Model-based predictive monitoring and diagnosis for evaporative natural cooling units

Abstract

A monitoring and diagnostic system for a cooling system and a cooling system are provided. The monitoring and diagnostic system includes a monitoring system including sensors that sense physical conditions of the system and an electrical power meter that senses actual power consumption of the system, and a control system that receives data of the actual power consumption and the physical conditions of the system, calculates an estimated power consumption of the system based on the data of the physical conditions, compares the estimated power consumption of the system to the actual power consumption of the system, determines whether a difference between the estimated power consumption of the system and the actual power consumption of the system is greater than a threshold, and outputs an alert based on whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the system and the actual power consumption of the system is greater than the threshold.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefits of U.S. Provisional Application 63 / 791,918 and U.S. Non-Provisional Application 19 / 461,173, the entire disclosure of which and all its appendices are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The apparatus and method according to the example implementation relates to a cooling system and its monitoring and diagnostic system. Background Technology

[0004] Cooling systems, such as direct expansion systems and evaporative cooling (EFC) systems, are commonly used in climate control applications, such as cooling data centers, industrial facilities, or large commercial buildings. Modern data centers use numerous computing systems and generate significant amounts of heat. Therefore, cooling systems are used to remove excess heat from many data centers. As an example, EFC systems utilize the principles of evaporative and natural cooling, where cooler ambient temperatures are used to cool water or other fluids, eliminating the need for traditional refrigeration cycles and reducing energy consumption. EFC systems typically utilize outdoor units that employ large air-to-air heat exchangers and evaporative natural cooling technology to provide air cooling for the facility.

[0005] In an example EFC unit, water can be sprayed or otherwise flowed through a medium, such as a pad, plate air-to-air heat exchanger, or coil. EFC is an indirect evaporative cooling unit, meaning the fluid to be cooled (e.g., hot air from a data center) does not come into contact with water flowing on the opposite side of the medium. As, for example, warm air from a data center passes through the dry side of the medium, the water flowing on the opposite side evaporates, absorbing heat and cooling the warm air, thus providing evaporative cooling. Natural cooling can be provided when the ambient air is cooler than the warm air to be cooled, and the ambient air is used as the cooling fluid through plates or other media that form channels in the air-to-air heat exchanger.

[0006] Ensuring the continuous and efficient operation of the cooling system is crucial for data centers. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The example implementation can address at least the aforementioned defects and / or disadvantages, as well as other disadvantages not described above. Furthermore, the example implementation is not required to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, and may not overcome any of the problems described above.

[0008] According to one aspect of an example embodiment, an evaporative natural cooling (EFC) combined system may include: an EFC system including a heat exchanger, a first fan unit and a second fan unit, the first fan unit being configured to direct return air into the heat exchanger and supply air out of the heat exchanger, and the second fan unit being configured to direct ambient air into the heat exchanger and exhaust air out of the heat exchanger; a monitoring system including a sensor unit and a power meter, the sensor unit being configured to sense the physical condition of the EFC system and the power meter being configured to sense the actual power consumption of the EFC system; and a control system communicatively coupled to the monitoring system, the control system including a memory storing instructions thereon and a processor configured to execute the instructions, thereby receiving data on the actual power consumption and physical condition of the EFC system from the monitoring system, calculating an estimated power consumption of the EFC system based on the physical condition data, comparing the estimated power consumption of the EFC system with the actual power consumption of the EFC system, determining whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the EFC system and the actual power consumption of the EFC system is greater than a threshold, and outputting an alarm based on whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the EFC system and the actual power consumption of the EFC system is greater than the threshold.

[0009] According to an example, the sensor unit may include: a return air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of return air directed into a heat exchanger; an ambient air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of ambient air; a first fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a first fan unit; a second fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a second fan unit; and physical condition data may include the temperature of the return air, the temperature of the ambient air, the speed of the first fan unit, and the speed of the second fan unit.

[0010] According to the example, the EFC system may also include an evaporative system comprising a pump configured to pump water from a water tank to a sprayer unit configured to spray water onto a heat exchanger; the monitoring system may also include a sensor configured to sense the pump status; and the physical condition data may also include the pump status.

[0011] According to the example, the EFC system may also include a direct expansion system, which includes an evaporator and a compressor; the monitoring system may also include at least one compressor sensor configured to sense compressor status and compressor speed; and the physical condition data may also include compressor status and compressor speed.

