Cooling systems and data centers

Abstract

This application discloses a cooling system and a data center, which simultaneously provide air cooling and liquid cooling for a data center server room, and the ratio of air cooling to liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted to meet the diverse heat dissipation needs of the data center server room. The cooling system includes: a compressor, a condenser, a refrigerant control system, a liquid cooling system, and an air cooling system; the compressor, the condenser, and the refrigerant control system are connected sequentially; the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are connected in parallel between the compressor and the refrigerant control system; the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system share the condenser and the compressor; and the refrigerant control system is used to control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and particularly to refrigeration systems and data centers. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of artificial intelligence, the power of chips is getting greater and greater, and the cooling method of data center computer rooms is gradually changing from air cooling to liquid cooling.

[0003] The power consumption of different devices in a data center varies greatly. For example, high-power components such as the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) usually require liquid cooling, while low-power components such as hard drives and network devices can generally meet their cooling needs with air cooling. These diverse needs pose new challenges to the cooling equipment in data center rooms. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a cooling system and a data center to provide both air cooling and liquid cooling for the data center computer room, and the ratio of air cooling to liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted to meet the diverse heat dissipation needs of the data center computer room.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a refrigeration system, including: a compressor, a condenser, a refrigerant control system, a liquid cooling system, and an air cooling system;

[0006] The compressor, the condenser, and the refrigerant control system are connected in sequence. The liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are connected in parallel between the compressor and the refrigerant control system. The liquid cooling system and the air cooling system share the condenser and the compressor. The refrigerant control system is used to control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system.

[0007] In the aforementioned refrigeration system, the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are connected in parallel between the refrigerant control system and the compressor. Therefore, this refrigeration system can provide both air cooling and liquid cooling for the data center. Since the refrigerant control system can control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system, the ratio of air cooling to liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted. In practical applications, the refrigerant control system can enable the refrigeration system to operate in air cooling mode alone, liquid cooling mode alone, or a hybrid mode of air cooling and liquid cooling to meet the diverse heat dissipation needs of the data center.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the refrigerant control system includes at least a first electronic expansion valve and a second electronic expansion valve;

[0009] The first electronic expansion valve is connected to the liquid cooling system, and the second electronic expansion valve is connected to the air cooling system.

[0010] In the above-mentioned refrigeration system, the refrigerant control system uses a first electronic expansion valve and a second electronic expansion valve. By adjusting the opening degree of the first electronic expansion valve and the second electronic expansion valve, the ratio of air cooling and liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted, that is, the cooling capacity of air cooling and liquid cooling can be adjusted.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the liquid cooling system includes at least a plate heat exchanger and a pump, wherein the primary side of the plate heat exchanger is connected between the first electronic expansion valve and the compressor, and the pump is disposed on the secondary side pipeline of the plate heat exchanger.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the pump is installed inside or outside the refrigeration system unit.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the plate heat exchanger includes a water-fluorine heat exchanger.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the air-cooled system includes at least an evaporator and a fan.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the system further includes a refrigerant pump connected between the condenser and the refrigerant control system, or connected between the condenser and the compressor.

[0016] In the aforementioned refrigeration system, the refrigerant pump can utilize the natural cold source for refrigeration when the temperature of the natural cold source meets the requirements, making the refrigeration system more efficient and energy-saving.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the compressor is installed on the outdoor unit side or on the indoor unit side.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the compressor is a two-stage compressor or a multi-stage compressor.

[0019] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a data center, including: a computer room and a cooling system as described in any one of the first aspects of embodiments of this application;

[0020] The computer room is equipped with a liquid cooling circulation pipeline, which is connected to the liquid cooling system in the refrigeration system. The air cooling system in the refrigeration system is used to exchange heat with the air in the computer room to provide air cooling for the computer room. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the refrigeration system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the refrigeration system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another refrigeration system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another refrigeration system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. The "and / or" in the text is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more.

[0028] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0029] Before introducing the cooling system and data center provided in the embodiments of this application, the technical background of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail for ease of understanding.

[0030] With the continuous development of artificial intelligence, the power of chips is getting greater and greater, and the cooling method of data center computer rooms is gradually changing from air cooling to liquid cooling.

