Multi-level standby system for data center

Abstract

A first battery of a battery system can include a thermoelectric component (TEC) that generates electrical energy from thermal energy generated by the first battery. The TEC is used to charge a second battery of the battery system while maintaining appropriate thermal conditions for the first battery. The battery system can be used to support information technology (IT) equipment by acting as a backup power source during power outages and / or providing supplemental power during peak power conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to a two-stage battery system that can power information technology (IT) equipment in a data center. Background Technology

[0002] Information technology (IT) includes technologies such as computers that can be accessed via the Internet or local networks, providing storage or access to data, websites, computer programs, etc.

[0003] IT equipment such as servers can perform critical operations that need to continue even when grid power becomes unavailable (e.g., during power outages or maintenance). Batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, can provide the necessary backup power, keeping IT equipment running critically when the main power source (e.g., the grid) fails.

[0004] When batteries operate (e.g., charging or discharging), they generate heat. The higher the current and the greater the battery's internal resistance, the more heat (e.g., watts) is generated. This heat, which is typically lost, can damage batteries, shorten their lifespan, and reduce the overall efficiency of the data center. Cooling is necessary to maintain the batteries' storage temperature and prevent them from overheating. Therefore, the development of data centers requires effective energy storage management.

[0005] The battery compartment can house backup batteries for centralized battery management. Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time (e.g., their energy storage capacity decreases). The rate of degradation typically depends on the battery's storage temperature. Higher storage temperatures generally lead to faster degradation, but the facility requires less cooling effort to maintain this temperature. Therefore, batteries also need to be managed in a way that takes into account both battery degradation and the amount of cooling required.

[0006] Developing advanced technologies to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and mitigate the environmental impact of operating large-scale IT clusters is becoming increasingly important. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In a first aspect, a battery system is provided, comprising:

[0008] A first battery having one or more battery cells;

[0009] A thermoelectric assembly (TEC) having thermoelectric material to form a hot zone and a cold zone, the hot zone being thermally connected to a region of a first battery, wherein the TEC is configured to generate a first voltage based on a temperature difference between the hot zone and the cold zone due to a thermoelectric effect;

[0010] A voltage converter coupled to the TEC to boost the first voltage generated by the TEC to produce a second voltage higher than the first voltage; and

[0011] A second battery is electrically connected to the output of the voltage converter, wherein the second voltage is used to charge the second battery.

[0012] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to electrically connect the first battery to the IT equipment when there is no main power supply or when the power demand of the data center's information technology (IT) equipment exceeds a threshold.

[0013] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to electrically connect the second battery to the IT device or a portion thereof.

[0014] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to maintain an optimal ambient temperature for storing the first battery, the optimal ambient temperature being determined based on an estimated workload for cooling the first battery, an estimated capacity of the first battery relative to storage duration and temperature, and the thermal characteristics of the TEC.

[0015] In some embodiments, the air cooling system directs air at the cold zone or at the cold plate of the cold zone connected to the TEC.

[0016] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling system circulates fluid through one or more channels thermally coupled to the cold zone or thermally connected to the cold plate of the cold zone.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first battery and the second battery are located in a battery room of a data center and electrically connected to IT equipment in an IT room of the data center, and the controller is configured to manage the temperature in the battery room via a fan or air conditioner.

[0018] In some embodiments, the battery system further includes a third battery electrically connected to the voltage output terminal of the voltage converter.

[0019] In some embodiments, the switch alternates between a) the connection between the second battery and the IT device and b) the connection between the third battery and the IT device.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first battery uses the TEC instead of another cooling structure to cool the first battery.

[0021] In a second aspect, a data center is provided, comprising:

[0022] Information technology (IT) equipment; and

[0023] The battery system according to any embodiment of the first aspect described above

[0024] The first battery of the battery system has one or more battery cells to provide power to the IT equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0025] These aspects are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “one” aspect of this disclosure do not necessarily refer to the same aspect; they mean at least one aspect. Furthermore, for the sake of brevity and to reduce the total number of figures, a given figure may be used to illustrate features of more than one aspect, and not all elements in the figure are required for a given aspect.

[0026] Figure 1 A battery system with a thermoelectric component (TEC) is shown according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 2 A data center according to some embodiments is shown.

