Water chilling unit suitable for data center and refrigerating system

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of cooling equipment, and provides a water chilling unit suitable for a data center and a refrigerating system.The water chilling unit suitable for the data center comprises a chilled water conveying pipe section, a mechanical refrigerating loop and a natural cold source loop, and a first interaction module is formed between the chilled water conveying pipe section and the mechanical refrigerating loop; a first bypass pipe section and a first control valve are arranged on the first interaction module; a second interaction module is formed between the natural cold source loop and the mechanical refrigeration loop, and a third interaction module is formed between the natural cold source loop and the chilled water conveying pipe section; a second bypass pipe section and a second control valve are arranged on the second interaction module; and a third bypass pipe section and a third control valve are arranged on the third interaction module. According to the scheme, integrated application among the chilled water conveying pipe section, the mechanical refrigeration loop and the natural cold source loop can be conveniently achieved, and the overall configuration cost and energy consumption are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of cooling equipment, and in particular to a chiller and a refrigeration system suitable for a data center. Background Art

[0002] At present, the operation of data centers has the need for year-round cooling. Usually when the ambient temperature is high, the data center air conditioner uses compressor cooling; when the ambient temperature is low, the natural cold source in nature is used to provide cooling for the air conditioning system. This type of unit that uses the natural cold source in nature is called a natural cold source unit, and commonly used technologies include evaporative cooling technology, heat pipe cooling technology, direct fresh air cooling technology, and fluorine pump cooling technology. Usually, in summer when the ambient temperature is high and the load of the computer room is large, natural cooling cannot provide enough cooling capacity, so to achieve year-round cooling, it is usually necessary to configure a compressor cooling system and a natural cooling system. However, the investment cost of configuring two independent refrigeration systems is very high; and many units that realize compressor cooling and natural cooling in one system can only turn on compressor cooling or natural cooling at the same time, and the two modes cannot be turned on at the same time, resulting in only using compressor cooling in the transition season, high system power consumption, and poor energy efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to overcome at least one disadvantage of the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a chiller and a refrigeration system suitable for a data center.

[0004] The technical means adopted by this application to solve the above technical problems are:

[0005] On the one hand, the embodiment of the present application provides a chiller suitable for a data center, comprising:

[0006] Chilled water delivery pipe section;

[0007] A mechanical refrigeration circuit, wherein a first interaction module is formed between the chilled water delivery pipe section and the mechanical refrigeration circuit, a first bypass pipe section is arranged between an input end and an output end of the chilled water delivery pipe section in communication with the first interaction module, and a first control valve is arranged on the first bypass pipe section;

[0008] A natural cold source circuit, a second interactive module is formed between the natural cold source circuit and the mechanical refrigeration circuit, and a third interactive module is formed between the natural cold source circuit and the chilled water delivery pipe section; a second bypass pipe section is arranged between the input end and the output end of the natural cold source circuit connected to the second interactive module, and a second control valve is arranged on the second bypass pipe section; a third bypass pipe section is arranged between the input end and the output end of the natural cold source circuit connected to the third interactive module, and a third control valve is arranged on the third bypass pipe section.

[0009] In the embodiment scheme of the present application, by forming the first interactive module, the second interactive module and the third interactive module, it is possible to facilitate the integrated application of the chilled water delivery pipe section, the mechanical refrigeration circuit and the natural cold source circuit, thereby reducing the overall configuration cost; and by controlling the on-off of the first control valve, the second control valve and the third control valve, switching between different application modes can be achieved on the chiller, so that the application mode can be better selected according to the characteristics of the application environment, thereby reducing energy consumption.

[0010] In some embodiments, a fourth bypass pipe section is provided between the input end and the output end of the chilled water delivery pipe section in communication with the third interactive module, and a fourth control valve is provided on the fourth bypass pipe section.

[0011] In the embodiment of the present application, the fourth bypass pipe section and the fourth control valve are provided to control the delivery path of the chilled water, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the system.