[0031] The power consumption of different devices in a data center varies greatly. For example, high-power components such as CPUs and GPUs usually require liquid cooling, while low-power components such as hard drives and network devices can generally meet their cooling needs with air cooling. These diverse needs pose new challenges to the cooling equipment in data centers.

[0032] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a cooling system and a data center. In the cooling system, a liquid cooling system and an air cooling system are connected in parallel between a refrigerant control system and a compressor. Therefore, the cooling system can provide both air cooling and liquid cooling for the data center. Since the refrigerant control system can control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system, the ratio of air cooling to liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted. In practical applications, the refrigerant control system can enable the cooling system to operate in air cooling mode alone, or in liquid cooling mode alone, or in a hybrid mode of air cooling and liquid cooling to meet the diverse heat dissipation needs of the data center.

[0033] It should be noted that the cooling system provided in this application embodiment can also solve the problem of mismatch between the early construction and later needs of data center computer rooms. Specifically, it is difficult to predict the future business type of many data center computer rooms in the early stage of construction. It is possible that only air cooling is needed in the initial stage, but liquid cooling is needed later; or air cooling and liquid cooling are configured in the early stage, but the actual business has always used air cooling, resulting in a lot of equipment waste and occupying a lot of space.

[0034] The cooling system provided in this application embodiment can provide both air cooling and liquid cooling for data center computer rooms. Furthermore, the ratio of air cooling to liquid cooling can be flexibly adjusted through the refrigerant control system, which can meet the diverse heat dissipation needs of data center computer rooms and avoid the problem of mismatch between the initial construction and the later needs of data center computer rooms.

[0035] After introducing the background technology of the embodiments of this application, the refrigeration system provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0036] See Figure 1 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the refrigeration system in the embodiment of this application. The refrigeration system includes: compressor 11, condenser 12, refrigerant control system 13, liquid cooling system 14, and air cooling system 15.

[0037] The compressor 11, condenser 12 and refrigerant control system 13 are connected in sequence. The liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15 are connected in parallel between the compressor 11 and the refrigerant control system 13. The liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15 share the compressor 11 and the condenser 12. The refrigerant control system 13 is used to control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15.

[0038] In specific implementation, the refrigerant control system 13 can use electronic expansion valves, such as a first electronic expansion valve and a second electronic expansion valve, with the first electronic expansion valve connected to the liquid cooling system 14 and the second electronic expansion valve connected to the air cooling system 15.

[0039] The liquid cooling system 14 may include, but is not limited to, a plate heat exchanger, a pump, and a constant pressure water supply device; the air cooling system 15 may include, but is not limited to, an evaporator and a fan.

[0040] It should be noted that the refrigeration system provided in this application embodiment may also include some temperature sensors and pressure sensors for collecting parameters such as temperature and pressure of key parts of the system (such as compressor and condenser).

[0041] In practical applications, the plate heat exchanger in the liquid cooling system 14 can be a water-fluorine heat exchanger. The primary side of the water-fluorine heat exchanger is connected between the first electronic expansion valve and the compressor 11, and the pump is installed on the secondary side pipeline of the water-fluorine heat exchanger.

[0042] In practice, the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15 are connected in parallel and share a compressor 11. The liquid refrigerant enters the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15 through the refrigerant distribution system 13, and the refrigerant flow rate entering the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15 is adjustable, so that the cooling capacity ratio of liquid cooling and air cooling is adjustable. The refrigerant control system 13 can distribute all the refrigerant to the liquid cooling system 14 or the air cooling system 15, so that the refrigeration system operates in a single state.

[0043] Compressor 11, which can be a two-stage or multi-stage compressor, is responsible for refrigerant circulation and adjusts its speed according to the total cooling demand of the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15. The heat exchanger of the liquid cooling system 14 is a water-fluorine heat exchanger. The high-temperature return water from the liquid-cooled cabinet enters the water-fluorine heat exchanger to dissipate heat, reducing its temperature, and is then pumped into the liquid-cooled cabinet. The evaporator and fan of the air cooling system 15 are responsible for supplying low-temperature air to the data center server room.

[0044] The refrigerant control system 13 distributes the refrigerant flow according to the respective cooling needs of the liquid cooling system 14 and the air cooling system 15. Different opening degrees of the electronic expansion valves result in different refrigerant flow rates, and the flow rate is positively correlated with the cooling capacity. Therefore, dynamically adjusting the opening degrees of the first and second electronic expansion valves allows for adjustment of the ratio of cold air to chilled water supplied by the refrigeration system. If the demand for cold air or chilled water is zero, the corresponding electronic expansion valve can be closed, allowing the unit to operate in a single mode.

