Floor-mounted fan unit and server room

Abstract

The objective is to provide a floor-mounted fan unit and server room that can efficiently cool high-load and ultra-high-load servers with high power consumption, while minimizing the impact on other servers. [Solution] The floor fan unit (W fan unit 200) according to the present invention is a floor fan unit that is placed in a hole 104a formed in the floor 104 of the floor 102 and blows air into the floor, comprising an opening panel (panel 210) placed in the hole, a grating 220 placed in the opening of the opening panel, and a blower device 230 including two centrifugal fans 232a and 232b attached to the back surface of the opening panel, wherein the blower device 230 blows parallel airflows from the two centrifugal fans 232a and 232b through the grating 220 to the floor 102.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a floor blowing fan unit disposed in a hole formed in the floor of a floor and blowing air into the floor, and a server room including the same.

Background Art

[0002] A server room is a dedicated room where servers are installed. As one of the air conditioning systems for such a server room, for example, a computer room air conditioning system is proposed in Patent Document 1. The computer room air conditioning system of Patent Document 1 includes "a group of equipment racks installed on both sides with a passage having an internal space under the floor, and an air conditioner. The cooling air blown out from the air conditioner flows through the internal space and is blown out onto the floor of the passage through holes provided in the floor surface of the passage. After this cooling air cools the equipment housed in the rack, it flows through the space above the rack and is sucked again into the air conditioner."

[0003] In recent years, with the increase in data processing speed and data processing volume, high-load servers capable of handling higher loads than conventional servers (hereinafter referred to as standard servers) have become widespread. Since high-load servers generate more heat than standard servers, when using a conventional technology such as that of Patent Document 1, control is performed to provide cold air with an air volume suitable for cooling the high-load servers throughout the server room. However, with such control, more cold air than necessary is supplied to the standard servers, resulting in increased power costs.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 2 proposes "an underfloor air conditioning system in which racks containing multiple servers are placed on the floor of an air-conditioned room, and cool air is blown from the underfloor space into the air-conditioned room to regulate the temperature of the servers, wherein the power required for supplying cool air is reduced and the occurrence of hot spots is prevented by adjusting the amount of cool air blown out in front of the racks containing the servers according to the operating status of the servers."

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes a floor fan installed in the underfloor space. With this configuration, it is thought that power costs can be reduced by providing a volume of cool air corresponding to the heat generated by standard servers to the server rack room, while also providing a larger volume of cool air to the server racks and surrounding areas of high-load servers compared to other areas. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-184070 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-226737 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] In recent years, services that require even more demanding processing than before, such as generative AI, have become available. To run such services, high-performance server machines with high processing power, so to speak, ultra-high-load servers, are required. Ultra-high-load servers consume power dramatically more than before; while the power consumption of the aforementioned high-load servers was around 2kW, the power consumption of ultra-high-load servers now exceeds 10kW.

[0008] The floor fan that supplies airflow in a vertical vector direction, as used in the technology described in Patent Document 2, was effective in reducing heat generated by high-load servers, but insufficient as a cooling measure for ultra-high-load servers. Furthermore, server rooms contain many conventional (low-load) standard servers, with a small number of ultra-high-load servers placed among them. It has become clear that operating ultra-high-load servers in the current situation may have adverse effects on standard servers.

[0009] For example, in ultra-high-load servers, the number of built-in cooling fans is increased in proportion to the amount of heat generated, which increases the intake volume of the ultra-high-load server. This causes a problem where the air pressure in surrounding standard servers decreases due to the ejector effect, making it difficult to draw in air and reducing their cooling capacity.

[0010] Furthermore, with extremely high-load servers, the exhaust volume also increases, which can cause exhaust to recirculate into the intake side within the rack. If this recirculated exhaust is drawn into a nearby standard server, the standard server will suffer from insufficient cooling.

[0011] Because ultra-high-load servers use high-performance components, even if the cooling airflow to an ultra-high-load server is reduced, it can withstand a certain degree of temperature rise. This may help avoid the ejector effect and heat recirculation phenomena mentioned above. However, when an ultra-high-temperature server heats up, it creates heat pockets. If a nearby standard server draws in the air from these heat pockets, the relatively heat-sensitive standard server will not be able to withstand the temperature rise, resulting in malfunctions or shutdowns.

