Evaporative induction cooling system for a data center

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10440861-B2
Application number	US-201615357948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2016
Priority date	Apr 16, 2010
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

A data center cooling system includes an evaporative cooling system. The evaporative cooling system includes fans configured to circulate outside air at ambient conditions through an entry zone of a data center, and atomizers positioned upstream of the entry zone configured to spray atomized water into the circulating outside air. The atomized water evaporates in an evaporation zone and cools the outside air to produce cooled air, which is directed through racks of computers positioned downstream of the evaporation zone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center cooling system comprising:
a plurality of fans configured to draw outside air at ambient conditions into an entry zone of a data center;
a plurality of atomizers positioned downstream of the entry zone configured to spray atomized water into the outside air;
an evaporation zone where the atomized water evaporates and cools the outside air to produce cooled air;
a rack zone positioned downstream of the evaporation zone that comprises a plurality of computer racks arranged in a plurality of substantially parallel rows; and
an air-to-air heat exchanger positioned between the evaporation zone and the rack zone, the air-to-air heat exchanger comprising:
one or more heat wheels;
a first conduit positioned on the evaporation zone-side of the one or more heat wheels and configured to receive the cooled air and direct the cooled air through the one or more heat wheels; and
a second conduit positioned on the rack zone-side of the one or more heat wheels and configured to receive hot air from the rack zone, direct the hot air through the one or more heat wheels and redirect the now cooled air back into the rack zone.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second plurality of atomizers positioned downstream of the heat exchanger and configured to spray atomized water into the cooled air before the cooled air enters the rack zone; and
a second evaporation zone where the atomized water from the second plurality of atomizers evaporates and further cools the air before the air enters the rack zone.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a control system comprising:
a thermometer configured to measure a temperature of the cooled air redirected back to the rack zone;
a flow meter configured to measure a rate of flow of the now cooled air into the rack zone;
a humidistat configured to measure a relative humidity of the now cooled air;
a controller configured to receive the measurements from the thermometer, flow meter, and humidistat, and to control the flow rate of water to the plurality of atomizers based on the measurements and on a temperature and relative humidity set point for the rack zone.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a supplemental cooling system for the data center that comprises:
a cooling tower;
a water-to-water heat exchanger in fluid communication with the cooling tower;
an air-to-water heat exchanger in fluid communication with the water-to-water heat exchanger and positioned to receive hot air from the rack zone

wherein:
the supplemental cooling system can be activated to cool hot air from the rack zone and to recirculate cooled air back into the rack zone;
the controller is further configured to selectively activate the supplemental cooling system to cool the rack zone based on the measurements and on the temperature and relative humidity set point for the rack zone.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein:
the supplemental cooling system further comprises a chiller in fluid communication with the air-to-water heat exchanger; and
the controller is further configured to selectively activate the chiller based on the measurements and on the temperature and relative humidity set point for the rack zone.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the one or more heat wheels comprise a heat transfer media that is coated with a desiccant.

7. The system of 24 , further comprising a vent fan positioned at the vent to circulate air from the one or more heat wheels, through the first conduit, and to the ambient atmosphere, and a data center fan in airflow communication with the second conduit.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a control system comprising:
a thermometer configured to measure the temperature of the cooled air redirected back into the rack zone;
a humidistat configured to measure the relative humidity of the now cooled air;
a controller configured to receive the measurements from the thermometer and humidistat and to control the flow rate of water to the plurality of atomizers based on the measurements and on a maximum allowable temperature and relative humidity for the rack zone.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a supplemental cooling system for the data center that comprises:
a cooling tower;
a water-to-water heat exchanger in fluid communication with the cooling tower;
an air-to-water heat exchanger in fluid communication with the water-to-water heat exchanger and positioned to receive hot air from the rack zone

wherein:
the supplemental cooling system can be activated to cool the hot air from the rack zone and to recirculate the cooled air back into the rack zone;
the controller is further configured to selectively activate the supplemental cooling system to cool the rack zone based on the measurements and on the maximum allowable temperature and relative humidity for the rack zone.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein:
the supplemental cooling system further comprises a chiller in fluid communication with the air-to-water heat exchanger; and
the controller is further configured to selectively activate the chiller based on the measurements and on the maximum allowable temperature and relative humidity for the rack zone.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second conduits are thermally coupled and fluidly decoupled.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a cooling air outlet positioned at a bottom portion of the second conduit to fluidly couple the rack zone with the second conduit.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second conduits are thermally coupled and fluidly decoupled.

14. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling air outlet positioned at a bottom portion of the second conduit to fluidly couple the rack zone with the second conduit.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a vent in fluid communication with the first conduit and an ambient atmosphere.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprising a vent fan positioned at the vent to circulate air from the one or more heat wheels, through the first conduit, and to the ambient atmosphere.

17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising a data center fan in airflow communication with the second conduit.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more heat wheels comprise a heat transfer media.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the heat transfer media is coated with a desiccant.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cooled air and the hot air are unmixed in the air-to-air heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Carlson Andrew B
• Malone Christopher Gregory
• Clidaras Jimmy

Classifications

• F24F5/0035

  using evaporation · CPC title

• F24F2203/104

  Heat exchanger wheel · CPC title

• H05K7/20136

  Forced ventilation, e.g. by fans (H05K7/202 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F1/0007

  Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units (self-contained units F24F1/02) · CPC title

• F28D5/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary conduit assemblies for one heat-exchange medium only, the media being in contact with different sides of the conduit wall, using the cooling effect of natural or forced evaporation · CPC title