[0028] Figure 3 The relationship between storage time and battery capacity is shown.

[0029] Figure 4 This illustrates the relationship between battery cycle life and discharge capacity.

[0030] Figure 5 A method for managing battery status according to some embodiments is shown.

[0031] Figure 6 An exemplary IT rack according to some embodiments is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Several aspects of this disclosure will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. Where the shape, relative position, and other aspects of the components described in a given aspect are not explicitly defined, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the components shown, which are for illustrative purposes only. Furthermore, while many details are set forth, it should be understood that certain aspects can be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid confusion with the understanding of this specification. Moreover, unless there is a clear contrary meaning, all scopes listed herein are to be considered to include the endpoints of the respective scopes.

[0033] The use of "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" in the specification means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0034] Data centers can house and manage the operation of IT equipment. Data centers may include battery systems to act as backup and / or supplemental power for the IT equipment. For example, the IT equipment may be powered by the public power grid. If the public power fails, the IT equipment can be powered by the battery system. Additionally, or optionally, the battery system can supplement the public power grid (or other power sources) during peak power demand periods, which may occur when the IT equipment is providing particularly power-intensive services.

[0035] Due to the current and internal resistance of the battery and hardware, batteries generate heat during operation (charging and / or discharging). This heat can reduce the operational efficiency of a data center, especially with frequent battery cycles (charging and discharging). To mitigate this efficiency loss, some of this heat can be collected and stored.

[0036] The battery system may include a first battery having one or more battery cells; a thermoelectric assembly (TEC) having thermoelectric material to form hot and cold zones, the hot zones being thermally connected to a region of the first battery, wherein the TEC is configured to generate a first voltage based on a temperature difference between the hot and cold zones due to a thermoelectric effect; a voltage converter coupled to the TEC to boost the first voltage generated by the TEC to generate a second voltage higher than the first voltage; and a second battery electrically connected to the output of the voltage converter, wherein the second voltage is used to charge the second battery. In this way, heat energy generated by the first battery (e.g., a main battery module) can be harvested to charge the second battery (an auxiliary battery module). This energy can then be used to power IT equipment, thereby improving the efficiency of the battery system.

[0037] Figure 1 A battery system with thermoelectric components according to some embodiments is illustrated. A first battery may house one or more battery cells 110. The battery cells may have a lithium-ion based chemistry. Thermoelectric component 104 may have thermoelectric material forming a hot zone 108 and a cold zone 106. The hot zone may be connected to or located within the housing of the first battery (e.g., thermally connected to one or more battery cells via a hot plate). The cold zone may be external to the first battery and / or connected to a cold plate 112 to manage the temperature difference between the hot and cold zones. The thermoelectric component may include a semiconductor region 107 sandwiched between the hot and cold zones, comprising one or more P-junctions and one or more N-junctions. The P-junctions and N-junctions may be electrically connected in series and / or in parallel and electrically connected to a TEC terminal 144. Each hot and cold zone may be formed by corresponding plates (planar shapes) sandwiching the semiconductor region on opposite sides. The thermoelectric component, also referred to as a thermoelectric cooler or Peltier module, has semiconductor components arranged to generate electricity via the Peltier effect, Seebeck effect, and / or Thomson effect.

[0038] When heat is transferred from a hot zone to a cold zone, a potential is generated at the TEC terminals due to the thermoelectric effect (e.g., Seebeck effect) from the thermoelectric material. The greater the heat difference, the greater the power output of the TEC. The TEC terminals can be electrically connected to voltage converter 107, thereby serving as the input voltage for the voltage converter.

[0039] A voltage converter may include one or more power switching devices (e.g., MOSFETs, transistors, IGBTs, and / or other semiconductor devices), one or more inductors, diodes, capacitors, resistors, and other passive or active electronic components interconnected in the circuit to boost an input voltage to an output voltage. In some embodiments, the voltage converter may include a boost converter circuit that includes a single low-side control FET. In some embodiments, the voltage converter includes a synchronous boost converter circuit or other equivalent electronics.

