An integrated data center refrigeration plant

Abstract

The application discloses an integrated data center refrigeration equipment, which realizes modular deployment by integrating a water chiller, a cold distribution unit (CDU) and a wind wall in a container. The equipment is installed outside the data center, and by optimizing pipeline connection and utilizing a natural cold source, the equipment significantly reduces the space occupation of a machine room and improves installation efficiency and energy efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of data center cooling technology, and more specifically to an integrated data center cooling device. Background Technology

[0002] As data centers expand in scale and computing power demands increase, traditional cooling systems, which employ independently installed chiller units, CDUs, and air walls, present the following technical problems: the equipment is dispersed within the data center, occupying data center space and reducing rack space utilization; equipment installation is labor-intensive and time-consuming, resulting in low deployment efficiency; and it is difficult to flexibly utilize natural cooling sources, leading to higher energy consumption.

[0003] In view of this, there is a need to provide an innovative solution for data center cooling that can integrate chillers, CDUs, and air walls to reduce space occupation, improve installation efficiency, and make efficient use of natural cooling sources. This is a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an integrated data center cooling device, which includes a modular frame and chillers, condensers, cooling distribution units (CDUs), and air walls integrated within the modular frame, enabling high efficiency and improved space utilization in data center construction.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of this application provides an integrated data center cooling device, comprising:

[0006] Modular framework;

[0007] The chiller unit, condenser, cooling capacity distribution unit, and air wall are integrated inside the modular frame; the return air valve and fresh air valve are installed between the cooling capacity distribution unit and the air wall; the return air louvers are installed on the upper part and the supply air louvers are installed on the lower part of the front panel of the modular frame; and the electrical control box is installed on the rear panel of the modular frame.

[0008] The chiller unit is equipped with a cooling capacity distribution unit at its front end, which is connected to the return water pipe via a water supply pipe.

[0009] The air wall is equipped with a coil and a blower. The coil is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit through the water supply pipe and the return water pipe. The blower is located at the front end of the coil and delivers the cooled return air or outdoor fresh air evenly to the data center through the air supply louvers.

[0010] The top of the chiller unit is connected to several condensers for heat exchange;

[0011] The top plate of the modular frame is equipped with an equal number of exhaust fans for forced airflow heat dissipation, corresponding to the condenser.

[0012] A horizontal partition is installed at the top of the air wall, and the horizontal partition, together with the top plate and side plates of the modular frame, forms a return air channel. A vertical partition is installed at the front end of the cooling distribution unit to separate the front and rear of the modular frame. The vertical partition guides the return air entering the return air channel through the return air louvers to the air wall located at the bottom of the return air channel. The coils in the air wall then perform convective heat exchange. The cooled return air is then sent back into the data center through the blower and the blower louvers, forming a circulating air path.

[0013] As described above, by optimizing the layout and modularizing the installation of various components of the refrigeration equipment, the construction period can be shortened; by utilizing the advantages of external refrigeration equipment, the internal space of the computer room can be saved; and by setting up fresh air valves and return air valves, the goal of efficiently utilizing natural cold sources and reducing energy consumption can be achieved.

[0014] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the chiller unit includes a compressor, a first evaporator, a second evaporator, and a water pump; the compressor connects the first evaporator and the second evaporator and is connected to a plurality of condensers at the top of the chiller unit to form a refrigerant circulation system; the water pump is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit and the coil located at the front end of the chiller unit to form a water circulation system; the water circulation system is connected to the heat exchange pipes of the first evaporator and the second evaporator to exchange heat and obtain cooled circulating water.

[0015] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the chiller unit may be in the form of an air-cooled chiller unit, a water-cooled chiller unit, or a cooling tower.

[0016] Therefore, a suitable cooling method can be selected based on the deployment environment.

[0017] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the condenser is configured with two condenser plates forming an angle, the angled end being located at the top of the chiller unit, forming an inverted triangular structure with the opening facing upwards, and the exhaust fan being located at the upper end of the opening; several condenser units are arranged side by side, and the inclined surfaces of the triangular bodies form an array-type heat dissipation structure.

[0018] As shown above, several condenser units arranged side by side form an array-type heat dissipation structure with the inclined surfaces of the triangular pyramids. The gaps between each unit further optimize the airflow path, effectively avoid heat backflow, significantly improve the overall heat dissipation efficiency, and ensure that a stable low-temperature environment is maintained inside the container.

[0019] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the return air valve is horizontally positioned between the partitions to block the circulating air path, and the opening and closing of the return air valve controls whether the return air enters the air wall.

[0020] The fresh air valve is located on the side plate of the modular frame below the height of the return air valve, and its width is between the partition and the air wall. The opening and closing of the fresh air valve controls whether natural air enters the air wall.

