiling to further prevent the heated air from escaping for each of the cabinet clusters.

10. The facility according to claim 9 wherein the warm air escape channel is further bounded at a top by an upper ceiling, and a distance between the upper ceiling and the ceiling is at least 15 feet.

11. The facility according to claim 9, further including a thermal barrier at an end of each of the two separated rows cabinet cages in each of the plurality of cabinet clusters, thereby maintaining a contiguous sealed barrier, other than where the two separated rows of cabinet cages are disposed, around each of the hot aisle enclosure areas, thereby further ensuring that substantially all the heated air within each of the hot aisle enclosure areas rises up within the warm exhaust channel.

12. The facility according to claim 11 wherein some of the thermal barriers include a door that permits human access into the hot aisle enclosure area of the associated cabinet cluster.

13. The facility according to claim 12 wherein the structurally sound thermal shield is comprised of at least one of steel, a composite, or plastic pieces having an air space therebetween.

14. The facility according to claim 9 wherein the plurality of cold aisle air ducts are disposed at a height that is below an upper edge of the structurally sound thermal shield providing the contiguous wall around the hot air area for each of the plurality of cabinet clusters.

15. The facility according to claim 9 wherein one or more of the vents are adjustable to provide for directional downward flow at various angles.

16. The facility according to claim 9 wherein one or more of the vents include an actuator that allows for offsite control the corresponding vent, both in direction of airflow and volume of airflow.

17. The facility according to claim 16 further including temperature detectors in various areas within each of the cabinet clusters, which detected temperature is adapted to automatically control vents in a particular area corresponding thereto.