Inverted exhaust plenum module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10072859-B2
Application number	US-201414308114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2014
Priority date	Jun 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

An inverted exhaust plenum module exhausts air from an enclosure into an ambient environment while mitigating airflow restrictions caused by ambient wind conditions, particularly headwinds impinging on exhaust vents. The plenum module includes wall elements that extend downwards from separate edges of two separate roof elements of the enclosure, forming a plenum between the wall elements that is open at the top. Exhaust vents in the wall elements exhaust air from the enclosure into the plenum to circulate into the ambient environment via the top of the plenum. By exhausting air into a plenum that extends beneath roof elements, the vents are at least partially obscured from ambient winds that might otherwise impinge on the vents. A wing element can be installed to induce exhaust airflow via lowering air pressure at the top of the plenum. The plenum module can be a separate module that is coupled to a structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center, comprising:
an enclosure in which one or more computer systems are installed, wherein the computer systems discharge exhaust air into the enclosure; and
an inverted exhaust plenum module configured to discharge exhaust air from the enclosure into an ambient environment external to the exhaust plenum, wherein the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises:
at least two angled roof elements at least partially bounding a top end of the enclosure, wherein each of the at least two angled roof elements are angled towards separate edges along the top end;
at least two vertically-oriented wall elements each projecting downwards from separate edges of the roof elements to establish opposite side ends of an exhaust plenum, wherein the exhaust plenum extends downwards beneath the separate edges and comprises an upper end, spanning between the separate edges, the upper end in open flow communication with the ambient environment external to the exhaust plenum; and
at least two exhaust vents that are each coupled to a separate one of the vertically-oriented wall elements and are each configured to discharge exhaust air from the enclosure into the exhaust plenum beneath the separate edges, such that the at least two exhaust vents are each at least partially resistant to restriction by ambient air flowing over the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

2. The data center of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the exhaust vents comprises at least one air moving device configured to induce an airflow of the exhaust air from the enclosure to the exhaust plenum.

3. The data center of claim 1 , comprising:
at least one wing element mounted on at least one of the separate edges, wherein the at least one wing element is configured to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum to induce airflow out of the exhaust plenum into the ambient environment;
wherein, to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum, the at least one wing element is configured to induce, via a Bernoulli principle effect, an increase in flow velocity of an ambient air flow along at least a portion of the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

4. The data center of claim 1 , wherein:
the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises an exhaust air inlet configured to receive exhaust air into an enclosure space that is separate from the enclosure of the data center;
the inverted exhaust plenum module is configured to be mounted on a roof structure in flow communication with an air exhaust outlet of the roof structure that is in flow communication with the enclosure of the data center, such that exhaust air is directed from the enclosure of the data center and into the separate enclosure of the inverted exhaust plenum module via the exhaust air inlet of the inverted exhaust plenum module; and
to discharge exhaust air from the enclosure into the exhaust plenum, at least one exhaust vent is configured to discharge exhaust air from the separate enclosure into the exhaust plenum.

5. An apparatus, comprising:
an inverted exhaust plenum module configured to discharge exhaust air received from at least one enclosure space into an exhaust plenum that is at least partially obscured from ambient air flows external to the exhaust plenum, wherein the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises:
an exhaust plenum which extends downwards beneath separate roof element edges and comprises an upper end, spanning between the separate roof element edges, the upper end in open flow communication with the ambient environment external to the exhaust plenum; and
at least one exhaust vent that is coupled to at least one side end of the exhaust plenum extending beneath at least one of the separate roof element edges and is configured to discharge exhaust air from at least one enclosure space into the exhaust plenum beneath the separate roof element edges, such that the at least one exhaust vent is at least partially obscured from exposure to impingement by ambient air flows flowing over the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
at least one of the exhaust vents comprises at least one air moving device configured to induce an airflow of the exhaust air from the at least one enclosure space to the exhaust plenum.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises:
a lower trough element extending along a lower end of the exhaust plenum between opposite side ends of the exhaust plenum, wherein the lower trough element is angled downwards towards an outer edge of the at least one enclosure space, in parallel to the opposite side ends, to induce a drainage gradient of environmental precipitation received into the exhaust plenum towards the outer edge of the at least one enclosure space.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises an exhaust air inlet configured to receive exhaust air into the at least one enclosure space; and
the inverted exhaust plenum module is configured to be mounted on a roof structure in flow communication with an air exhaust outlet of the roof structure, such that exhaust air received from a separate enclosure, which is separate from the at least one enclosure space, is circulated through the enclosure space of the inverted exhaust plenum module and discharged into the exhaust plenum of the inverted exhaust plenum module.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
at least one of the separate roof elements is angled upwards towards the respective separate edge of the separate roof element, such that the separate edge comprises a separate peak of the respective separate roof element along one side of the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
at least one of the exhaust vents comprises at least one set of fixed louvers configured to direct exhaust air discharged from the at least one exhaust vent towards a lower end of the exhaust plenum and to direct environmental precipitation received into the exhaust plenum away from the exhaust vent.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises:
at least one wing element mounted on at least one of the separate edges, wherein the at least one wing element is configured to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum to induce airflow out of the exhaust plenum into the ambient environment;
wherein, to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum, the at least one wing element is configured to induce, via a Bernoulli principle effect, an increase in flow velocity of an ambient airflow along the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the inverted exhaust plenum module comprises:
at least one air directing element mounted on at least one of the separate edges, wherein the at least one air directing element is configured to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum to induce airflow out of the exhaust plenum into the ambient environment;
wherein, to reduce air pressure at the upper end of the exhaust plenum, the at least one air directing element is configured to at least partially change a direction of ambient airflow proximate to the upper end of the exhaust plenum.

13. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one side end of the exhaust plenum extending beneath at least one of the separate roof element edges comprises a portal configured to interchangeably accommodate at least one of an exhaust vent configured to discharge exhaust air from the enclosure space into the exhaust plenum or a removable partition configured to enclose the portal to restrict a

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc
• Amazontechnologies Inc

Inventors

• Phillips Matthew Thomas
• Wilding Robert David
• Gardner Brock Robert
• Ross Peter George
• Sadler Timothy Logan

Classifications

• F24F2007/004

  Natural ventilation using convection · CPC title

• F24F7/02 Primary

  Roof ventilation (ventilation of roof coverings E04D) · CPC title

• H05K7/20745 Primary

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device · CPC title

• F24F2007/001

  with exhausting air ducts · CPC title

• F24F13/08

  Air-flow control members, e.g. louvres, grilles, flaps or guide plates (F24F7/013, F24F13/06 take precedence) · CPC title