[0040] Based on the operation of the voltage converter, the output voltage of the voltage converter is boosted to a voltage higher than the input voltage. For example, the duty cycle of one or more power switching devices of the voltage converter can control how much the input voltage is boosted to produce the output voltage. The desired output voltage can be determined based on the voltage of the second battery 146 connected to the output voltage of the voltage converter. The output voltage of the voltage converter can be regulated to be slightly higher than the input voltage of the second battery to drive current into the second battery, thereby charging the second battery. The output voltage can be current-controlled (e.g., based on feedback of how much current is fed into the second battery). Various control techniques and circuits can be implemented to charge the second battery from the TEC output without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0041] Similar to the first battery, the second battery 146 may also include one or more battery cells 144, which may have a lithium-ion-based chemistry. Each of the first and second batteries may have a capacity based on the application and requirements. For example, if an IT device requires 12 minutes of backup power under a 1000-ampere load, and an IT cluster (a group of IT devices in a data center) is designed to accommodate 10 first batteries, then each first battery may be 120 watt-hours in size. Each first battery may have a corresponding second battery associated with it. The second battery may have a smaller capacitance than the first battery, for example, one-quarter or less of the capacitance of the first battery.

[0042] The first battery may include a battery casing housing the respective battery cells and related electronics collectively referred to as a BMS (Battery Management System), which performs battery cell monitoring, battery cell balancing, and / or communication with external devices or controllers. The second battery may include its own casing and BMS. However, in some embodiments, the second battery and the first battery may share the casing and BMS.

[0043] In some embodiments, the first battery is cooled using a TEC (Cooling Device) instead of another cooling structure. For example, no other cooling system (such as another cooling plate) is attached to the first battery. Otherwise, another cooling system might extract heat from the first battery, thereby reducing the power generated by the TEC. The cold plate 112 can be another type of cooling component or cooling device used in other cooling technologies.

[0044] A first battery may be electrically connected to IT device 150. A second battery may be electrically connected to IT device 160. IT devices 150 and 160 may be the same or different. In some embodiments, IT device 160 is a subset of IT device 150, for example, a device considered critical or very important. The first and second batteries may be combined or used alternately to power the IT devices.

[0045] Cooling system 120 can monitor and cool components of a data center, including batteries and IT equipment. In some embodiments, a cold plate 112 is connected to a cold zone 106 to help extract heat from the TEC during battery operation (keeping the cold zone cold), thereby increasing the TEC's power output. In one embodiment, the cooling system is controlled to maintain the cold plate under optimized conditions so that the semiconductor region 107 performs in the optimized region to convert heat into electrical energy. The cooling system may include a liquid cooling system, such as a pump, which circulates fluid through one or more channels to and from the cold zone or cold plate. Additionally or alternatively, the cooling system may include an air cooling system, such as a fan and / or air conditioning system that directs air at the cold zone or cold plate. The cooling system may employ one or more cooling strategies and associated hardware, as discussed further in other sections.

[0046] Note that throughout this application, TEC 104 is used as an example of a circuit that generates electrical energy based on the heat generated by the first battery and uses that electrical energy to charge a second battery or to power other components, such as IT equipment. However, due to the thermoelectric effect of the thermoelectric material, TEC 104 can also be used to operate in either a cooling or heating mode by supplying power to the TEC terminals. This thermoelectric effect is known as the Peltier effect. The direction of the current flowing through TEC 104 will cause TEC 104 to operate in either a cooling or heating mode. Therefore, depending on the operating conditions at different points in time, TEC 104 can be configured to operate in either a cooling or heating mode to cool or heat the battery 110. Alternatively, TEC 104 can also be configured as a generator, utilizing its thermoelectric effect, namely the Seebeck effect. Power is supplied to TEC 104 when cooling or heating of the battery 110 is required. When cooling or heating of the battery 110 is not required, TEC 104 can be configured to generate electrical energy to charge another component, such as the second battery 146. TEC 104 can be dynamically configured according to specific circumstances.

[0047] Thermoelectric effects refer to the phenomenon where a temperature difference generates an electric potential or an electric potential generates a temperature difference. These phenomena are more specifically called the Seebeck effect (voltage generated by a temperature difference), the Peltier effect (heat flow driven by an electric current), and the Thomson effect (reversible heating or cooling within a conductor when both a current and a temperature gradient are present). While all materials exhibit non-zero thermoelectric effects, in most they are too small to be useful. However, low-cost materials with sufficiently strong thermoelectric effects (and other desired properties) are considered for applications including power generation and refrigeration. The most commonly used thermoelectric materials are based on bismuth telluride.