[0012] According to the example, the EFC combined system may also include a user interface, which includes at least one of a display unit and a speaker; wherein the processor of the control system can be configured to control the user interface to output one of a visual display and an alarm sound.

[0013] According to one aspect of an example implementation, a monitoring and diagnostic system for an evaporative natural cooling (EFC) system may include: a monitoring system including a sensor unit configured to sense the physical condition of the EFC system and a power meter configured to sense the actual power consumption of the EFC system; and a control system communicatively coupled to the monitoring system, the control system including a memory storing instructions thereon and a processor configured to execute the instructions, thereby receiving data on the actual power consumption and physical condition of the EFC system from the monitoring system, calculating an estimated power consumption of the EFC system based on the physical condition data, comparing the estimated power consumption of the EFC system with the actual power consumption of the EFC system, determining whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the EFC system and the actual power consumption of the EFC system is greater than a threshold, and outputting an alarm based on whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the EFC system and the actual power consumption of the EFC system is greater than the threshold.

[0014] According to an example, the sensor unit may include: a return air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of return air directed into a heat exchanger of the EFC system; an ambient air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of ambient air; a first fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a first fan unit of the EFC system; and a second fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a second fan unit of the EFC system; and the physical condition data may include the temperature of the return air, the temperature of the ambient air, the speed of the first fan unit, and the speed of the second fan unit.

[0015] According to the example, the sensor unit may also include a sensor configured to sense the state of a pump that pumps water from a tank to a sprinkler unit of the EFC system; and the physical condition data may also include the pump state.

[0016] According to the example, the sensor unit may also include a compressor sensor configured to sense the compressor status and compressor speed of the compressor in the EFC system; and the physical condition data may also include the compressor status and compressor speed.

[0017] According to the example, the monitoring and diagnostic system may also include a user interface, which includes at least one of a display unit and a speaker; wherein the processor of the control system can be configured to control the user interface to output one of a visual display and an alarm sound. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and other objects, advantages and distinctive features will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1a and Figure 1b This is a schematic diagram of a cooling system according to one or more example embodiments;

[0020] Figure 2a , Figure 2b and Figure 2c This is a schematic diagram of a cooling system showing example locations of components of an identification monitoring system according to an example embodiment;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a control system that is communicatively coupled to a monitoring system and an output unit according to an example implementation.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a control system that is communicatively coupled to a monitoring system and an output unit according to another example embodiment;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the processing unit of the control system according to an example embodiment; and

[0024] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a monitoring method according to an example implementation. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Referring now to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals always refer to similar elements. In this respect, the exemplary embodiments may take different forms and should not be construed as limited to the description set forth herein.

[0026] It should be understood that, when used in this specification, the terms “include,” “including,” “comprise,” and / or “comprising” specify the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0027] It will also be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or parts may not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or part from another element, component, region, layer, or part.

[0028] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. When preceding a list of elements, expressions such as "at least one" modify the entire list of elements, rather than individual elements of the list.

[0029] Various terms are used to refer to specific system components. Different companies may use different names to refer to components—this document is not intended to distinguish between components with different names but the same function.

[0030] The matters of these exemplary embodiments that will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which these exemplary embodiments pertain may not be described in detail here.

[0031] As stated above, continuous and efficient cooling is crucial for data center operations. According to one or more example implementations described herein, predictive monitoring and diagnostics can be used in data centers to detect potential anomalies in the operation of cooling systems, with the aim of limiting downtime and inefficiency. According to one or more example implementations, model-based predictive monitoring and diagnostic algorithms can be used in conjunction with the methods and systems described herein to detect potential failures or abnormal operations in evaporative natural cooling (EFC) systems.

[0032] One or more example implementations described herein can provide systems and methods that facilitate the early detection and correction of faults in EFC systems, thereby helping to prevent impending downtime or efficiency degradation. According to one or more example implementations, abnormal operating conditions can be detected by analyzing the power consumption of the EFC system, with the aim of predicting maintenance activities and reducing equipment downtime and efficiency losses due to faults.