[0012] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a floor-mounted fan unit and server room that can efficiently cool high-load servers and ultra-high-load servers with high power consumption, while suppressing the impact on other servers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] To solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the floor fan unit according to the present invention is a floor fan unit that is placed in a hole formed in the floor of a floor and blows air into the floor, comprising: a panel with an opening placed in the hole; a grating placed in the opening of the panel with an opening; and a blower device including two centrifugal fans attached to the back surface of the panel with an opening, wherein the blower device blows parallel airflows from the two centrifugal fans through the grating to the floor.

[0014] The above-mentioned blower should preferably be able to be fixed to a panel with an opening at an angle that can be adjusted.

[0015] The blower may be equipped with a DC motor that drives a centrifugal fan and an AC adapter that is mounted on the back of the panel with an opening and supplies power to the DC motor.

[0016] To solve the above problems, a typical server room configuration according to the present invention is characterized by comprising the floor-blowing fan unit described above, and blowing the airflow from the floor-blowing fan unit toward a predetermined server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a floor-mounted fan unit and server room that can efficiently cool high-load servers and ultra-high-load servers with high power consumption, while suppressing the impact on other servers. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the server room according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the fan unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a disassembled perspective view of the blower unit. [Figure 4] This diagram schematically illustrates the airflow generated by a blower. [Figure 5]This is a diagram for explaining the comparative test between the examples and the comparative examples. [Figure 6] This is a thermographic image measuring the exhaust temperature at the rack outlet (hot aisle side) in the examples and Comparative Examples 1 - 6. [Figure 7] This is a thermographic image measuring the ambient temperature inside the server rack in the examples and Comparative Example 6.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0020] (Server Room 100) FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the server room 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) is an overall view of the server room 100. FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing the state of observing the server room 100 from the front side of the rack 110b. In FIG. 1(a), two racks 110a and 110b are installed in the server room 100, but the number of racks is merely an example and can be arbitrarily changed.

[0021] Also, in FIG. 1(b), a configuration in which 25 servers (24 standard servers 112 and 1 ultra - high - load server 114) are accommodated in one rack is illustrated, but this is not limiting either. The number of servers accommodated in one rack can also be appropriately changed. Further, in this embodiment, the ultra - high - load server 114 is illustrated, but instead, a configuration in which a high - load server is installed may be adopted.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1(a), the server room 100 has two racks, 110a and 110b, which serve as multiple racks. As shown in Figure 1(b), rack 110a houses 25 standard servers 112, which serve as multiple servers. Rack 110b houses 24 standard servers 112 and 1 ultra-high load server 114, which serve as multiple servers. Hereafter, when standard servers 112 and ultra-high load servers 114 are not distinguished, they will simply be referred to as servers.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1(a), the server room 100 has a double-floor structure, with an underfloor space 106 formed beneath the floor 104 of floor 102. Passageways are located between the multiple racks 110a and 110b, and floor fans 120 and the floor-blowing fan unit of this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the W-fan unit 200) are placed in the underfloor space 106 corresponding to the passageways.

[0024] More specifically, as shown in Figure 1(b), for rows containing only standard servers 112, a floor fan 120 is positioned in the underfloor space 106, having an opening that serves as an air outlet and supplying some vertical airflow. In contrast, for rows containing ultra-high load servers 114, the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment is positioned in the underfloor space 106.

[0025] Within floor 102, the passage between racks 110a and 110b is a cold aisle because it is ventilated by floor fan 120 and W fan unit 200. The air vented by floor fan 120 and W fan unit 200 is supplied to the servers and exhausted to the opposite side by the servers' built-in cooling fans. Therefore, the space on the opposite side of the servers (the space opposite the passage) becomes a hot aisle.

[0026] Because the air in the hot aisle is hot, it rises within the server room 100 and is drawn in by the air conditioner 130. There, the air is cooled and supplied as cool air to the underfloor space 106.

[0027] (W Fan Unit 200) Figure 2 illustrates the W-fan unit 200 according to this embodiment. Figure 2(a) is an overall perspective view of the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment. Figure 2(b) is an overall perspective view of the W-fan unit 200 with a panel with an opening shown transparently.

[0028] The W fan unit 200 of this embodiment is placed in a hole 104a (see Figure 1) formed in the floor 104 of the floor 102 and blows air into the floor 102. As shown in Figure 2(a), the W fan unit 200 of this embodiment is composed of a panel with an opening (hereinafter referred to as panel 210), a grating 220, and a blower 230.