[0048] Figure 2 A data center 200 according to some embodiments is illustrated. The data center may include a cooling system that manages the temperature of various data center components and / or areas, such as batteries, IT equipment, a battery room 220 housing batteries, or an IT room 240 housing IT equipment.

[0049] The cooling system may include an air conditioner 201, a fan 205, and / or a pump 203 for circulating coolant fluid. The fluid may be circulated by the pump to the battery and / or IT equipment. The fluid may also be circulated through one or more channels to the cold zones of the IT racks and / or the TEC (or cold plates connected to the cold zones), thereby removing heat from the TEC. In some embodiments, the fluid may be actively cooled by a cooler 211 or other refrigeration technologies of the cooling system.

[0050] The air conditioning system can be controlled by a cooling system to maintain the temperature of the battery or the ambient temperature where the first battery is stored (e.g., in the battery compartment) at a specified temperature. Additionally or optionally, the cooling system may include fans arranged to guide air at the cold zone of the TEC or at a cold plate connected to the cold zone of the TEC.

[0051] Sensor 240 may include a current sensor for monitoring current flowing into and out of the battery, a voltage sensor for the battery and voltage converter, and / or a temperature sensor for the ambient temperature of the battery and / or the battery or IT device.

[0052] The first and second batteries can be located in battery compartment 220 of the data center. The batteries can be electrically connected to IT equipment located in IT room 240 of the data center. Controller 206 can be configured to use fans or air conditioning to manage the temperature in the battery compartment. In some embodiments, the first battery may include a third battery 210. It can be connected to... Figure 1 The third battery is charged in a similar manner as described in [the text].

[0053] For example, a third battery can be electrically connected to the voltage output of a voltage converter that boosts the voltage output of a TEC thermally coupled to the first battery. In some embodiments, the system may include separate TEC and converter circuitry for each auxiliary battery (e.g., a TEC and converter for a second battery, another TEC and converter for a third battery, another TEC and converter for a fourth battery, etc.). Furthermore, multiple main batteries (e.g., the first battery) may be housed together in a battery compartment with their respective auxiliary batteries.

[0054] Controller 206 may include power management logic 207, which determines when and which batteries should be used to power IT equipment. The controller can manage battery charging or discharging via one or more switches 209 and 208. The switches may be solid-state relays, electromechanical relays / contactors, or other equivalent technologies.

[0055] When power source 230 is unavailable, the first battery (e.g., the main battery) can be electrically connected to the information technology (IT) equipment in the data center. For example, if the power source is public / mains power and that power is lost due to a power outage, the first battery can be used as a backup power source to maintain the services provided by the IT equipment during the outage. Additionally or optionally, the first battery can be electrically connected to the IT equipment as a supplement to the power source (e.g., in addition to the mains power source). This can be performed when the power demand of the IT equipment exceeds a threshold, such as during peak load periods of the IT equipment.

[0056] Auxiliary batteries (e.g., a second battery, a third battery) can be electrically connected to the IT equipment or a part of the IT equipment. For example, a second battery can be connected to the same IT equipment as the first battery to share the load, or connected to a separate part of the IT equipment (e.g., on a separate power bus).

[0057] One or more switches 208 and 209 may each include multiple independently controllable switches that alternately connect the second and third batteries for charging and / or discharging them. For example, when the second battery reaches a threshold charge level (e.g., becomes "fully charged"), the charging circuit for the second battery can be opened and the charging circuit for the third battery can be closed. Thus, when the second battery is fully charged, the third battery can continue to collect heat energy.

[0058] Similarly, a second battery can be connected to power the IT equipment. When the second battery discharges to a certain threshold (e.g., 10% capacity remaining or less), a third battery can be connected to the IT equipment to replace the second battery. The controller can measure the capacity based on the battery's open-circuit voltage reading and / or current monitoring.

[0059] It should be noted that, Figure 2 The diagram does not show some power electronic circuits, such as converters that convert AC / DC from power source 230 to the battery. Similarly, inverters that convert DC voltage from the battery to AC voltage to power IT devices are not shown. Such converters may include power switching devices (e.g., MOSFETs, transistors, IGBTs, and / or other semiconductor devices), diodes, capacitors, resistors, inductors, and other passive or active electronic components arranged in the converter circuit to actively rectify an AC voltage source to DC voltage, or to convert DC voltage to another DC voltage (e.g., a boost converter). Inverters may also include such electronic components arranged in inverter circuits to convert DC voltage to AC voltage.