[0033] Example cooling system

[0034] Figure 1a This is a schematic diagram of a cooling system including a heat exchanger according to an example embodiment. Figure 1a The cooling system includes a heat exchanger that receives warm or hot coolant from the unit or space to be cooled and outputs cooled supply coolant to the unit / space to be cooled. The system also includes one or more fans or pumps that circulate the coolant through the heat exchanger. Figure 1aThe cooling system can be incorporated into a larger system, such as one that includes an evaporator located in the loop between the heat exchanger and the unit to be cooled, where the evaporator is also part of a refrigeration loop (such as a direct expansion (DX) system).

[0035] An EFC (Electronic Cooling) system is a type of cooling system designed to cool fluids, such as air. Once cooled, the air or other fluid is supplied back to the unit / space being cooled (such as a data center or other facility) to ensure continuous operation. A properly functioning EFC cools air or other fluid to the required temperature and supplies the cooled air / fluid back to the facility in a specific quantity. The temperature difference and the amount of the fluid leaving the facility and the cooled fluid re-entering the facility define the required cooling capacity of the EFC system.

[0036] Figure 1b This is a schematic diagram of an EFC system according to an example implementation. The EFC system includes fans that guide air from the data center (“return air”) and air from the surrounding atmosphere (“ambient air”) through an air-to-air crossflow heat exchanger, where the ambient air absorbs heat from the return air. The fans include a main fan that guides the return air through the heat exchanger and a process fan that guides the ambient air through the heat exchanger. As shown, the main fan may be located between the data center and the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the process fan may be located at the outlet of the heat exchanger, but this is merely an example. The return air guided into the heat exchanger and the supply air output from the heat exchanger may be referred to herein as, for example, data center air or “first” air, while the ambient air may be referred to herein as “second” air.

[0037] EFC systems may also include evaporative systems that cool ambient air as it passes through a heat exchanger, thereby increasing the system's ability to extract heat from return air. Evaporative systems may include, for example, one or more pumps that move water from a tank to a sprayer that sprays water into the passageways of the heat exchanger through which ambient air flows. The system may also include a direct expansion (DX) backup system that includes a refrigerant circuit, which may include one or more constant-speed and / or variable-speed compressors. Supply air output from the heat exchanger to the data center may additionally pass through the evaporator of the DX backup system's refrigerant circuit, thereby further cooling the supply air.

[0038] As those skilled in the art will understand, for data centers, any interruption to cooling can lead to server overheating, resulting in service disruptions and potential data loss. Furthermore, data center cooling systems are a critical element in improving energy efficiency due to their high power consumption. According to one or more example implementations, systems and methods utilizing predictive monitoring and diagnostics can be used in data centers to detect potential anomalies in the operating conditions of the cooling system, thereby limiting downtime and inefficiency of cooling components.

[0039] Figure 2a The illustration shows the identification of example locations of components of a cooling system according to an example embodiment, including a monitoring system according to one or more example embodiments. As shown, similar to the illustration regarding... Figure 1a The described system includes a heat exchanger 101 that receives warm or hot coolant from a unit or space 102 to be cooled and outputs cooled supply coolant to the unit / space to be cooled. The system further includes one or more fans or pumps 107 that circulate coolant through the heat exchanger 101. Figure 2a The cooling system can be incorporated into a larger system, for example, including an evaporator disposed in the loop between heat exchanger 101 and the unit 102 to be cooled, wherein the evaporator is also part of a refrigeration loop (such as a direct expansion (DX) system). As discussed in further detail below, the monitoring system may include a system configured with... Figure 2a One or more sensors at one or more example locations in the system (e.g., but not limited to locations A, B, C, and G as shown in the figure).

[0040] Figure 2a and 2b The illustration shows the EFC system according to an example embodiment, including the identification of example locations of components of a monitoring system according to one or more example embodiments. Figure 2a A schematic layout of the EFC system 400 is shown, while Figure 2bA flow diagram of system 400 is shown. As shown, system 400 includes a heat exchanger 401 that receives warm or hot return air from data center 402 and outputs cooled supply air to data center 402. One or more main fans 407 direct return air into heat exchanger 401. Ambient air from the atmosphere also enters heat exchanger 401. The evaporative system also includes one or more pumps 409 that pump water from water tank 410 to one or more sprayers 411 that spray water into the passageways of heat exchanger 401 through which air passes or otherwise supply water to the passageways. System 400 may additionally include a direct expansion system 450 that circulates refrigerant through a loop including evaporator 452, one or more compressors 451, condenser 454, and expansion valve 453. The supply air output from the heat exchanger 401 is directed to the evaporator 452 for further cooling, and then directed to the data center 402.