[0029] Panel 210 is a component placed in the hole 104a of the floor 104 of the floor 102, and has an opening 212 in the center that serves as an air vent. Grating 220 is a metal component placed in the opening 212 of panel 210. Grating 220 has a plurality of bearing bars 222 arranged in a direction that does not obstruct the airflow of the air supplied from the blower 230, and a cross bar 224 that connects and reinforces the plurality of bearing bars 222.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2(b), the blower 230 consists of two centrifugal fans 232a and 232b mounted on the back surface of the panel 210. Also mounted on the back surface of the panel 210 are two DC motors 234a and 234b, which drive the two centrifugal fans 232a and 232b respectively, and an AC adapter 260 that supplies power to the DC motors 234a and 234b.

[0031] As described above, by providing the AC adapter 260, the W fan unit 200 can be disconnected from the commercial power supply. Therefore, even if the DC motors 234a and 234b are short-circuited due to water splashing on the W fan unit 200, the fuse or other means can interrupt the circuit, preventing the commercial power supply circuit breaker of the server rack 110 from tripping.

[0032] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the blower 230. As shown in Figure 3, the blower 230 includes fan-side brackets 236a and 236b positioned on the left and right sides of the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b, and panel-side brackets 240a and 240b that connect the panel 210 (see Figure 2(a)) to the fan-side brackets 236a and 236b.

[0033] The fan-side bracket 236a and panel-side bracket 240a, and the fan-side bracket 236b and panel-side bracket 240b, are configured symmetrically. Therefore, the following description will use the fan-side bracket 236b and panel-side bracket 240b as examples.

[0034] The fan-side bracket 236b has a shaft hole 237 through which the rotating shaft 252 is inserted, and an arc groove 238 through which the wing nut 254 can move. The panel-side bracket 240b is a substantially L-shaped member consisting of a mounting surface 242 which is the mounting point to the panel 210, and a contact surface 244 which abuts against the fan-side bracket 236b. The contact surface 244 has a shaft hole 247 through which the rotating shaft 252 is inserted, and a screw groove 248 into which the wing nut 254 can be screwed.

[0035] According to the above configuration, the fan-side bracket 236b, and consequently the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b, can rotate around the rotation axis 252 inserted through the shaft holes 247 and 237 relative to the panel-side bracket 240b. The angle of the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b is then fixed by tightening the wing nuts 254 when the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b reach the desired angle relative to the panel-side bracket 240b (the angle at which the airflow is directed towards the ultra-high-load server 114).

[0036] Since the panel-side bracket 240b is a component fixed to the panel 210, if the angles of the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b are variable relative to the panel-side bracket 240b, then the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b can also be fixed to the panel 210 in an angle-variable manner. This makes it possible to adjust the airflow angle of the centrifugal fans 232a and 232b that blow air onto the floor 102 to a desired angle.

[0037] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the airflow supplied from the blower 230. Airflow A supplied from centrifugal fan 232a and airflow B supplied from centrifugal fan 232b are delivered to the floor 102 as parallel airflows (two laminar flows). The outlets of centrifugal fans 232a and 232b are elongated, and the parallel airflows form a thin, wide air curtain. At this time, the space C between airflows A and B is sealed, so when airflows A and B attempt to separate, the pressure in space C decreases. This generates an attractive force in space C, suppressing the separation of airflows A and B. As a result, the straightness and reach of the parallel airflows (two laminar flows) are greatly improved.

[0038] As described above, the blower 230 of this embodiment can blow a highly directional, parallel airflow. Therefore, in the server room 100 shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), by providing the W fan unit 200 in the underfloor space 106 of the row containing the ultra-high load server 114 of rack 110b, the highly directional, parallel airflow from the two centrifugal fans of the W fan unit 200 can be blown through the grating 220 to the ultra-high load server (a predetermined server) in the floor 102. This makes it possible to efficiently cool the ultra-high load server and suppress the impact on other servers.

[0039] (Comparative test of examples and comparative examples) Figure 5 illustrates a comparative test of an example and a comparative example, with Figure 5(a) showing the hot aisle side and Figure 5(b) showing the cold aisle side. In the comparative test, one row of 1800mm server racks 110 was used, and the heat generated by the server was reproduced using a hot water heat exchanger. A simulated high-load server 140 (hot water heat exchanger with exhaust temperature of 60°C) was placed in the middle section of the server rack 110. Simulated standard servers 142 (hot water heat exchanger with exhaust temperature of 30°C) were placed in the upper and lower sections of the server rack 110, respectively.

