Phase change material-based data center cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9681589-B1
Application number	US-201213626711-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 25, 2012
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

A data center includes an air handling system and a thermal energy receptacle system. The air handling system moves air across heat producing components of electrical systems in the data center. The thermal energy receptacle system is coupled to the air handling system. The thermal energy receptacle system includes one or more heat exchangers that exchange heat between air moving through the air handling system and a fluid, one or more phase change material modules including phase change material, and a fluid transport system that transports fluid between the phase change material modules and the heat exchangers. The thermal energy receptacle system transfers heat from air passing over the one or more heat exchangers to at least one of the phase change material modules such that at least a portion of the phase change material changes phase.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center, comprising:
an air handling system configured to move air across heat producing components of electrical systems in the data center; and
a thermal energy receptacle system coupled to the air handling system, wherein the thermal energy receptacle system comprises:
one or more phase change material modules, at least one of the one or more phase change materials modules comprising:
a container; and
an arrangement of a plurality of phase change material elements spaced within the container, wherein each of the plurality of phase change material elements contains phase change material; and
a fluid transport system configured to transport fluid between the one or more phase change material modules and one or more heat exchangers, wherein the one or more heat exchangers are in fluid communication with air moving through the air handling system, wherein the fluid of the fluid transport system flows through the one or more heat exchangers, and wherein heat is exchanged from the air moving through the air handling system to the fluid of the fluid transport system flowing though the one or more heat exchangers to cool the air moving through the air handling system; and

wherein the thermal energy receptacle system is configured to transfer heat from air passing over the one or more heat exchangers to at least one of the phase change material modules such that at least a portion of the phase change material changes phase.

2. The data center of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the phase change material modules comprises:
one or more containers configured to hold at least a portion of the fluid; and
one or more of the phase change material elements at least partially in the one or more containers, wherein the one or more phase change material elements are configured to receive heat from at least a portion of the fluid in the one or more containers.

3. The data center of claim 1 , further comprising a control system configured to control transfer of heat between the air moving through the air handling system and at least a portion of the phase change material.

4. The data center of claim 1 , wherein thermal energy receptacle system is configured to increase removal of heat from the air moving through the air handling system when one or more measured air temperatures in or near the data center are above a predetermined threshold.

5. A system, comprising:
an air handling system configured to move air across heat producing components of electrical systems; and
a thermal energy receptacle system coupled to the air handling system, wherein the thermal energy receptacle system comprises one or more phase change material modules comprising:
a container, and
an arrangement of a plurality of phase change material elements spaced within the container, wherein each of the plurality of phase change material elements contains phase change material, and

a fluid transport system configured to transport a fluid between the one or more phase change material modules and one or more heat exchangers;
wherein the one or more heat exchangers are in fluid communication with the air moving through the air handling system, wherein the fluid of the fluid transport system flows through the one or more heat exchangers, and wherein heat is exchanged from the air moving through the air handling system to the fluid of the fluid transport system flowing though the one or more heat exchangers to cool the air moving through the air handling system; and
wherein the thermal energy receptacle system is configured to transfer heat from the air moving through the air handling system to at least one of the phase change material modules such that at least a portion of the phase change material changes phase.

6. The system of claim 5 ,
wherein at least one of the phase change material modules is configured to receive heat from the fluid such that at least the portion of the phase change material melts.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid transported between the air moving through the air handling system and at least of the one or more phase change material modules comprises air.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the fluid transported between the air moving through the air handling system and at least one of the one or more phase change material modules comprises a liquid.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the thermal energy receptacle system comprises a pump configured to move the fluid over at least some of the phase change material elements.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the one or more phase change material modules comprises:
one or more of the containers configured to hold the fluid; and
one or more of the phase change material elements comprising phase change material, wherein the phase change material elements are configured to receive heat from at least a portion of the fluid in the one or more containers.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the phase change material modules comprises one or more tubes configured to transport the fluid over at least some of the phase change material elements.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein thermal energy receptacle system comprises the one or more heat exchangers configured to exchange the heat between the air moving through the air handling system and at least a portion of the fluid.

13. The system of claim 6 , wherein thermal energy receptacle system comprises the one or more heat exchangers configured to exchange the heat between outdoor air and at least a portion of the fluid.

14. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a control system configured to control transfer of heat between the air moving through the air handling system and at least a portion of the phase change material.

15. The system of claim 14 ,
wherein the system is configured to be deployed within a data center, and
wherein the control system is configured to:
sense at least one of characteristic of air in or near the data center; and
change a rate of transfer of heat from the air to the phase change material based on predetermined characteristics of the air.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the control system is configured to increase heat removal by the thermal energy receptacle system from air moving in the data center when an air temperature is above a predetermined level.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the control system is configured to add or remove one or more of the phase change material elements from thermal communication with one or more fluids.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein control system is configured control the thermal energy receptacle system based on a periodic cycle.

19. The system of claim 5 , wherein the air handling system further comprises one or more mechanical cooling systems configured to remove heat from the air moving through the air handling system.

20. The system of claim 5 , wherein the system comprises a data center, wherein the data center comprises one or more computing rooms, wherein at least some of the heat producing components are in the computing room, wherein the system further comprises a mixing plenum configured to mix outside air with air returned from at least one of the one or more computing rooms of the data center, wherein the thermal energy receptacle system is configured to exchange heat with air mixed in the mixing plenum.

21. The system of claim 5 , wherein the air handling system is configurable to receive heat from the fluid such that at least a portion o

Assignees

• Ross Peter G
• Hamilton James R
• Czamara Michael P
• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ross Peter G
• Hamilton James R
• Czamara Michael P

Classifications

• H05K7/2029

  using a liquid coolant with phase change in electronic enclosures (in cabinets of standardized dimensions H05K7/20536; in server cabinets H05K7/20709; in vehicle electronic casings H05K7/20845; in power control electronics H05K7/2089; in displays H05K7/20954) · CPC title

• H05K7/208 Primary

  Liquid cooling with phase change · CPC title

• H05K7/2079 Primary

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets · CPC title

• H05K7/20836

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

• H05K7/20745

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