Coupling designs for a data center building using indirect evaporative cooling (IDEC) units

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10327359-B1
Application number	US-201815967092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 30, 2018
Priority date	Apr 30, 2018
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A data center system includes a multi-floor housing having a first floor and a second floor housings which house a number of electronic racks of information technology (IT) components operating therein. The system includes a first set of indirect evaporative cooling units (IDECs) coupled to a first portion of the multi-floor housing through a first side of the multi-floor housing to direct exterior air through heat exchangers of corresponding IDECs to cool a first portion of interior air which cools a first set of the electronic racks. The system includes a second set of IDECs coupled to a second portion of the multi-floor housing through a second side of the multi-floor housing to direct exterior air through heat exchangers of corresponding IDECs to cool a second portion of interior air which cools a second set of the electronic racks. The system includes various DEC couplings/layouts and air flow management.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A data center system, comprising:
a multi-floor housing comprising:
a first floor housing including a first set of electronic racks of information technology (IT) components operating therein, and
a second floor housing including a second set of electronic racks of the IT components operating therein; and

a plurality of heat-removing indirect evaporative cooling/cooler (IDEC) units, each of the IDEC units including an air-to-air heat exchanger; the plurality of IDEC units comprising:
a first set of one or more of the IDEC units, each of the IDEC units of the first set is coupled to a first portion of the multi-floor housing through a first external side of the multi-floor housing to direct a first portion of exterior air through the air-to-air heat exchanger of a corresponding one of the one or more IDEC units of the first set to cool a first portion of interior air, wherein the first portion of the interior air is directed to cool the first set of electronic racks of the first floor housing; and
a second set of one or more of the IDEC units, each of the IDEC units of the second set is coupled to a second portion of the multi-floor housing through a second external side of the multi-floor housing to direct a second portion of the exterior air through the air-to-air heat exchanger of the corresponding one of the one or more IDEC units of the of the second set to cool a second portion of the interior air, wherein the second portion of the interior air is directed to cool the second set of electronic racks of the second floor housing,

wherein the first external side of the multi-floor housing is a different side than the second external side of the multi-floor housing, the first external side of the multi-floor housing does not have any of the one or more of the IDEC units of the second set, and the second external side of the multi-floor housing does not have any of the one or more of the IDEC units of the first set.

2. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the first set of the one or more of the IDEC units are laid out either parallel or perpendicular to the first side of the multi-floor housing; or
the second set of the one or more of the IDEC units are laid out either parallel or perpendicular to the second side of the multi-floor housing.

3. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of the one or more of the IDEC units is situated at a location that does not overlap vertically with a location of the second set of the one or more of the IDEC units so the first portion of the exterior air entering or exiting from the air-to-air heat exchangers of the one or more of the IDEC units of the first set do not overlap the second portion of the exterior air entering or existing from the air-to-air heat exchangers of the one or more of the IDEC units of the second set.

4. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the multi-floor housing is situated at substantially a same vertical height as the first floor housing of the multi-floor housing and the second portion of the multi-floor housing is situated at substantially a same vertical height as the second floor housing of the multi-floor housing.

5. The data center system of claim 4 , wherein the second floor housing is one floor above the first floor housing and the second set of the one or more of the IDEC units is placed on a first support structure that reaches the one floor above the first floor housing.

6. The data center system of claim 5 , wherein the multi-floor housing further comprises a third floor housing including a third set of electronic racks of the IT components operating therein;
wherein the plurality of IDEC units further comprising a third set of one or more of the IDEC units, each of the IDEC units of the third set is coupled to a third portion of the multi-floor housing through the first external side of the multi-floor housing to direct a third portion of the exterior air through the air-to-air heat exchanger of a corresponding one of the one or more IDEC units of the third set to cool a third portion of the interior air, wherein the third portion of the interior air is directed to cool the third set of electronic racks of the third floor housing, and
wherein the third floor housing is two floors above the first floor housing and the third set of the one or more of the IDEC units is placed on a second support structure that reaches the two floors above the first floor housing, wherein the first set of the one or more of the IDEC units is at a location that overlaps vertically with a location of the third set of the one or more of the IDEC units and the first portion of the exterior air entering or exiting from the air-to-air heat exchange of the one or more of the IDEC units of the first set minimally overlaps the third portion of the exterior air entering or exiting from the air-to-air heat exchange of the one or more of the IDEC units of the third set.

7. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein a first air flow management of the first floor housing of the multi-floor housing is separate from a second air flow management of the second floor housing of the multi-floor housing.

8. The data center system of claim 7 , wherein each of the first floor housing and the second floor housing of the multi-floor housing includes a hot air enclosure space.

9. The data center system of claim 8 , wherein the hot air enclosure space of the first floor housing is shared with the hot air enclosure space of the second floor housing.

10. The data center system of claim 9 , wherein each of the first floor housing and the second floor housing of the multi-floor housing includes a cold air enclosure space.

11. The data center system of claim 10 , wherein the cold air enclosure space of the first floor housing is shared with the cold air enclosure space of the second floor housing.

12. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein the first external side and the second external side are adjacent external sides.

13. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein the first external side and the second external side are opposite external sides.

14. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the multi-floor housing is a ceiling return portion of the multi-floor housing and the second set of one or more of the IDEC units are coupled to the ceiling return portion of the multi-floor housing.

15. The data center system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first set or the second set of electronic racks of the IT components are disposed in aisles to form alternating hot and cold air aisles to direct an air flow to the IT components of the first set or the second set of the electronic racks respectively.

Assignees

• Baidu Usa Llc

Inventors

• Gao Tianyi

Classifications

• H05K7/1497 Primary

  Rooms for data centers; Shipping containers therefor · CPC title

• H05K7/20663 Primary

  Liquid coolant with phase change, e.g. heat pipes · CPC title

• H05K7/1488

  Cabinets therefor, e.g. chassis or racks or mechanical interfaces between blades and support structures · CPC title

• H05K7/207

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

• H05K7/18

  Construction of rack or frame · CPC title