[0012] In some embodiments, an evaporator is provided on the mechanical refrigeration circuit, and the evaporator is located in the first interaction module;

[0013] The chilled water delivery pipe section is in communication with the evaporator.

[0014] In the embodiment of the present application, the evaporator is provided to achieve thermal interaction between the mechanical refrigeration circuit and the chilled water delivery pipe section.

[0015] In some embodiments, a condenser is provided on the mechanical refrigeration circuit, and the condenser is located in the second interaction module;

[0016] The natural cooling source circuit is in communication with the condenser.

[0017] In the embodiment of the present application, the thermal interaction between the mechanical refrigeration circuit and the natural cold source circuit can be achieved by setting the condenser.

[0018] In some embodiments, a compressor and an expansion valve are further provided on the mechanical refrigeration circuit, and the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator are connected in sequence to form a circuit.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present application, by providing the compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator, a refrigeration cycle can be formed on the mechanical refrigeration circuit.

[0020] In some embodiments, a wet film heat exchange device is provided on the natural cooling source circuit, and the wet film heat exchange device includes a spray device, a wet film and a water tank;

[0021] The spraying device is connected to the natural cooling source circuit and sprays toward the wet film. The water tank is arranged below the wet film and is connected to the natural cooling source circuit.

[0022] In the embodiment of the present application, the wet film heat exchange device is provided to achieve thermal interaction between the coolant and the natural cold source, thereby facilitating thermal interaction between the coolant and the chilled water delivery pipe section.

[0023] In some embodiments, the wet film heat exchange device further includes a fan, and the fan is used to dissipate heat from the coolant sprayed by the spray device.

[0024] In the embodiment of the present application, the fan is provided to promote the flow of air, thereby improving the thermal interaction efficiency of the wet film heat exchange device.

[0025] In some embodiments, a coolant pump is provided on the natural cooling source circuit, and the coolant pump is connected to the water tank.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present application, the coolant pump is provided to facilitate forming a refrigeration cycle in the natural cold source circuit with the wet film heat exchange device.

[0027] In some embodiments, a plate heat exchanger is disposed in the third interactive module, and the natural cold source circuit and the chilled water delivery pipe section are respectively connected to the plate heat exchanger.

[0028] In the embodiment of the present application, the plate heat exchanger is provided to facilitate thermal interaction between the chilled water delivery pipe section and the natural cold source circuit.

[0029] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigeration system, which is equipped with the chiller as described above.

[0030] In the embodiment scheme of the present application, by applying the chiller as described above in the refrigeration system, it is possible to facilitate the application of multiple refrigeration modes on the chiller, reduce the energy consumption of the chiller under different application environment requirements, and facilitate reducing the configuration cost, thereby improving the overall application benefit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a circuit diagram of a chiller unit according to one example of the present application.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of the chiller in the natural cold source cooling mode of this application.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of a chiller in mechanical refrigeration mode of this application.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of a chiller in the hybrid cooling mode of this application.

[0036] Marking Description:

[0037] 1-chilled water delivery pipe section, 11-first bypass pipe section, 12-first control valve, 13-fourth bypass pipe section, 14-fourth control valve;

[0038] 2-mechanical refrigeration circuit, 21-evaporator, 22-condenser, 23-compressor, 24-expansion valve;

[0039] 3-natural cooling source circuit, 31-second bypass pipe section, 32-second control valve, 33-third bypass pipe section, 34-third control valve, 35-wet film heat exchange device, 351-spraying device, 352-wet film, 353-water tank, 354-fan, 36-coolant pump;

[0040] 4- Plate heat exchanger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] In order to more clearly understand the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present invention, and the embodiments described are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the art without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0042] It should be noted that: unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings. At the same time, in the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0043] like Figure 1-4 As shown, the present embodiment provides a chiller suitable for a data center, including a chilled water delivery pipe section 1, a mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 and a natural cold source circuit 3; wherein the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 can be used for the circulation and delivery of chilled water, the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 can be used for the refrigeration cycle of the refrigerant, and the natural cold source circuit 3 can be used for the refrigeration cycle of the coolant.