[0041] As discussed in further detail below, the monitoring system 600 may include locations set up in one or more example locations (e.g., but not limited to...). Figure 2b and Figure 2c One or more sensors at locations A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J shown in the diagram.

[0042] Example Predictive Monitoring and Diagnostic System

[0043] Monitoring System – According to one or more example embodiments, a predictive monitoring and diagnostic system may include a monitoring system 600 configured to sense or otherwise acquire power consumption data from one or more components of a cooling system, such as those relating to… Figure 1a and Figure 1b The cooling system described in this article. Abnormal power consumption is a sign of performance degradation in one or more components of the system. For example, degradation of the compressor or fan leads to an increase in the electrical power required to operate the unit. In addition, fouling deposits can alter the pressure drop and thermal performance of the heat exchanger, resulting in an increase in the electrical power required for the fan and / or pump to maintain the desired flow rate and heat transfer rate through the heat exchanger.

[0044] According to one example implementation, the monitoring system 600 includes one or more sensors configured to sense or otherwise acquire data from one or more locations and / or components within the cooling system. Figure 2aAs shown, the sensors can be located at various locations within the cooling system (including, but not limited to, locations A, B, C, and G). As those skilled in the art will understand, any one or more sensors can be communicatively coupled to one or more of the various components of the cooling system. Figure 2b and Figure 2c As will be understood by those skilled in the art, sensors may be located at various locations within the EFC system (including, but not limited to, locations A through J), and one or more sensors may be communicatively coupled to one or more components of the EFC system 400. For example, monitoring system 600 may include one or more temperature sensors that sense, for example, the inlet air temperature of return air from data center 102 or 402 at locations A, B, or C; sense the ambient air temperature at location D; sense the evaporation temperature at location F; and sense the condensation temperature at location H. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, any one or more temperature sensors may be operatively coupled to any one or more components of the cooling system. Monitoring system 600 may include one or more humidity sensors that sense, for example, the inlet air humidity of return air from the unit / space to be cooled (such as a data center) at locations A, B, or C; and sense the ambient air humidity at location D. The monitoring system 600 may include one or more sensors that sense the speed of any one or more fans and / or pumps in the cooling system, one or more sensors that sense the speed of the variable speed compressor 451, and one or more sensors that sense the operating status of one or more of the compressor 451, pump 409 and water sprayer 411 or any other component in the cooling system.

[0045] The sensors of the monitoring system 600 can be communicatively coupled to the control system 800 as discussed below, and can output data, such as temperature, humidity, speed, or status data, to the control system 800. As those skilled in the art will understand, the sensors can be configured to output current data continuously or at predetermined intervals or at predetermined times.

[0046] According to another example implementation, the monitoring system 600 may include one or more energy meters operatively coupled to any one or more of various components of the cooling system, thereby directly obtaining the current electrical power consumption of any one or more of the various components and outputting the data to the control system. As those skilled in the art will understand, the energy meters may be configured to output current data continuously or at predetermined intervals or at predetermined times.

[0047] Control system – According to one or more example implementations, a predictive monitoring and diagnostic system may include a control system 800 configured to receive information from a monitoring system 600 and, based on that information, send output data, signals, notifications and / or alarms.

[0048] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a control system 800 that is communicatively coupled to a monitoring system 600 and an output unit 700 according to an example embodiment.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the control system 800 can be a computer including a processing unit 500, a system memory 801, and a system bus (not shown). The system bus provides interconnection between control system components. The processing unit 500 can be any processor from a variety of available processors. A dual-microprocessor or other multiprocessor architecture can also be used as the processing unit 500.

[0050] The system bus can be any of several types of bus structures that provide operable connections between the components of the control system 800 (including, but not limited to, memory bus or memory controller, peripheral bus or external bus and / or local bus using any of the various available bus architectures), including but not limited to Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), PCMCIA Bus, FireWire (IEEE 1394), and Small Computer System Interface (SCSI).

