Container-based data center having greater rack density

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8953316-B2
Application number	US-201113309261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2011
Priority date	Dec 28, 2009
Publication date	Feb 10, 2015
Grant date	Feb 10, 2015

Abstract

A container includes first and second long sides parallel to the container's length. Racks are organized in rows parallel to the container's width. Each rack is receptive to installation of equipment along a height of the data rack parallel to the container's height. Openings are defined within the first and/or second long sides of the container. Heat exchangers may be installed, where each exchanger is installed on a rack to cool air exhausted by any equipment installed on this rack. Each row may include as many of the racks positioned side-to-side, length-wise, and parallel to the width of the container as can fit within the container. The racks of each row may be slidable in unison back and forth along the length of the container, between a first position at which the racks block an opening and a second position at which the racks block another opening.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system comprising:
a container having a width, a length greater than the width, and a height, the container having a first long side and a second long side parallel to the length;
a plurality of racks organized in rows parallel to the width of the container, each of the plurality of racks receptive to installation of electronic equipment along a height of each rack parallel to the height of the container;
a plurality of heat exchangers, each heat exchanger installed on one of the racks to cool air exhausted by any of the electronic equipment installed on the one of the racks;
a plurality of first openings within the first long side of the container and a plurality of second openings within the second long side of the container; and
a plurality of doors corresponding to the first and second openings,
wherein the container comprises a first end parallel to the width of the container and a second end opposite the first end,
wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a plurality of first heat exchangers to direct the air towards the first end of the container; and,
a plurality of second heat exchangers to direct the air towards the second end of the container,

wherein the first heat exchangers are closer to the first long side of the container than the second heat exchangers are, and the second heat exchangers are closer to the second long side of the container than the first heat exchangers are; and
wherein the plurality of doors provide access to the aisles aligned with the first and second openings, the doors selectively opened to access, maintain, and service the heat exchangers and the electronic equipment installed within the racks.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the racks of each row are slidable in unison back and forth along the length of the container between a first position at which the racks block one of the first openings and a second position at which the racks block one of the second openings closest to the one of the first openings.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein all of the first and the second openings except for a given opening are blocked by the rows of the racks at any given time, such that the given opening provides user access to a given aisle of the aisles within the container.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein which of the first and the second openings is the given opening changes depending on where the racks of each row have been slid along the length of the container, where each of the first and the second openings can be the given opening at any given time.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first openings and the second openings comprise:
a first end opening that is closest to the first end of the container; and,
a second end opening that is closest to the second end of the container,
wherein where the given opening is any of the first and the second openings except for the first and the second end openings,
the given aisle provides user access to the racks of two rows of the rows to either side of the given aisle such that the racks of all rows other than the two rows to either side of the given aisle are user inaccessible, and
a total of two airflow loops are defined within the container, a first airflow loop of the two airflow loops defined to a first side of the given aisle, and a second airflow loop of the two airflow loops defined to a second side of the given aisle opposite the first side.

6. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first openings and the second openings comprise:
a first end opening that is closest to the first end of the container; and,
a second end opening that is closest to the second end of the container,
wherein where the given opening is one of the first and the second end openings,
the given aisle provides user access to the racks of just one row of the rows to one side of the given aisle such that that the racks of all rows other than the one row to the one side of the given aisle are user inaccessible, and
a single airflow loop is defined within the container to a side of the given aisle at which all the racks are currently positioned.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the racks of each row of the rows are stationary and cannot move, and the racks are positioned within the container to define a plurality of aisles aligned with the plurality of openings, such that each side of each row is user accessible by one of the aisles through a corresponding one of the openings,
wherein the heat exchangers comprise:
a plurality of first heat exchangers to direct air towards the first end of the container; and,
a plurality of second heat exchangers to direct air towards the second end of the container,

wherein the first heat exchangers are installed on the racks of every other row beginning with a first row closest to one of the first and the second ends of the container, and the second heat exchangers are installed on the racks of every other row beginning with a second rack closest to the first rack.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the electronic equipment installed in each rack of the plurality of racks.

9. A system comprising:
a container having a width, a length greater than the width, and a height, the container having a first long side and a second long side parallel to the length;
a plurality of racks organized in rows parallel to the width of the container such that each row of the rows includes more than one rack of the plurality of racks, each rack of the plurality of racks receptive to installation of electronic equipment along a height of each rack parallel to the height of the container;
a plurality of heat exchangers, each heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers installed within a different rack of the plurality of racks;
a plurality of openings within one or more of the first and the second long sides of the container, wherein the racks of each row are stationary and cannot move, and the racks are positioned within the container to define a plurality of aisles, each aisle of the plurality of aisles aligned with a corresponding opening of the plurality of openings, such that each side of each row is user accessible by one of the aisles through the corresponding one of the openings; and
a plurality of doors corresponding to the openings, and providing access to the aisles aligned with the openings, the doors selectively opened to access, maintain, and service the heat exchangers and the electronic equipment installed within the racks,
wherein the aisles comprise:
a plurality of first aisles into which the heat exchangers directly exhaust air; and
a plurality of second aisles into which none of the heat exchangers directly exhaust the air,

wherein at least some of the first aisles each have a pair of the plurality of heat exchangers exhausting air thereinto,
wherein at least some of the second aisles are each defined by an adjacent pair of the rows, and
wherein in a direction parallel to the length of the container, the at least some of the first aisles are smaller in size than the at least some of the second aisles.

10. A system comprising:
a container having a width, a length greater than the width, and a height, the container having a first long side and a second long side parallel to the length;
a plurality of racks organized in rows parallel to the width of the container such that each row of the rows includes more than one rack of the plurality of racks, each rack of the plurality of racks receptive to installation of electronic equipment along a height of each rack parallel to the height of the container;
a plurality of heat exchangers, each heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers installed within a different rack of the plurality of racks;
a plu

Assignees

• Wormsbecher Paul A
• Mcknight Gregory J
• Miller Michael S
• Mahaney Howard V
• Lenovo Entpr Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Wormsbecher Paul A
• Mcknight Gregory J
• Miller Michael S
• Mahaney Howard V

Classifications

• H05K7/1497 Primary

  Rooms for data centers; Shipping containers therefor · CPC title