[0044] In some embodiments, a first interaction module is formed between the chilled water delivery pipe segment 1 and the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2. Through the formation of the first interaction module, the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 can thermally interact with the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe segment 1, thereby forming a refrigeration effect.

[0045] In addition, the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 is connected to the first interactive module and has an input end and an output end, a first bypass pipe section 11 is provided between the input end and the output end of the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 and the first interactive module, and a first control valve 12 is provided on the first bypass pipe section 11. The first control valve 12 can be used to control the flow direction of chilled water, for example, to control whether the chilled water forms thermal interaction with the refrigerant of the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2.

[0046] In some embodiments, a second interaction module is formed between the natural cold source loop 3 and the mechanical refrigeration loop 2. Through the formed second interaction module, the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration loop 2 can thermally interact with the coolant in the natural cold source loop 3, thereby forming a cooling effect.

[0047] In addition, the natural cooling source circuit 3 is connected to the second interactive module and has an input end and an output end, a second bypass pipe section 31 is provided between the input end and the output end of the natural cooling source circuit 3 and the second interactive module, and a second control valve 32 is provided on the second bypass pipe section 31. The second control valve 32 can be used to control the flow direction of the coolant, for example, to control whether the coolant forms thermal interaction with the refrigerant of the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2.

[0048] In some embodiments, a third interaction module is formed between the natural cooling source loop 3 and the chilled water delivery pipe section. Through the formed third interaction module, the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 can thermally interact with the coolant in the natural cooling source loop 3, thereby forming a cooling effect.

[0049] In addition, the natural cooling source loop 3 is connected to the third interactive module and forms an input end and an output end, a third bypass pipe section 33 is provided between the input end and the output end of the natural cooling source loop 3 and the third interactive module, and a third control valve 34 is provided on the third bypass pipe section 33. The third control valve 34 can be used to control the flow direction of the coolant, for example, to control whether the coolant forms thermal interaction with the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1.

[0050] So far, a natural cold source refrigeration mode, a mechanical refrigeration mode and a mixed refrigeration mode are formed in the chiller:

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, in the natural cold source cooling mode, the first control valve 12 and the second control valve 32 are in the open state, and the third control valve 34 is in the closed state; at this time, a thermal interaction is formed between the coolant in the natural cold source loop 3 and the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1, so that the chilled water is cooled by the natural cold source;

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, when in the mechanical refrigeration mode, the first control valve 12 is in a closed state; at this time, a thermal interaction is formed between the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 and the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1, so that the chilled water is cooled by the refrigerant;

[0053] In the mechanical refrigeration mode, the second control valve 32 can be set to a closed state, and the third control valve 34 can be set to an open state, so that the coolant in the natural cold source loop 3 can form a thermal interaction with the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration loop 2, and the interacted coolant is cooled by the natural cold source to reduce the temperature;

[0054] like Figure 4 As shown, when in the mixed refrigeration mode, the first control valve 12, the second control valve 32, and the third control valve 34 are all set to a closed state. At this time, thermal interaction can be formed between the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 and the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1, between the refrigerant in the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 and the cooling liquid in the natural cold source circuit 3, and between the cooling liquid in the natural cold source circuit 3 and the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1, thereby forming a circulating refrigeration.

[0055] By forming the first interactive module, the second interactive module and the third interactive module, it is convenient to realize the integrated application of the chilled water delivery pipe section 1, the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 and the natural cold source circuit 3, and form a thermal interaction effect between them. Compared with the solution of separately configuring the mechanical refrigeration system and the natural cold source refrigeration system in traditional technology, it is convenient to reduce the overall configuration cost; and by controlling the on and off of the first control valve 12, the second control valve 32 and the third control valve 34, switching between different application modes can be achieved on the chiller, so that the application mode can be better selected according to the characteristics of the application environment, especially in the application of transition seasons, which can reduce energy consumption.