[0060] Figure 3 The relationship between storage time and battery capacity is illustrated. This relationship depends on temperature. T1 to T5 are five exemplary battery storage temperatures arranged in ascending order. T1 represents a low temperature, and T5 represents a high temperature. For the required minimum remaining discharge capacity Cmin, the corresponding storage time (D1-D5) for each corresponding temperature can be seen. For example, D1 could represent the maximum number of days the battery can be stored at temperature T1 such that the battery still meets the minimum discharge requirement (e.g., 70% discharge capacity). Therefore, Figure 3 The results show that within the temperature range (T1-T5), the remaining discharge capacity of the battery decreases as the battery storage temperature increases (e.g., inversely proportional).

[0061] Figure 4This illustrates the relationship between battery cycle count and discharge capacity. A single battery cycle can represent the battery being charged and discharged at a relatively large percentage (e.g., 80% or higher). Cycle 1 can represent the first number of cycles at temperature T1 that satisfies Cmin. Cycle 2 can represent the second number of cycles that satisfies Cmin, less than the number of cycles in cycle 1, and so on. Cycle 5 represents the minimum number of cycles in this group. Similar to the figure above, Figure 4 The diagram shows that the remaining discharge capacity increases as the temperature decreases, and vice versa. Therefore, battery life increases with decreasing storage temperature, but this requires considerable effort.

[0062] The effort required to extend battery life by maintaining low battery storage (which can be ambient temperature or battery temperature) can be defined in various terms, such as monetary cost (e.g., the cost of electricity to power air conditioners, fans, etc.) or energy efficiency (e.g., total wattage). As discussed, the TEC operates by generating electricity from the temperature difference between the hot and cold zones of the TEC. The higher the temperature difference, the better the power generation. Therefore, a high temperature difference means that cooling the cold zone requires a significant amount of effort, which incurs costs. Thus, the optimal temperature affects the cost benefit of the energy collected by the TEC for cooling the cold zone of the TEC, although such cooling may only be needed when the battery is active.

[0063] In some embodiments, the controller is configured to maintain an optimal ambient temperature for storing the first battery. The optimal ambient temperature can be determined based on the estimated workload of cooling the first battery, the estimated capacity of the first battery relative to the storage duration and temperature, and the thermal characteristics of the TEC. The optimal ambient temperature can be determined by minimizing a cost function, which includes minimizing the workload required to cool the first battery (e.g., air conditioning, fans, etc.), minimizing the workload of replacing the first battery due to battery degradation, and maximizing the output of the TEC (which is stored as energy in the auxiliary battery). Regression (e.g., linear regression) can be used to minimize the cost function to determine the optimal ambient or battery temperature. Therefore, using the TEC to collect thermal energy can be considered when optimizing the management of the battery system. The optimization can be adaptive (e.g., time-varying), such as... Figure 5 As shown in the image.

[0064] Figure 5 A method 500 for managing battery temperature in an IT setup, according to some embodiments, is illustrated. In operation 501, temperature boundaries (e.g., a maximum temperature threshold and a minimum temperature threshold) can be predefined and set. The maximum and minimum values ​​can be set based on pre-evaluation of the battery and TEC.

[0065] In operation 502, the daily temperature setting can be fine-tuned (within the boundaries) to find the corresponding daily cooling cost and expected battery storage time. As mentioned above, the daily cooling cost can be a function of a) the workload required to cool the first battery (e.g., air conditioning, fans, etc.), b) the workload required to replace the first battery due to battery degradation, and c) the output of the TEC. Based on the daily cooling cost, the objective function can be solved by repeating operation 502 at different temperatures until the lowest daily cooling cost is found (thus minimizing the cost and solving for the optimal temperature). When substituted into the function, the optimal temperature provides the lowest cost.

[0066] After finding the optimal temperature, the method proceeds to operation 504, where the temperature is set. Cooling system parameters can be determined to automatically generate the optimal temperature setting, thereby minimizing the total cost of operation and capital costs per storage day and / or per life cycle. At this temperature setting, the energy harvesting circuitry converts the heat generated during battery discharge into electrical energy to power the load.