[0040] In this embodiment, the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment is installed in the underfloor space 106. The W-fan unit 200 provides airflow to high-load servers. The airflow speed is set to approximately 6 m / sec (approximately 4 m / sec when reaching the rack), the airflow volume to 9 m³ / min, and the power consumption is 31 W (24V).

[0041] Comparative Example 1 was a configuration in which no fans were installed at all.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5(a), Comparative Example 2 is configured in which the top fan 152 is installed on the top surface of the server rack 110. The top fan 152 blows air vertically from the inside to the outside of the rack. The wind speed is set to approximately 3 m / sec, the air volume to 18 m³ / min, and the power consumption is 21 W (12V).

[0043] Comparative Example 3 involved installing the door fan 154 on the door (hot aisle side) of the server rack 110. The door fan 154 blows air from the inside to the outside of the rack. The air velocity was set to approximately 4 m / sec, the air volume to 2 m³ / min, and the power consumption was 12 W (24V).

[0044] As shown in Figure 5(b), Comparative Example 4 is configured with the floor fan 120 installed in the underfloor space 106. The floor fan 120 blows air perpendicular to the floor 104. The wind speed is set to approximately 3 m / sec, the air volume to 18 m³ / min, and the power consumption is 21 W (12V). The floor fan 120 is placed in the same position as the fan unit 200 in the embodiment, so the experiment was conducted by swapping them.

[0045] Comparative Example 5 involved installing the circulator 156 on the cold aisle side of the server rack 110. The circulator 156 provided airflow to the simulated high-load server 140. The airflow speed was set to approximately 6 m / sec (approximately 2 m / sec upon reaching the rack), the airflow volume to 11 m³ / min, and the power consumption was 32 W (100V).

[0046] Comparative Example 6 involved installing the door fan 154 on the door (cold aisle side) of the server rack 110. The door fan 154 provided airflow to the simulated high-load server 140. The airflow speed was set to approximately 6 m / sec, the air volume to 8 m³ / min, and the power consumption was 50 W (100V).

[0047] Figure 6 shows thermographic images of the exhaust temperature at the rack outlet (hot aisle side of the rack) measured in Examples and Comparative Examples 1-6. For Examples and Comparative Examples 1-6, the experiment was conducted with only one of the systems in operation. Figure 6(a) shows an example of the thermographic image for Examples and Comparative Examples 1-3. Figure 6(b) shows an example of the thermographic image for Examples and Comparative Examples 1, 4-6. In each thermographic image, the vertical direction indicates the rack height, and the horizontal direction indicates the position in the rack width direction. For comparison, Examples and Comparative Example 1 are shown in both Figures 6(a) and (b).

[0048] As shown in Figure 6(a), in Comparative Example 1, which has no fans installed at all, the temperature at the height (position) where the simulated high-load server 140 is located is about 55°C, and the simulated standard server 142, which is located above the simulated high-load server 140, is also hot (about 50°C) due to the heat dissipated by the simulated high-load server 140.

[0049] In Comparative Example 2, where the top fan 152 was installed on the top of the server rack 110, the temperature at the height corresponding to the simulated standard server 142 was lower than in Comparative Example 1, but there was still residual heat. In Comparative Example 3, where the door fan 154 was installed on the door (hot aisle side) of the server rack 110, the temperature distribution was almost the same as in Comparative Example 1. From this, it can be seen that the configuration of Comparative Example 3 does not completely eliminate the impact of the heat dissipation from the simulated high-load server 140 on the simulated standard server 142.

[0050] As shown in Figure 6(b), in Comparative Example 4, where the floor fan 120 is installed in the underfloor space 106, the temperature at the height corresponding to the simulated standard server 142, which is located above the simulated high-load server 140, is approximately 45°C to 50°C. Therefore, it can be seen that even in the configuration of Comparative Example 4, the influence of the heat dissipated by the simulated high-load server 140 on the simulated standard server 142 cannot be eliminated.

[0051] In Comparative Example 5, where the circulator 156 was installed on the cold aisle side of the server rack 110, the temperature at the height corresponding to the simulated standard server 142 was lower than in Comparative Example 4, but some residual heat of about 40°C remained. The circulator 156 sends out air with improved straightness through a swirling flow, but it is clear that it is not able to supply as much cool air as in the examples.

[0052] In Comparative Example 6, where the door fan 154 is installed on the door (cold aisle side) of the server rack 110, it can be seen that a large amount of heat is removed at a height equivalent to that of the simulated high-load server 140. Furthermore, in Comparative Example 6, heat at a height equivalent to that of the simulated standard server 142 is also almost completely removed.