[0051] System memory 801 may include volatile and non-volatile memory. A basic input / output system (BIOS) containing basic routines such as transferring information between elements of the control system 800 during startup may be stored in non-volatile memory. As a non-limiting example, non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or non-volatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM)). Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) that can act as an external cache memory. As a non-limiting example, RAM can be obtained in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambus dynamic RAM.

[0052] The control system 800 may also include removable and / or non-removable, volatile and / or non-volatile computer storage media, such as disk storage. Disk storage may include, but is not limited to, disk drives, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape drives, Jaz drives, Zip drives, LS-100 drives, flash memory cards, and memory sticks. Disk storage may also include storage media alone or in combination with other storage media, including but not limited to optical disc drives, such as optical disc ROM devices (CD-ROM), CD recordable drives (CD-R drives), CD rewritable drives (CD-RW drives), or digital universal disc ROM drives (DVD-ROM). Removable or non-removable interfaces may be used to facilitate connection of the disk storage device to the system bus.

[0053] The control system can be implemented at least partially as a digital electronic circuit system, an analog electronic circuit system, or as computer hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. Therefore, the control system 800 can be implemented at least partially as a computer program product, such as a computer program, program code, or computer instructions tangibly stored in system memory 801 and executed by processing unit 500. The control system can obtain information from monitoring system 600 via one or more input / output units 804. The information can be stored as data, for example, in memory 801, and based on the information from monitoring system 600, processing unit 500 can also process and output data and / or control commands via one or more input / output units 804. One or more input / output units 804 (individually or in groups) can be communicatively and operatively connected to one or more elements of EFC system 400 and monitoring system 600 via wired or wireless connections. Of course, as those skilled in the art will understand, the control system 800 may alternatively be implemented as a computer program product, such as a computer program, program code, or computer instructions, tangibly embodied in another type of information carrier or machine-readable storage device, for execution or control of the operation of another type of data processing device, such as a programmable processor, computer, multiple computers, or programmable logic controller (PLC).

[0054] Computer programs can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as standalone programs or as modules, components, subroutines, or other units suitable for use in a computing environment. Computer programs can be deployed to execute on a single computer or other device, or on multiple devices distributed at one site or across multiple sites and interconnected via a communication network. Furthermore, programmers in the art can readily develop functional programs, code, and code segments to perform the features described herein. Operations associated with the example embodiments can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing computer programs, code, or instructions to perform functions (e.g., by manipulating input data and / or generating output). For example, operations can also be performed by a dedicated logic circuit system, and the devices described herein can be implemented as dedicated logic circuit systems, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0055] A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0056] For example, processors suitable for executing computer programs include both general-purpose microprocessors and special-purpose microprocessors, as well as any type of digital computer and one or more processors. Typically, the processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory or random access memory, or from both. The basic components of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more storage devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer will also include one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, or operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to said mass storage devices, or both. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, such as semiconductor memory devices, such as electrically programmable read-only memory or ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory devices, and data storage disks (e.g., magnetic disks, internal hard disks or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks). The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated into a dedicated logic circuit system.

[0057] Computer-readable non-transitory media include all types of computer-readable media, including magnetic storage media, optical storage media, flash memory media, and solid-state storage media. It should be understood that software can be installed in and sold with a central processing unit (CPU) device. Alternatively, software can be obtained and loaded into a CPU device, including through physical media or distribution systems, such as from a server owned by the software creator or from a server used by the software creator. Software can be stored on a server for distribution, for example, via the Internet.

[0058] Components of monitoring system 600 can be communicatively and operatively connected individually or as a group of one or more components of monitoring system 600 to one or more components of EFC system 400, for example, to determine their operational status. Such connections can be made individually to a single component or a group of components via wired or wireless connections. Wireless connections can be, for example, via an antenna, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), or other means as understood by those skilled in the art. Control system 800 can be communicatively and operatively connected to monitoring system 600 via wired or wireless connections, either to the monitoring system as a whole or individually to individual components or groups of components of monitoring system 600. Wireless connections can be, for example, via an antenna, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), or other means as understood by those skilled in the art. Control system 800 can also be communicatively and operatively connected via wired or wireless connections to any one or more components of monitoring system 600, such as individual sensors, or connected together to multiple components, individually to each individual component, or individually to independent elements within a component. Similar to the connection to the monitoring system 600, the wireless connection to one or more individual components of the monitoring system 600 may be, for example, via an antenna, Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), or another means that will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0059] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the processing unit 500 of a control system 800 according to an exemplary embodiment. According to this exemplary embodiment, the processing unit 500 may include a unit-level controller 560 and a supervisory-level controller 550. The unit-level controller 560 receives output from the monitoring system 600, and the supervisory-level controller 550 receives sensor data and / or device status data and / or power consumption information data from the unit-level controller 560, and sends output data, signals, notifications, and / or alarms. The supervisory-level controller 550 may include: a model that determines estimated power consumption of one or more components of the EFC system 400 based on the received sensor data and / or status data; and an anomaly detector 570 that obtains the total power consumption as the sum of the estimated power consumption output from the model and the power consumption data output from the unit-level controller 560, and outputs data, signals, notifications, and / or alarms.