[0067] Cooling infrastructure consumes energy to maintain this controlled temperature, which in turn increases operating costs. Therefore, both power and energy consumption are directly proportional to the ambient temperature of the data center.

[0068] This necessitates optimization, such as those described above. For complex data center cooling infrastructures, accurate expressions can be found using actual data at different temperatures. The operating costs of a cooling system can include fans, CRAHs, coolers, etc., and can be determined as total energy (e.g., kWh) and / or the monetary cost of that total energy.

[0069] Battery storage time is limited, for example, in data center backup applications, because backup batteries need to provide a minimum capacitance, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown. The storage time before reaching Cmin (the minimum remaining capacity at the set end of the lifespan) varies at different storage temperatures. The average daily capital expenditure of the battery can be determined based on the battery's capital expenditure relative to the degradation caused by storage time.

[0070] Optimization objectives could include finding the optimal temperature that minimizes the total cost of cooling and battery capital expenditures. Figure 3 It can be seen that for different temperatures T1 to T5, the storage time varies at the minimum capacity Cmin, but is positively correlated with temperature. Therefore, to achieve high resolution, a regression model can be generated based on a finite number of temperature samples. Thus, the relationship between temperature and storage time can be found at infinite resolution for fine-tuning. For cycle-sensitive applications, a cyclic (…) model can be used. Figure 4 ) instead of storage time in days ( Figure 3And apply the same algorithm described above (but using cycles instead of storage time) to obtain the same results. For applications sensitive to both storage time and cycles, since both parameters have the same correlation with temperature, they can be combined into two parameters in the temperature function. In this case, the average capital expenditure of the battery can be determined based on the battery's capital expenditure, storage time, and number of battery cycles.

[0071] Therefore, battery systems and data centers can perform adaptive temperature control, which monitors the cooling cost at each temperature setting and compares it with the expected cost / cycle or cost / storage days to find the optimal temperature setting.

[0072] Thermoelectric components are used to collect heat energy during battery discharge or charging and convert it into electrical energy. The collected energy can be stored in one or more separate small-scale batteries (e.g., auxiliary batteries) that can supplement the main battery (e.g., for cooling) when the main battery stops discharging and grid power is still lost. This allows for efficient power supply to IT equipment while providing backup power during power outages and peak power conditions. It can also mitigate losses caused by battery charging and discharging.

[0073] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of an IT rack 900 according to some embodiments. The IT rack houses various IT devices and provides power and cooling to the housed IT devices. (e.g., data centers) Figure 2 A data center (200) can accommodate one or more such IT racks.

[0074] IT rack 900 may contain one or more servers, each server having one or more processing units, which may be powered by power source 950 (e.g., utilities, power grid, solar, wind, generator, etc.), which may be supplied by, for example, power sources such as... Figure 1 or Figure 2 The battery system 960 shown serves as a backup (e.g., in the event of a power outage) or supplement (e.g., during peak demand periods). As discussed, the first battery can power some IT equipment, and the second battery can power the same IT equipment, a subset of the same IT equipment, or different IT equipment in IT rack 900. Furthermore, the battery system may include additional main batteries (first batteries), each main battery associated with one or more auxiliary batteries that are charged by heat generated by the main batteries.

[0075] IT rack 900 may include, but is not limited to, CDU 901, rack management unit (RMU) 902 (optional), and one or more blade servers 903A-903D (collectively referred to as blade servers 903). Blade servers 903 can be inserted into the server slot array from either the front end 904 or the rear end 905 of the electronic rack 900. Note that although only five blade servers 903A-903E are shown here, more or fewer blade servers can be maintained within the electronic rack 900. Also note that the specific locations of CDU 901, RMU 902, and blade servers 903 shown are for illustrative purposes only; other arrangements or configurations of CDU 901, RMU 902, and blade servers 903 may be implemented. Note that the electronic rack 900 may be open to the environment or partially contained within a rack container, provided that cooling fans can generate airflow from the front to the rear end.