[0045] like Figure 2The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a refrigeration system provided in an embodiment of this application, including: a compressor 21, a condenser 22, a refrigerant pump 23, a first electronic expansion valve 24, a second electronic expansion valve 25, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 26, an evaporator 27, and a pump 28. The first electronic expansion valve 24 and the second electronic expansion valve 25 constitute a refrigerant control system, the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 26 and the pump 28 constitute a liquid cooling system, and the evaporator 27 constitutes an air-cooled system.

[0046] In practical applications, such as Figure 2 As shown, the compressor 21 can be installed on the indoor unit side, and the pump 28 can be integrated into the refrigeration system unit. In other embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 3 As shown, compressor 21 can also be installed on the outdoor unit side to save indoor space; as Figure 4 As shown, pump 28 can also be installed separately outside the refrigeration system unit.

[0047] The refrigeration system provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above. The control scheme of the refrigeration system provided in the embodiments of this application will be briefly described below. The control scheme of the refrigeration system provided in the embodiments of this application is applied to the refrigeration system provided in the above embodiments of this application. The executing entity can be the controller of the refrigeration system or the control center that communicates with the refrigeration system.

[0048] Specifically, the control scheme for the refrigeration system provided in this application includes the following steps:

[0049] Step 1: Obtain the cooling temperature provided by the target system, which is a liquid cooling system and / or an air cooling system.

[0050] In practice, the cooling temperature provided by the target system can be obtained by using a temperature sensor. For liquid cooling systems, the temperature sensor can be set at the secondary water supply port of the liquid cooling system to obtain the temperature of the chilled water provided by the liquid cooling system; for air cooling systems, the temperature sensor can be set at the air outlet of the air cooling system to obtain the temperature of the chilled air provided by the air cooling system.

[0051] Step 2: When the cooling temperature is higher than the set temperature of the target system, control the compressor speed to increase and / or control the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system to increase.

[0052] The set temperature can be set based on empirical values. The set temperatures for the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system can be the same or different. This application does not limit this.

[0053] In practice, if the cooling temperature is higher than the set temperature of the target system and the cooling capacity provided by the target system is insufficient, the cooling capacity of the target system can be increased by controlling the compressor speed and / or controlling the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system.

[0054] The specific method can be flexibly chosen. For example, the cooling capacity of the target system can be increased by controlling the compressor speed. If the cooling capacity provided by the target system is still insufficient even when the compressor speed reaches its maximum, the cooling capacity of the target system can be increased by controlling the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system.

[0055] Of course, in other embodiments of this application, if the cooling capacity provided by the target system is insufficient, the cooling capacity of the target system can be increased by controlling the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system. If the cooling capacity provided by the target system is still insufficient after increasing the opening of the electronic expansion valve, the cooling capacity of the target system can be increased by controlling the speed of the compressor.

[0056] In other embodiments of this application, when the cooling capacity provided by both the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system is insufficient, the cooling capacity can be increased by increasing the compressor speed; when the cooling capacity provided by the liquid cooling system is insufficient, the cooling capacity of the liquid cooling system can be increased by increasing the opening of the first electronic expansion valve; when the cooling capacity provided by the air cooling system is insufficient, the cooling capacity of the air cooling system can be increased by increasing the opening of the second electronic expansion valve.

[0057] In practice, if the cooling capacity provided by the target system is sufficient, it is necessary to reduce the cooling capacity provided by the target system. Specifically, if the target system is a liquid-cooled system or an air-cooled system, and the cooling temperature is lower than the corresponding set temperature of the target system, the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system is reduced to decrease the cooling capacity provided by the target system; if the cooling temperature provided by both the liquid-cooled system and the air-cooled system is lower than their respective set temperatures, the compressor speed is reduced.

[0058] Of course, in other embodiments of this application, when the target system is a liquid cooling system or an air cooling system and the cooling temperature is lower than the set temperature corresponding to the target system, the cooling capacity provided by the liquid cooling system or the air cooling system can also be reduced by reducing the speed of the compressor. This application does not limit this.