[0021] As mentioned above, the equipment operating mode can be adjusted according to the outside temperature to achieve efficient use of natural cold sources and reduce energy consumption.

[0022] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the front end of the fresh air valve is provided with a multi-stage filtration device, including a pre-filter and a medium-efficiency filter, and the filtration device is detachable.

[0023] Therefore, by setting up a multi-stage filtration system, dust and other airborne pollutants can be prevented from entering the data center and causing equipment damage, even under natural cooling heat exchange. The detachable design allows administrators to regularly clean or replace the multi-stage filters.

[0024] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the modular frame is a prefabricated container structure with an inspection door on its side for maintenance of components such as the cooling capacity distribution unit and the air wall, and the fresh air valve is installed on the inspection door.

[0025] As a result, the container-integrated design facilitates transportation and rapid hoisting; the open deployment environment allows for easy access to maintenance of related components through inspection doors.

[0026] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the air supply louvers are designed with adjustable angles.

[0027] Based on the above, the circulation distribution of cooling capacity can be optimized by adjusting the direction of the air supply louvers, according to the data center structure and the installation location of the cooling equipment.

[0028] As one possible implementation of the first aspect, the electrical control box includes,

[0029] The main control board is used to control the operation of the equipment; the sensors are used to detect indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity; and the display panel is used to set the control logic, enabling the equipment to dynamically adjust the cooling capacity and cooling mode.

[0030] Therefore, by using sensors and the main control board, the required temperature of the data center is regulated to optimize energy consumption.

[0031] In summary, the equipment and control methods described above in this application, through containerized integrated installation, are suitable for most data centers, are easy to install, and do not occupy the data center's usable space; at the same time, the open deployment environment facilitates equipment maintenance and parts replacement; by controlling the fresh air valve and return air valve, natural cooling sources are efficiently utilized, reducing energy consumption; and one or more units can be flexibly deployed according to the scale of the data center. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 A top view of the integrated data center cooling equipment structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 2 A side view of the structure of an integrated data center cooling device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0034] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the integrated data center cooling equipment control method provided in this application embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical solutions provided in this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the system architecture and business scenarios provided in the embodiments of this application are mainly for illustrating possible implementations of the technical solutions of this application and should not be construed as the sole limitation on the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions provided in this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems as system architectures evolve and new business scenarios emerge.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. In case of any inconsistency, the meaning set forth in this specification or derived from the content described herein shall prevail. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0037] The following reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 The structural diagram shown illustrates a first embodiment of an integrated data center cooling device according to this application. In this embodiment, the device includes...

[0038] Modular frame 20; chiller 9, condenser 14, cooling capacity distribution unit 6 and air wall 15 integrated inside the modular frame 20; return air valve 17 and fresh air valve 18 disposed between the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 and the air wall 15; return air louvers 1 and supply air louvers 19 disposed on the upper part of the front panel of the modular frame 20 and the lower part of the front panel; electrical control box 12 disposed on the rear panel of the modular frame 20.

[0039] In some embodiments, the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 is provided at the front end of the chiller unit 9 and is connected to the return water pipe 3 through the water supply pipe 4.

[0040] In some embodiments, a coil 16 and a blower 2 are provided inside the air wall 15. The coil 16 is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 through the water supply pipe 4 and the return water pipe 3. The blower 2 is located at the front end of the coil 16 and delivers the cooled return air or outdoor fresh air evenly to the data center through the air supply louvers 19.

[0041] In some embodiments, the chiller unit 9 is top-connected with a plurality of condensers 14 for heat exchange.

[0042] In some embodiments, the top plate of the modular frame 20 is provided with an equal number of exhaust fans 13 for forced airflow heat dissipation corresponding to the condenser.

[0043] In some embodiments, a horizontal partition 21 is horizontally arranged at the top of the air wall 15, and the horizontal partition 21 forms a return air channel with the top plate and side plates of the modular frame; a vertical partition 22 is vertically arranged at the front end of the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 to separate the front and rear of the modular frame; the vertical partition 22 guides the return air entering the return air channel through the return air louvers 1 to the air wall located at the lower part of the return air channel, and then the coil 16 in the air wall performs convective heat exchange. The cooled return air is sent back into the data center through the blower 2 and the blower louvers 19 to form a circulating air path.

[0044] In some embodiments, the chiller unit 9 includes a compressor 11, a first evaporator 10, a second evaporator 8, and a water pump 7; the compressor 11 is connected to the first evaporator 10 and the second evaporator 8 and is also connected to a plurality of condensers 14 at the top of the chiller unit 9 to form a refrigerant circulation system; the water pump 7 is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 and the coil 16 located at the front end of the chiller unit 9 to form a water circulation system; the water circulation system exchanges heat with the heat exchange pipes connected to the first evaporator and the second evaporator to obtain cooled circulating water.