[0076] Furthermore, for each Blade Server 903, a fan module is associated with the Blade Server. In this embodiment, fan modules 931A-931E, collectively referred to as fan modules 931, are associated with Blade Servers 903A-903E, respectively. Each fan module 931 includes one or more cooling fans. The fan modules 931 may be mounted at the rear end of the Blade Server 903 to generate airflow that flows from the front end 904, through the air space of the Blade Server 903, and exits from the rear end 905 of the electronics rack 900.

[0077] In one embodiment, CDU 901 primarily includes a heat exchanger 911, a liquid pump 912, and a pump controller (not shown), as well as other components such as a reservoir, power supply, monitoring sensors, etc. The heat exchanger 911 may be a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 911 includes a first loop having inlet and outlet ports, the first loop having a first pair of liquid connectors coupled to external liquid supply / return lines 931-932 to form a main loop. The connectors connected to the external liquid supply / return lines 931-932 may be disposed or mounted at the rear end 905 of the electronic support 900. The liquid supply / return lines 931-932 are coupled to a set of indoor manifolds that are coupled to an external cooling system, or extreme cooling circuit. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 911 further includes a second loop with two ports, having a second pair of liquid connectors coupled to the liquid manifold 925 to form the second loop, which may include a supply manifold supplying cooling liquid to the blade server 903 and a return manifold returning hotter liquid to the CDU 901. Note that the CDU 901 can be any type of commercially available CDU or a custom CDU. Therefore, details of the CDU 901 will not be described herein.

[0078] In some embodiments, a data center may utilize a general-purpose cooling system to provide cooling for IT equipment, as well as the TEC (Transmission Control Unit) for cooling batteries. For example, a general-purpose AC (Air Conditioning) system may blow cool air into IT rooms and battery rooms. A general-purpose cooler may cool the fluid pumped to the IT racks and the cooling channels of the TEC for cooling batteries.

[0079] Each of the Blade Server 903 may include one or more IT components (e.g., a central processing unit or CPU, a graphics processing unit (GPU), memory, and / or storage devices). Each IT component can perform data processing tasks, and the IT component may include software installed in storage devices, loaded into memory, and executed by one or more processors to perform data processing tasks. At least some of these IT components may be attached to the bottom of any of the aforementioned cooling systems. The Blade Server 903 may include a host server (referred to as a host node) coupled to one or more compute servers (also called compute nodes, such as CPU servers and GPU servers). The host server (having one or more CPUs) typically connects to clients via a network (e.g., the Internet) to receive requests for specific services, such as storage services (e.g., cloud-based storage services such as backup and / or recovery), and to execute applications to perform certain operations (e.g., image processing, deep data learning algorithms, or modeling, as part of a Software as a Service or SaaS platform). In response to the request, the host server assigns the task to one or more performance compute nodes or compute servers (having one or more GPUs) managed by the host server. The performance compute servers perform the actual tasks, generating heat during operation.

[0080] The electronic rack 900 further includes an optional RMU 902 configured to provide and manage power to the server 903, fan module 931, and CDU 901. The RMU 902 may be coupled to a power supply unit (not shown) to manage the power supply unit's power consumption. The power supply unit may include necessary circuitry (e.g., AC-to-DC or DC-to-DC power converters, backup batteries, transformers, or regulators) to provide power to the remaining components of the electronic rack 900.

[0081] In one embodiment, RMU 902 includes an optimization module 921 and a rack management controller (RMC) 922. RMC 922 may include a monitor that monitors the operational status of various components within the electronic rack 900, such as, for example, compute node 903, CDU 901, and fan module 931. Specifically, the monitor receives operational data representing the operating environment of the electronic rack 900 from various sensors. For example, the monitor may receive operational data representing the temperature of the processor, coolant, and airflow, which may be captured and collected via various temperature sensors. The monitor may also receive data representing the fan power and pump power generated by fan module 931 and liquid pump 912, which may be proportional to their corresponding speeds. This operational data is referred to as real-time operational data. Note that the monitor may be implemented as a separate module within RMU 902.

[0082] Based on operational data, optimization module 921 uses a predetermined optimization function or model to optimize for a set of optimal fan speeds for fan module 931 and optimal pump speeds for liquid pump 912, minimizing the total power consumption of liquid pump 912 and fan module 931, while ensuring that the operational data related to the cooling fans of liquid pump 912 and fan module 931 are within their respective design specifications. Once the optimal pump speed and optimal fan speed are determined, RMC 922 configures the cooling fans of liquid pump 912 and fan module 931 based on these optimal speeds.