[0056] As one application example, the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 is connected to the third interactive module and forms an input end and an output end, a fourth bypass pipe section 13 is arranged between the input end and the output end connected to the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 and the third interactive module, and a fourth control valve 14 is arranged on the fourth bypass pipe section 13.

[0057] The fourth bypass pipe section 13 and the fourth control valve 14 can be used to control the delivery path of the chilled water, for example, to control whether the chilled water forms thermal interaction with the coolant in the natural cooling source circuit, which can improve the system operation efficiency.

[0058] In some embodiments, a plate heat exchanger 4 is provided in the third interaction module, and the natural cold source loop 3 and the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 are respectively connected to the plate heat exchanger 4; through the arrangement of the plate heat exchanger 4, the chilled water in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1 and the coolant in the natural cold source loop 3 can achieve thermal interaction in the plate heat exchanger 4.

[0059] At this time, when the third control valve 34 is in an open state, the coolant is directly circulated and transported in the natural cooling source circuit 3; when the third control valve 34 is in a closed state, the coolant flows through the plate heat exchanger 4. When the fourth control valve 14 is in an open state, the chilled water is directly circulated and transported in the chilled water delivery pipe section 1; when the fourth control valve 14 is in a closed state, the chilled water flows through the plate heat exchanger 4, thereby achieving thermal interaction with the coolant.

[0060] As one application example, an evaporator 21 is provided on the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2, the evaporator 21 is located in the first interaction module, and the chilled water delivery pipe section is connected to the evaporator 21. Therefore, when the first control valve 12 is in an open state, the chilled water passes through the first bypass pipe section 11 and is directly output; when the first control valve 12 is in a closed state, the chilled water flows through the evaporator 21, thereby achieving thermal interaction with the refrigerant.

[0061] In some embodiments, a condenser 22 is provided on the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2, the condenser 22 is located in the second interaction module, and the natural cold source circuit 3 is connected to the condenser 22. Therefore, when the second control valve 32 is in an open state, the coolant passes through the second bypass pipe section 31 and circulates directly in the natural cold source circuit 3; and when the second control valve 32 is in a closed state, the coolant flows through the condenser 22 and performs thermal interaction with the refrigerant.

[0062] In some embodiments, the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2 is further provided with a compressor 23 and an expansion valve 24. The compressor 23, the condenser 22, the expansion valve 24 and the evaporator 21 are sequentially connected to form a circuit. The compressor 23, the condenser 22, the expansion valve 24 and the evaporator 21 can be provided to facilitate the formation of a refrigeration cycle on the mechanical refrigeration circuit 2. For example, the low-temperature two-phase refrigerant absorbs heat from the chilled water, becomes a gas and enters the compressor 23. The compressor 23 compresses it into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas then enters the condenser 22, is cooled by the coolant in the condenser 22, becomes a liquid, then enters the expansion valve 24 for throttling, and then becomes a low-temperature two-phase refrigerant and enters the evaporator 21, thereby forming a cycle.

[0063] As one application example, a wet film heat exchange device 35 is arranged on the natural cooling source circuit 3, and the wet film heat exchange device 35 includes a spray device 351, a wet film 352 and a water tank 353; wherein the spray device 351 is connected to the natural cooling source circuit 3 and sprays toward the wet film 352, and the water tank 353 is arranged below the wet film 352 to collect the spray liquid, and is connected to the natural cooling source circuit 3.

[0064] In some embodiments, the natural cold source loop 3 and the mechanical refrigeration loop 2 can share the wet film heat exchange device 35 through the second interactive module, so as to reduce the system configuration cost. For example, the coolant is heated up after heat exchange with the high-temperature refrigerant in the condenser 22, and then enters the wet film heat exchange device 35. The coolant is evenly distributed on the wet film 352 through the spray device 351, thereby transferring mass and heat with the low-temperature air to reduce the temperature, and then enters the water tank 353 to continue circulation.