[0059] It should be noted that if the cooling temperature provided by the target system is equal to the set temperature, such as the cooling temperature provided by both the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system being equal to the corresponding set temperature, then no adjustment is required.

[0060] In practical applications, the compressor speed can be adjusted using proportional-integral-differential (PID) control to ensure the stability and response speed of the refrigeration system. The opening of the first and second electronic expansion valves can be dynamically adjusted in conjunction with the compressor speed to ensure system balance.

[0061] In practical applications, to avoid problems such as reduced refrigeration efficiency and increased energy consumption caused by excessively low or high superheat of the refrigeration system, the embodiments of this application can also obtain the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline of the target system, and calculate the superheat of the target system based on the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant. If the superheat exceeds the preset superheat range corresponding to the target system, the opening degree of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system can be controlled and adjusted.

[0062] The temperature and pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipeline of the target system can be obtained by installing temperature and pressure sensors at appropriate locations. Specifically, the superheat of the target system based on the refrigerant temperature and pressure can be calculated using methods found in related technologies, which are not limited in this embodiment. The preset superheat range can be set based on empirical values. The preset superheat ranges for liquid cooling systems and air cooling systems can be the same or different, which is not limited in this embodiment. For example, the preset superheat range for a liquid cooling system is [1K, 5K], and the preset superheat range for an air cooling system is [2K, 5K].

[0063] Specifically, when the superheat exceeds the preset superheat range corresponding to the target system, the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system is controlled and adjusted, including:

[0064] When the superheat is greater than the maximum value of the preset superheat range, the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system is increased; or when the superheat is less than the minimum value of the preset superheat range, the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system is decreased.

[0065] Of course, it should be noted that if the superheat of the target system is within the preset superheat range, there is no need to adjust the opening of the electronic expansion valve connected to the target system. In this embodiment, when adjusting the opening of the electronic expansion valve, the cooling demand is prioritized as long as the superheat does not exceed the preset superheat range.

[0066] In specific implementation, this application embodiment controls the closing of the first electronic expansion valve when it is determined that the cooling demand of the liquid cooling system is zero; and controls the closing of the second electronic expansion valve when it is determined that the cooling demand of the air cooling system is zero.

[0067] Based on the same concept, embodiments of this application provide a data center, including: a computer room and a cooling system provided in embodiments of this application.

[0068] The computer room is equipped with a liquid cooling circulation pipeline for providing liquid cooling for high-performance computing equipment. The liquid cooling circulation pipeline is connected to the secondary side pipeline of the liquid cooling system in the refrigeration system. The air cooling system in the refrigeration system is used to exchange heat with the air in the computer room to provide air cooling for the computer room.

[0069] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A refrigeration system, characterized in that, include: Compressors, condensers, refrigerant control systems, liquid cooling systems, and air-cooled systems; The compressor, the condenser, and the refrigerant control system are connected in sequence. The liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are connected in parallel between the compressor and the refrigerant control system. The liquid cooling system and the air cooling system share the condenser and the compressor. The refrigerant control system is used to control the refrigerant flowing through the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system. The refrigerant control system includes at least a first electronic expansion valve and a second electronic expansion valve. The first electronic expansion valve is connected to the liquid cooling system, and the second electronic expansion valve is connected to the air cooling system.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid cooling system includes at least a plate heat exchanger and a pump, wherein the primary side of the plate heat exchanger is connected between the first electronic expansion valve and the compressor, and the pump is disposed on the secondary side pipeline of the plate heat exchanger.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pump is installed inside the refrigeration system unit or outside the refrigeration system unit.

4. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The plate heat exchanger includes a water-fluorine heat exchanger.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air-cooled system includes at least an evaporator and a fan.

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system further includes a refrigerant pump connected between the condenser and the refrigerant control system, or connected between the condenser and the compressor.

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The compressor is installed on the outdoor unit side or the indoor unit side.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The compressor is a two-stage compressor or a multi-stage compressor.

9. A data center, characterized in that, include: The computer room and the refrigeration system as described in any one of claims 1-8; The computer room is equipped with a liquid cooling circulation pipeline, which is connected to the liquid cooling system in the refrigeration system. The air cooling system in the refrigeration system is used to exchange heat with the air in the computer room to provide air cooling for the computer room.

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