[0053] In an embodiment in which the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment is installed in the underfloor space 106, the temperature at the height corresponding to the simulated high-load server 140 is approximately 55°C, while the temperature at the height corresponding to the simulated standard server 142 is approximately 30°C. From this, it can be seen that the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment can eliminate the effect of exhaust heat on the simulated standard server 142, which is positioned above the simulated high-load server 140.

[0054] The above experiment showed that the W-fan unit 200 in the example was effective, and that comparative example 6 was highly effective. Next, we will further compare the example and comparative example 6.

[0055] Figure 7 shows thermographic images of the ambient temperature inside the server rack 110 in Example 6 and Comparative Example 6. Figure 7(a) is a thermographic image of the ambient temperature on the hot aisle side inside the server rack 110. Figure 7(b) is a thermographic image of the ambient temperature on the cold aisle side inside the server rack 110. In each thermographic image, the vertical direction indicates the rack height, and the horizontal direction indicates the elapsed time.

[0056] As shown in Figure 7(a), on the hot aisle side inside the server rack 110, high-temperature air accumulates in the upper part of the inside of the server rack 110. This high-temperature air can be removed by activating the W fan unit 200 of the embodiment and the door fan 154 of comparative example 6. The embodiment is also effective, but comparative example 6 is certainly more effective.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7(b), on the cold aisle side inside the server rack 110, the exhaust heat (high-temperature air) from the simulated high-load server 140 flows back and accumulates in the upper part of the inside of the server rack 110. Even when the door fan 154 of Comparative Example 6 is started, the high-temperature air in the upper part of the inside of the server rack 110 is not removed and remains.

[0058] In contrast, when the W-fan unit 200 of the embodiment is activated, the hot air from the upper part of the inside of the server rack 110 is removed. Considering this, it is thought that the door fan 154 of comparative example 6 has too strong a localized airflow, causing it to wrap around the fan.

[0059] From these observations, it can be understood that the W-fan unit 200 of this embodiment makes it possible to remove the high-temperature air that has been backflowed by the exhaust heat (high-temperature air) from the exhaust heat of the simulated high-load server 140 on the cold aisle side inside the server rack 110, while eliminating the effect of exhaust heat on the simulated high-load server 140 on the simulated standard server 142 which is positioned above the simulated high-load server 140 at the rack exit (hot aisle side).

[0060] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be used as a floor-blowing fan unit that is placed in a hole formed in the floor and blows air into the floor, and as a server room equipped with the same. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0062] 100…Server room, 102…Floor, 104…Floor, 104a…Hole, 106…Underfloor space, 110…Server rack, 110a…Rack, 110b…Rack, 112…Standard server, 114…Ultra-high load server, 120…Floor fan, 130…Air conditioner, 140…Simulated high load server, 142…Simulated standard server, 152…Top fan, 154…Door fan, 156…Circulator, 200…W fan unit, 210…Panel, 212…Opening, 220…Grating, 222… Bearing bar, 224…Crossbar, 230…Blower, 232a…Centrifugal fan, 232b…Centrifugal fan, 234a…DC motor, 234b…DC motor, 236a…Fan-side bracket, 236b…Fan-side bracket, 237…Shaft hole, 238…Arc groove, 240a…Panel-side bracket, 240b…Panel-side bracket, 242…Mounting surface, 244…Contact surface, 247…Shaft hole, 248…Screw groove, 252…Rotation shaft, 254…Wing nut, 260…AC adapter, A…Airflow, B…Airflow, C…Space

Claims

1. A floor-blowing fan unit that is placed in a hole formed in the floor and blows air into the floor, A panel with an opening is placed in the aforementioned hole, A grating placed in the opening of the aforementioned panel with an opening, A blower including two centrifugal fans attached to the back surface of the aforementioned panel with an opening, Equipped with, The blower is a floor-blowing fan unit characterized by blowing parallel airflows from the two centrifugal fans onto the floor through the grating.

2. The floor fan unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the blower can be fixed to the panel with an opening at an angle that is variable.

3. A DC motor attached to the blower device and driving the centrifugal fan, The floor fan unit according to claim 1, further comprising an AC adapter attached to the back surface of the panel with an opening to supply power to the DC motor.

4. A server room comprising the floor-blowing fan unit described in claim 1, characterized in that the airflow from the floor-blowing fan unit is blown toward a predetermined server.

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