[0065] By setting up the wet film heat exchange device 35, thermal interaction between the coolant and the natural cold source can be achieved, so that the coolant can satisfy the thermal interaction operation between the coolant and the chilled water.

[0066] In some embodiments, the wet film heat exchange device 35 also includes a fan 354, which can be arranged on the top of the spray device 351, or on the side of the wet film 352; the fan 354 can be used to promote the flow of airflow, thereby dissipating the coolant sprayed from the spray device 351, thereby improving the thermal interaction efficiency of the wet film heat exchange device 35.

[0067] In some embodiments, a coolant pump 36 is further provided on the natural cooling source circuit 3, and the coolant pump 36 is connected to the water tank 353. The coolant pump 36 can provide a conveying power for the coolant, so that the coolant forms a refrigeration cycle in the natural cooling source circuit 3.

[0068] On the other hand, the present embodiment provides a refrigeration system, in which the water chiller as described above is arranged. By applying the water chiller as described above in the refrigeration system, it is convenient to implement multiple refrigeration modes on the water chiller, reduce the energy consumption of the water chiller under different application environment requirements, and facilitate reducing the configuration cost, so that the overall application benefit is better.

[0069] The above description is only a specific implementation mode of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should also be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

[0070] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

Claims

1. A chiller suitable for a data center, characterized in that: include: Chilled water delivery pipe section; A mechanical refrigeration circuit, wherein a first interaction module is formed between the chilled water delivery pipe section and the mechanical refrigeration circuit, a first bypass pipe section is arranged between an input end and an output end of the chilled water delivery pipe section in communication with the first interaction module, and a first control valve is arranged on the first bypass pipe section; A natural cold source circuit, a second interactive module is formed between the natural cold source circuit and the mechanical refrigeration circuit, and a third interactive module is formed between the natural cold source circuit and the chilled water delivery pipe section; a second bypass pipe section is arranged between the input end and the output end of the natural cold source circuit connected to the second interactive module, and a second control valve is arranged on the second bypass pipe section; a third bypass pipe section is arranged between the input end and the output end of the natural cold source circuit connected to the third interactive module, and a third control valve is arranged on the third bypass pipe section.

2. The chiller for a data center according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fourth bypass pipe section is provided between the input end and the output end of the chilled water delivery pipe section in communication with the third interactive module, and a fourth control valve is provided on the fourth bypass pipe section.

3. The chiller for a data center according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mechanical refrigeration circuit is provided with an evaporator, and the evaporator is located in the first interactive module; The chilled water delivery pipe section is in communication with the evaporator.

4. The chiller for a data center according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mechanical refrigeration circuit is provided with a condenser, and the condenser is located in the second interactive module; The natural cooling source circuit is in communication with the condenser.

5. The chiller for a data center according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mechanical refrigeration circuit is also provided with a compressor and an expansion valve, and the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator are connected in sequence to form a circuit.

6. The chiller for a data center according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: A wet film heat exchange device is provided on the natural cooling source circuit, and the wet film heat exchange device comprises a spray device, a wet film and a water tank; The spraying device is connected to the natural cooling source circuit and sprays toward the wet film. The water tank is arranged below the wet film and is connected to the natural cooling source circuit.

7. The chiller for a data center according to claim 6, characterized in that: The wet film heat exchange device also includes a fan, which is used to dissipate heat from the coolant sprayed by the spray device.

8. The chiller for a data center according to claim 7, characterized in that: A coolant pump is provided on the natural cooling source circuit, and the coolant pump is connected to the water tank.

9. The chiller for a data center according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: A plate heat exchanger is arranged in the third interactive module, and the natural cold source circuit and the chilled water delivery pipe section are respectively connected to the plate heat exchanger.

10. A refrigeration system, characterized in that: A chiller as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is arranged therein.

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