[0083] As an example, based on the optimal pump speed, RMC 922 communicates with the pump controller of CDU 901 to control the speed of liquid pump 912, thereby controlling the liquid flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to liquid manifold 925 to be distributed to at least some of the blade servers 903. Thus, operating conditions and the corresponding cooling equipment performance are adjusted. Similarly, based on the optimal fan speed, RMC 922 communicates with each fan module 931 to control the speed of each cooling fan in fan module 931, thereby controlling the airflow speed of fan module 931. Note that each fan module 931 can be controlled individually at its specific optimal fan speed, and different fan modules and / or different cooling fans within the same fan module can have different optimal fan speeds.

[0084] Some embodiments may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium (such as a microelectronic memory) having instructions stored thereon that program one or more data processing components (generally referred to herein as a "processor") to perform temperature control operations. In some embodiments, known control techniques may be used to perform the temperature control operations, such as proportional-integral (PI) controllers, proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers, or other equivalent control techniques that utilize battery temperature as feedback. The controller (e.g., such as...) Figure 2The controller 206 shown may include one or more processing components and / or a non-transitory machine-readable medium.

[0085] In some embodiments, some of these operations may be performed by a specific hardware component containing hard-wired logic. These operations may optionally be performed by any combination of programmed data processing components and fixed hard-wired circuit components.

[0086] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. It is clear that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0087] While certain aspects have been described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that these aspects are illustrative only and not limiting of the general disclosure, and that this disclosure is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, as various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the description is to be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting.

[0088] In some aspects, this disclosure may include language such as "at least one of [element A] and [element B]". This language can refer to one or more of these elements. For example, "at least one of A and B" can refer to "A", "B", or "A and B". Specifically, "at least one of A and B" can refer to "at least one of A and at least one of B", or "at least one of A or B". In some aspects, this disclosure may include language such as "[element A], [element B] and / or [element C]". This language can refer to any one of these elements or any combination thereof. For example, "A, B and / or C" can refer to "A", "B", "C", "A and B", "A and C", "B and C", or "A, B and C".

Claims

1. A battery system comprising: a first battery having one or more battery cells; a thermoelectric component (TEC) having a thermoelectric material therein to form a hot zone and a cold zone, the hot zone being thermally coupled to a region of the first battery, wherein the TEC is configured to generate a first voltage based on a temperature difference between the hot zone and the cold zone due to a thermoelectric effect; a voltage converter coupled to the TEC to boost the first voltage generated by the TEC to generate a second voltage higher than the first voltage; and a second battery electrically connected to an output of the voltage converter, wherein the second voltage is used to charge the second battery, the second battery having a smaller capacitance than the first battery; a controller configured to maintain an optimal ambient temperature for the first battery, the optimal ambient temperature determined based on minimizing an estimated amount of work to cool the first battery, minimizing an amount of work to replace the first battery due to battery degradation, and maximizing an output of the TEC.

2. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to electrically connect the first battery to IT equipment of a data center when a primary power source is not present or when a power demand of the IT equipment of the data center exceeds a threshold value.

3. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to electrically connect the second battery to the IT equipment or a portion of the IT equipment.

4. The battery system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein an air cooling system directs air at the cold zone or a cold plate coupled to the cold zone of the TEC.

5. The battery system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein a liquid cooling system circulates a fluid through one or more channels thermally coupled to the cold zone or a cold plate thermally coupled to the cold zone.

6. The battery system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the first battery and the second battery are located in a battery room of a data center, electrically connected to IT equipment in an IT room of the data center, and the controller is configured to manage a temperature within the battery room by a fan or an air conditioner.

7. The battery system of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising a third battery electrically connected to a voltage output of the voltage converter.

8. The battery system of claim 7, wherein a switch alternates between a) a connection between the second battery and the IT equipment and b) a connection between the third battery and the IT equipment.

9. The battery system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the first battery uses the TEC instead of another cooling structure to cool the first battery.

10. A data center comprising: information technology (IT) equipment; and a battery system according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein a first battery of the battery system has one or more battery cells to provide power to the IT equipment. ​ ​

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