Air barrier for datacenter usage which automatically retracts when fire sprinklers are activated

Abstract

An air barrier structure located in an airflow passageway for datacenter usage, which is automatically retractable upon activation of fire sprinklers in the event of a conflagration. The barrier structure is a shade-type roll up member, which in the absence of any complex mechanical structure, will automatically retract about a spring-loaded roller upon the activation of a fire sprinkler, and whereby the barrier incorporates water-soluble structural aspects which will facilitate such automatic retraction upon being impinged upon and dissolved by a flow of water emanating from the fire sprinkler.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to an air barrier structure located in an air flow passageway for datacenter usage, which is automatically retractable upon activation of fire sprinklers in the event of a conflagration.[0003]In the present state of the data processing technology, large datacenters are employed, which require the consumption of huge amounts of electricity, and thereby frequently necessitate that extensive amounts of air be conveyed across computer racks of such datacenters in order to conduct heat that is generated by the electronic components in the computer racks to computer room air conditioner units (CRAC), or to other suitable air cooling arrangements.[0004]2. Discussion of the Prior Art[0005]A problem which is frequently encountered in such datacenter installations is an undesirable mixing of flows of air of widely divergent temperatures emanating from hot-air aisles and from cold-air aisles between t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]Accordingly, pursuant to the present invention, in order to obtain the desired functions in separating the air flows between the hot-air and cold-air aisles, of the computer racks, there are provided suitable barriers which will permit fire sprinklers to operate efficiently in quenching fires or conflagrations which may be encountered in the datacenters without such barriers creating obstructions.

[0010]Although different concepts can be applied in the forming of retractable and / or collapsible barriers, pursuant to the invention, a generally simple and flexible structure resides in a so-called “window-shade” style device with a spring-loaded cylinder about which there is wrapped a barrier material. This design allows the extension of the shade-like barrier to be easily varied so that any available space can be blocked, up to the maximum length of the extended barrier. However, a typical roll-up window shade normally incorporates a clutch mechanism that prevents the shade from retracting once it has been pulled down. Typically the shade is manually retracted by extending it slightly and then quickly releasing it to thereby unlatch the clutch mechanism. Such a manual approach is obviously unacceptable in a datacenter, where automatic retraction of the barrier must be triggered by activation of the fire sprinklers.

Problems solved by technology

Such a manual approach is obviously unacceptable in a datacenter, where automatic retraction of the barrier must be triggered by activation of the fire sprinklers.

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