Closed-loop cooling system and method

• US 10,111,361 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nautilus True LLC
• Original Assignee: Nautilus Data Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Magcale, Arnold C., Kekai, Daniel, Taylor, Bryon Putnam
• Primary Examiner(s): Malik, Raheena R
• Application Number:
  US14/280,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20170202107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: 16510431, 16510428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/201 Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20272 Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2079 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets

Abstract

A water based closed loop cooling system employed to cool waterborne data center facility generally comprise a plurality of filtered water intake pipes, a plurality of filtered water exhaust pipes, a plurality of heat exchangers, a plurality of closed loop cooling systems or closed loop coolant distribution units that may use freshwater as a coolant, and a plurality of piping systems. The energy efficient water based closed loop cooling system and method described may use naturally occurring cold water as a heat sink in a plurality of heat exchange systems. The systems and methods described in this document may be employed to provide an energy efficient water-based closed-loop cooling system to maintain interior ambient conditions suitable for proper operation of the plurality of computer systems therein.

Claims

1. A re-configurable cooling system comprising:

a configurable modular unit, which further comprises;

a flow based intake and discharge system further comprising a single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves wherein the computer controlled flow valves enable the intake and discharge system to interchange based upon the direction of a water current;

a single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes and corresponding filtered water exhaust pipes each of which further comprise the single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves;

a single or plurality of water pumps operatively coupled to each of the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes;

a single or plurality of heat exchangers each of which is operatively coupled to the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes and to

a single or plurality of coolant heat exchange pipes; and

a closed-loop coolant distribution unit operatively coupled to the single or plurality of coolant heat exchange pipes;

a tank, connected to the closed-loop distribution unit, and the single or plurality of heat exchangers;

wherein the single or plurality of water pumps are caused to pump water in through the water intake pipes, and out through the water exhaust pipes;

wherein the coolant distribution unit is caused to circulate stored coolant through the coolant heat exchange pipes; and

wherein the stored coolant is at least one of a refrigerant and freshwater.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the stored coolant circulated through the closed loop coolant heat exchange pipes is caused to absorb heat from a heat generating source, and via the single or plurality of heat exchangers, transfer the absorbed heat to the pumped water flowing through the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the heat generating source is a computer data center.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the single or plurality of water pumps are used for pumping water from a source through the filtered water intake pipes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the pumping water through the filtered water intake pipes comprises pumping water from the source comprising at least one of an ocean or sea, a river, a lake, a reservoir, a glacier, an aquifer, reclaimed water, non-potable water and a mountain spring.

6. In a re-configurable cooling system comprising a configurable modular unit, a method comprising:

pumping water in through a single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes and out through corresponding filtered water exhaust pipes;

wherein the filtered water intake and corresponding exhaust pipes are comprised in an intake and discharge system and further comprise a single or plurality of corresponding computer controlled flow valves wherein the computer controlled flow valves enable the intake and discharge system to interchange based upon the direction of a water current;

circulating via the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes and corresponding filtered water exhaust pipes, the pumped water through one side of a single or plurality of heat exchangers each of which is operatively coupled to the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes and corresponding filtered water exhaust pipes, via the single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves;

circulating through another side of the single or plurality of heat exchangers, a coolant, comprised in a closed-loop coolant distribution unit, via a single or plurality of coolant heat exchange pipes operatively coupled to each of the single or plurality of heat exchangers; and

wherein circulating the coolant comprises circulating via a tank connected to the closed-loop coolant distribution unit and the single or plurality of heat exchangers.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the stored coolant circulated through the coolant heat exchange pipes is caused to absorb heat from a heat generating source, and via the single or plurality of heat exchangers, transfer the absorbed heat to the pumped water flowing through the single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the heat generating source is a computer data center.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the pumping water comprises pumping water from a source wherein the source comprises at least one of an ocean or sea, a river, a lake, a reservoir, a glacier, an aquifer, reclaimed water, non-potable water and a mountain spring.

10. A re-configurable cooling system comprising a configurable modular unit wherein the cooling system is caused to:

circulate cold water via a flow intake and discharge system comprising a single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves through one side of a single or plurality of heat exchangers;

wherein the single or plurality of flow valves cause the intake and discharge system to interchange based upon the direction of a water current;

circulate a coolant in a closed loop from a closed loop distribution unit through another side of the single or plurality of heat exchangers, such that;

the circulated cold water is caused to absorb heat from the circulated coolant through the single or plurality of heat exchangers through which it is caused to circulate;

wherein the closed loop distribution unit is further caused to circulate the coolant through a heat generating source before circulating the coolant through the single or plurality of heat exchangers, wherein the single or plurality of heat exchangers are detached from the heat generating source;

wherein the closed loop distribution unit and the single or plurality of heat exchangers are connected to a tank containing the circulated coolant; and

wherein the coolant is at least one of a refrigerant and freshwater.

11. The reconfigurable cooling system of claim 10 wherein the heat generating source is a computer data center.

12. The reconfigurable cooling system of claim 10 wherein the single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves are further comprised in a single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes for transporting water from a source.

13. The reconfigurable cooling system of claim 12 wherein the system further comprises a single or plurality of water pumps for pumping water through the said single or plurality of filtered water intake pipes from the source.

14. The reconfigurable cooling system of claim 10 wherein the single or plurality of computer controlled flow valves are further comprised in a single or plurality of filtered water exhaust pipes for transporting the said circulated cold water, caused to absorb heat from the said circulated coolant through the single or plurality of heat exchangers, away from the heat generating source.

15. The reconfigurable cooling system of claim 12 wherein the source is at least one of an ocean or sea, a river, a lake, a reservoir, a glacier, and a mountain spring.