[0060] According to one or more example implementations, the control system 800 may execute one or more monitoring algorithms and diagnostic algorithms.

[0061] Example Operation

[0062] Figure 6This is a flowchart of a monitoring method according to an example embodiment. The monitoring method can be performed by a control system 800 according to any example embodiment described herein, using, for example, a model algorithm. According to the example embodiment, the monitoring method may include: receiving sensor data 101; estimating power consumption 102; outputting the estimated total power consumption 103; comparing the estimated total power consumption with the actual power consumption 104; determining whether the difference between the estimated total power consumption and the actual total power consumption is greater than a threshold 105; and outputting a signal 106.

[0063] According to one or more example embodiments, receiving sensor data 101 may include receiving outputs from any one or more sensors of the monitoring system, such as, but not limited to, temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit, humidity in percentage, fan speed in full speed or revolutions per minute (rpm), and states as on, off, or stage. Receiving sensor data may also include receiving the actual total power consumption of any one or more components of the EFC system and the EFC system as a whole. Alternatively, according to one or more example embodiments, receiving sensor data may include: a first element of the controller (e.g., a unit-level controller) receiving sensor data from one or more sensors, and another element of the controller (e.g., a model of a supervisory-level controller) receiving sensor data from the first element of the controller.

[0064] Estimating power consumption 102 may include obtaining one or more physical equations and characteristic curves from memory. Each or more of the physical equations and / or characteristic curves may be associated with a component of the EFC system and may represent the relationship between sensed data and the component's power consumption. For example, a physical equation obtained from the manufacturer of a process fan may represent the relationship between the fan speed and its power consumption. Another example physical equation or characteristic curve may represent the relationship between two or more of inlet air temperature, inlet air humidity, ambient air temperature, ambient air humidity, evaporation temperature, and condensation temperature and the power consumption of a heat exchanger. Estimating power consumption 102 may also include estimating the power consumption of one or more components of the EFC system based on received sensor data and one or more physical equations and / or characteristic curves. Estimating power consumption may also include summing the estimated power consumption of two or more components of the EFC system. For example, the power consumption of each fan may be calculated based on the fan speed and airflow using the fan's characteristic curve. For example, the power consumption of a compressor may be calculated using a polynomial provided by the manufacturer. The estimated total power consumption may be calculated, for example, in kilowatts (kW): P 总 = P 风扇 + P 泵 + P 压缩机 + P 辅助 .

[0065] Therefore, according to one or more example implementations, the monitoring method (e.g., its monitoring algorithm) can utilize a model-based approach. For example, a mathematical model is created to estimate the electrical power consumption of the cooling unit given current operating conditions sensed by components of the monitoring system. The mathematical model can utilize physical equations and / or characteristic curves provided, for example, by manufacturers of different devices within the EFC system, and can thereby represent the nominal behavior of the EFC system or its components. As discussed below, the actual power consumption of the EFC system can be measured and compared with the power consumption estimated by the model. As further discussed below, in the event of a discrepancy, an alarm can be generated by the algorithm to notify of the abnormal behavior.

[0066] According to one or more example embodiments, the output estimated total power consumption 103 may include: outputting from a component of the control system, such as from a model output of the supervisory level controller to an anomaly detector of the supervisory level controller. Alternatively, according to one or more example embodiments, the output estimated total power consumption may include: outputting to an output unit.

[0067] According to one or more example implementations, comparing the estimated total power consumption with the actual power consumption 104 may include: obtaining the actual total power consumption of the EFC system, and comparing the estimated total power consumption with the actual total power consumption of the EFC system, for example, by means of a controller or a component of the controller as described herein.

