Cooling system for data center rack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10201116-B1
Application number	US-201314093997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 2, 2013
Priority date	Dec 2, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A data center can include at least one computing room, and at least one rack system disposed in the computing room. The rack system includes a rack housing that at least substantially encapsulates an interior space, and a plurality of computing devices mounted to the rack in the interior space. The data center can further include a cooling system. The cooling system includes a conduit that is disposed in the interior space of the rack housing and a fluid that flows through the conduit, wherein heat is transferred from air in the interior space to the fluid to produce cooled air in the rack housing.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A data center comprising:
at least one computing room;
at least one rack system disposed in the at least one computing room, the at least one rack system including 1) a rack housing that encapsulates an interior space of the at least one rack system so as to seal the interior space of the at least one rack system with respect to airflow in and out of the interior space, the rack housing including an access door that is continuously solid along its entirety and is movable between an open position that provides access to the interior space and a closed position, and 2) a plurality of computing devices mounted to the rack in the interior space, wherein the plurality of computing devices each defines an air intake, an air outlet, and a fan that draws air from the sealed interior space of the rack housing through the air intake and out through the air outlet, wherein heat is dissipated from electrical components of each of the plurality of computing devices into the interior space of the rack housing; and
a cooling system including a conduit that extends through the rack housing into the interior space, the cooling system further including a fluid that flows through the conduit and a heat exchanger disposed in the rack housing between the computing devices, wherein heat is transferred by the heat exchanger from air in the interior space to the fluid to produce cooled air in the rack housing that is drawn into the air intakes of the plurality of computing devices, and the fluid transports the transferred heat out of the rack housing,
wherein movement of the door from the open position to the closed position causes the rack housing to seal the interior space with respect to airflow in and out of the interior space when the fan of each of the computing devices is drawing air from the interior space into the air intakes and out the air outlets.

2. The data center as recited in claim 1 , wherein the access door is at a front end of the rack housing, the rack housing defines a rear end opposite the front end, the conduit defines a fluid intake, a fluid outlet, and a heat exchanger region disposed between the fluid intake and the fluid outlet, and the heat exchanger region is disposed in the rack housing between the computing devices and at least one of the front door and the rear wall.

3. The data center as recited in claim 1 , wherein the cooling system is a closed system wherein the fluid intake is in fluid communication with the fluid outlet, such that the fluid flows through a heat rejection apparatus between the fluid outlet and the fluid intake.

4. The data center as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fluid has a fluid temperature and flows through the conduit at a fluid flow rate, and the conduit comprises a first temperature sensor configured to measure the fluid temperature at a first location and a second temperature sensor configured to measure the fluid temperature at a second location that is disposed downstream of the first location, and the cooling system 1) increases the fluid flow rate through the conduit when a difference between the fluid temperature at the first and second locations is greater than a threshold value, and 2) decreases the fluid flow rate through the conduit when the difference between the fluid temperature at the first and second locations is less than a threshold value.

5. The rack system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the at least one rack system comprises first and second rack systems disposed in the computing room, and the conduit extends from the rack housing of the first rack system through the rack housing of the second rack system, into the interior space of the rack housing of the second rack system, and out of the rack housing of the second rack system, such that heat is transferred from air in the interior space of the second rack system to the fluid to produce cooled air in the rack housing of the second rack system that is drawn into the air intakes of the plurality of computing devices of the second rack system, and the fluid transports the transferred heat out of the rack housing of the second rack system.

6. A rack system comprising:
a rack housing defining an interior space, the interior space having a front end and a rear end opposite the front end, the rack housing including an access door that defines the front end, the access door movable between an open position that provides access to the interior space and a closed position;
a rack supported by the rack housing in the interior space, the rack defining a plurality of bays, the bays sized to receive respective ones of a plurality of computing devices that each defines an air intake, an air outlet, and a fan that draws air that is sealed inside the interior space through the air intake and out through the air outlet, such that heat is dissipated from electrical components of each of the plurality of computing devices into the interior space of the rack housing; and
at least one conduit disposed in the rack housing, the at least one conduit defining at least one heat exchanger region that is disposed in the interior space and is configured to retain a fluid that flows therethrough so as to transfer heat from the air in the interior space to the fluid wherein the heat exchanger region is disposed in the rack housing between the computing devices,
wherein the rack housing is configured to seal the interior space when 1) the door is in the closed position, and 2) the fans of the computing devices draw air through the intakes and out through the outlets.

7. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the fluid is a liquid.

8. The rack system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the at least one heat exchanger region is disposed at a location adjacent the bays.

9. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one heat exchanger region is disposed at least at one of the front end of the interior space and the rear end of the interior space.

10. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the at least one heat exchanger region comprises a first heat exchanger region and a second heat exchanger region that support fluid flow in opposite directions with respect to each other.

11. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein fans of the plurality of computing devices draw air along respective air intake paths through the air intakes, and the at least a portion of the conduit is disposed between the air intakes and the rack housing so as to be positioned in the respective air intake paths.

12. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein the fans of the plurality of computing devices exhaust air out the air outlet along respective air exhaust paths, and the at least a portion of the conduit is disposed between the air outlets and the rack housing so as to be positioned in the respective air exhaust path.

13. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , wherein 1) the fans of the plurality of computing devices draw air along respective air intake paths through the air intakes, and exhaust air out the air outlets along respective air exhaust paths, 2) the at least a portion of the conduit defines a first region disposed between the air intakes and the rack housing so as to be positioned in the respective air intake paths, and 3) the at least a portion of the conduit defines a second region disposed between the air outlets and the rack housing so as to be positioned in the respective air exhaust path.

14. The rack system as recited in claim 6 , further comprising a cooling system including a first temperature sensor configured to measure fluid temperature in the conduit at a first location, and a second temperature sensor configured

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ross Peter George
• Striffler Matthew David
• Gillooly Alan Donald

Classifications

• H05K7/20836 Primary

  Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control · CPC title

• H05K7/18

  Construction of rack or frame · CPC title

• H05K7/20754 Primary

  Air circulating in closed loop within cabinets · CPC title

• H05K7/2079

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets · CPC title