[0068] Therefore, according to one or more example implementations, the monitoring method (e.g., its monitoring algorithm) can monitor the power consumption data recorded by the energy meter of the monitoring system and detect the deviation between the measured data and the expected power consumption.

[0069] According to one or more example implementations, the difference between the estimated total power consumption and the actual power consumption can be compared with a threshold 105. As those skilled in the art will understand, the threshold can be a percentage of the actual power consumption (e.g., 5%), a percentage of the estimated total power consumption (e.g., 5%), or it can be a non-variable threshold.

[0070] According to one or more example implementations, if the difference between the estimated total power consumption and the actual power consumption is not greater than a threshold, the method may iteratively or continuously repeat operations 101 to 105. If the difference between the estimated total power consumption and the actual power consumption is greater than the threshold, the method may include an output signal 106, and may also include iteratively or continuously repeating operations 101 to 105.

[0071] According to one or more example embodiments, as those skilled in the art will understand, output signal 106 may include one or more alarms and data output by means of, for example, a display or speaker by means of a control output unit. The signal may be an alarm and / or a notification. According to example implementations, the signal may be a control signal to one or more components of the cooling system, thereby enabling the shutdown of one or more components of the cooling system or a change in the state of one or more components of the cooling system.

[0072] According to one or more example implementations, multiple thresholds may exist. For example, determining whether the difference between the estimated power consumption and the actual power consumption exceeds threshold 105 may include comparing the difference with multiple thresholds, and the output of a signal may be based on which of the multiple thresholds is exceeded. For example, determining whether the difference exceeds a threshold may include comparing the difference with a first threshold and a second threshold higher than the first threshold. The determination may also include comparing the difference with one or more additional thresholds. Thus, based on the difference exceeding the first threshold, the signal output may include a first signal, such as an alarm. Based on the difference exceeding or exceeding the second threshold, the signal output may include a control signal configured to reduce the cooling capacity of the system, change the operating parameters of one or more components of the system, or shut down one or more components of the system. According to an example implementation, the signal output may be a control signal configured to move the cooling load of the system to one or more external units.

[0073] According to one or more example implementations, monitoring methods and, for example, their algorithms can detect abnormal operation of the EFC system as a whole or of one or more of its components, in order to help correct it before inefficiency problems lead to component failure or performance degradation.

[0074] According to one or more example implementations described herein, estimating the power consumption of one or more components of an EFC system based on sensed conditions and comparing the estimated power consumption with the actual power consumption of one or more components can help identify abnormal behavior of one or more components of the system, can help automatically detect faults without human intervention, and can help troubleshoot and correct such abnormal behavior at an early stage. Any one or more of these can help limit downtime and achieve efficient power consumption in the EFC system.

[0075] While aspects and implementations of exemplary embodiments have been shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein. For example, various electronic sensors may be used to deploy various communication protocols, and / or various visual and / or audio user interfaces may be implemented to facilitate the processing and / or display of information and / or control the hardware and / or software components of the system.

[0076] It is understood that the exemplary embodiments described herein should be considered for descriptive purposes only and not for limiting purposes. The description of features or aspects within each exemplary embodiment can be considered applicable to other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.

[0077] While aspects and implementations of exemplary embodiments have been shown and described herein, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein. For example, various electronic sensors may be used to deploy various communication protocols, and / or various visual and / or audio user interfaces may be implemented to facilitate the processing and / or display of information and / or control the hardware and / or software components of the system.

[0078] It is understood that the exemplary implementations described herein should be considered descriptively only and not for limiting purposes. The descriptions of features, aspects, or implementations within each exemplary implementation can be considered applicable to other similar features, aspects, or implementations in other exemplary implementations.

[0079] Although exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cooling system, comprising: A heat exchanger and a unit, the unit including at least one of a pump and a fan, the unit being configured to pump coolant through the heat exchanger; A monitoring system, comprising a sensor unit and a power meter, wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense the physical condition of the cooling system and the power meter is configured to sense the actual power consumption of the cooling system; as well as A control system, communicatively coupled to the monitoring system, the control system including a memory storing instructions thereon and a processor configured to execute the instructions, thereby: Receive data on the actual power consumption and physical condition of the cooling system from the monitoring system; The estimated power consumption of the cooling system is calculated based on the data from the physical conditions described. The estimated power consumption of the cooling system is compared with the actual power consumption of the cooling system; Determine whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the cooling system and the actual power consumption of the cooling system is greater than a threshold. as well as A control signal is output based on the difference exceeding the threshold.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein, The output of the control signal includes: outputting an alarm.

3. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein, The output of the control signal includes: controlling the cooling system to change from a normal operating mode to an irregular operating mode.

4. The cooling system according to claim 3, wherein, Controlling the cooling system from normal operating mode to irregular operating mode includes one of the following: reducing the cooling capacity of the cooling system and shutting down the cooling system.

5. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The cooling system is an evaporative natural cooling system, the coolant is air, and at least one of the pump and fan includes a first fan unit and a second fan unit, the first fan unit being configured to direct return air into the heat exchanger and direct supply air out of the heat exchanger, and the second fan unit being configured to direct ambient air into the heat exchanger and direct exhaust air out of the heat exchanger. as well as The sensor unit includes: a return air temperature sensor, the return air temperature sensor being configured to sense the temperature of the return air being directed into the heat exchanger; An ambient air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the ambient air; a first fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a first fan unit; a second fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a second fan unit; and The physical condition data includes the temperature of the return air, the temperature of the ambient air, the speed of the first fan unit, and the speed of the second fan unit.

6. The cooling system according to claim 5, wherein: The evaporative natural cooling system also includes an evaporative system, which includes a pump configured to pump water from a water tank to a sprayer unit, the sprayer unit being configured to spray water onto the heat exchanger. The monitoring system also includes sensors configured to sense pump status; and The data on physical conditions also includes the pump status.

7. The cooling system according to claim 5, wherein: The evaporative natural cooling system also includes a direct expansion system, which includes an evaporator and a compressor; The monitoring system further includes at least one compressor sensor configured to sense compressor status and compressor speed; and The physical condition data also includes the compressor status and the compressor speed.

8. The cooling system according to claim 1, further comprising: User interface, the user interface including at least one of a display unit and a speaker; The processor of the control system is configured to control the user interface to output either a visual display or an alarm sound.

9. A monitoring and diagnostic system for a cooling system, the monitoring and diagnostic system comprising: The monitoring system includes: A sensor unit configured to sense the physical condition of the cooling system and a power meter configured to sense the actual power consumption of the cooling system; and A control system, communicatively coupled to the monitoring system, the control system including a memory storing instructions thereon and a processor configured to execute the instructions, thereby: Receive data on the actual power consumption and physical condition of the cooling system from the monitoring system; The estimated power consumption of the cooling system is calculated based on the data from the physical conditions described. The estimated power consumption of the cooling system is compared with the actual power consumption of the cooling system; Determine whether the difference between the estimated power consumption of the cooling system and the actual power consumption of the cooling system is greater than a threshold; and A control signal is output based on the difference exceeding the threshold.

10. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein, The output of the control signal includes: outputting an alarm.

11. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein, The output of the control signal includes: controlling the cooling system to change from a normal operating mode to an irregular operating mode.

12. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 11, wherein, Controlling the cooling system from normal operating mode to irregular operating mode includes one of the following: reducing the cooling capacity of the cooling system and shutting down the cooling system.

13. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein: The sensor unit includes: a return air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of return air directed into a heat exchanger of the cooling system; an ambient air temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of ambient air; a first fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a first fan unit of the cooling system; and a second fan sensor configured to sense the speed of a second fan unit of the cooling system; and The physical condition data includes the temperature of the return air, the temperature of the ambient air, the speed of the first fan unit, and the speed of the second fan unit.

14. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein: The sensor unit further includes a sensor configured to sense the state of a pump that pumps water from a water tank to a sprayer unit of the cooling system; and The physical condition data also includes pump status.

15. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, wherein: The sensor unit further includes a compressor sensor configured to sense the compressor status and compressor speed of the compressor in the cooling system; and The physical condition data also includes the compressor status and the compressor speed.

16. The monitoring and diagnostic system according to claim 9, further comprising: User interface, the user interface including at least one of a display unit and a speaker; The processor of the control system is configured to control the user interface to output either a visual display or an alarm sound.

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