[0045] In some embodiments, the chiller unit 9 may be in the form of an air-cooled chiller unit, a water-cooled chiller unit, or a cooling tower.

[0046] In some embodiments, the condenser 14 is configured with two condenser plates forming an angle, the angled end being located at the top of the chiller unit, forming an inverted triangular structure with the opening facing upwards, and the exhaust fan 13 being located at the upper end of the opening; a plurality of condenser units are arranged side by side, and the inclined surfaces of the triangular bodies form an array-type heat dissipation structure.

[0047] In some embodiments, the return air valve 17 is horizontally disposed between the partition 21 and the partition 22 to block the circulating air path, and the opening and closing of the return air valve controls whether the return air enters the air wall 15.

[0048] The fresh air valve 18 is located on the side plate of the modular frame below the height of the return air valve 17, and its width is located between the partition 22 and the air wall 15. The opening and closing of the fresh air valve controls whether natural air enters the air wall 15.

[0049] In some embodiments, the front end of the fresh air valve 18 is provided with a multi-stage filtration device, including a pre-filter and a medium-efficiency filter, and the filtration device is detachable.

[0050] In some embodiments, the modular frame 20 is a prefabricated container structure with an inspection door 5 on its side for maintenance of components such as the cooling capacity distribution unit 6 and the air wall 15; the fresh air valve 18 is disposed on the inspection door 5.

[0051] In some embodiments, the air supply louvers 19 are designed with adjustable angles.

[0052] In some embodiments, the electrical control box 12 includes a main control board for controlling the operation of the equipment; a sensor for detecting indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity; and a display panel for setting control logic to enable the equipment to dynamically adjust cooling capacity and cooling mode.

[0053] Figure 3 A flowchart of a control method for a data center cooling mode according to this application is shown, implemented using any of the devices described in the first embodiment. The method includes the following steps S1-S4:

[0054] S1: When the outdoor temperature is higher than the set value, the fresh air valve is closed, the return air valve is opened, the chiller unit is started, and the cooling capacity is distributed to the air wall through the cooling capacity distribution unit and sent into the machine room through the air supply fan.

[0055] S2: When the outdoor temperature is lower than the set value, open the fresh air valve, close the return air valve, and shut down the chiller unit. The fresh outdoor air is sent into the data center for cooling by the supply fan, and the pressure in the data center is balanced by the negative pressure relief equipment.

[0056] S3: When the outdoor temperature is so low that condensation will occur on the equipment in the computer room, partially open the fresh air valve and return air valve, mix the return air and fresh air and then send them into the data center for cooling.

[0057] S4: When the data center reaches the set temperature, the compressor enters standby mode, and the circulating fan enters low power consumption or standby mode.

[0058] The terms "first, second, third, etc." or similar terms such as module A, module B, and module C used in the specification and claims are only used to distinguish similar objects and do not represent a specific ordering of objects. It is understood that a specific order or sequence may be interchanged where permitted so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0059] In the above description, the labels of the steps, such as S1, S2, etc., do not mean that the steps will always be executed. The order of the steps can be interchanged or executed simultaneously if permitted.

[0060] The term "comprising" as used in the specification and claims should not be construed as limiting itself to what follows; it does not exclude other elements or steps. Therefore, it should be interpreted as specifying the presence of the mentioned feature, integral, step, or component, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the statement "device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to a device consisting solely of components A and B.

[0061] The terms "an embodiment" or "an embodiment" as used in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, the terms "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but may refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, the particular features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0062] Note that the above are merely preferred embodiments and the technical principles employed in this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, although this application has been described in detail through the above embodiments, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Many other equivalent embodiments may be included without departing from the concept of this application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An integrated data center cooling system, characterized in that, include: Modular framework; The chiller (9), condenser (14), cooling capacity distribution unit (6) and air wall (15) are integrated inside the modular frame; the return air valve (17) and fresh air valve (18) are set between the cooling capacity distribution unit (6) and the air wall (15); the return air louver (1) and the supply air louver (19) are set on the upper part of the front plate of the modular frame; the electrical control box (12) is set on the rear plate of the modular frame. The chiller unit (9) is equipped with a cooling capacity distribution unit (6) at the front end, which is connected to the return water pipe (3) through a water supply pipe (4); The air wall (15) is equipped with a coil (16) and a blower (2). The coil (16) is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit (6) through the water supply pipe (4) and the return water pipe (3). The blower (2) is located at the front end of the coil (16) and delivers the cooled return air or outdoor fresh air evenly to the data center through the air supply louvers (19). The top of the chiller unit is connected to several condensers (14) for heat exchange; The modular frame top plate is provided with an equal number of exhaust fans (13) for forced airflow heat dissipation, corresponding to the condenser (14); A horizontal partition (21) is horizontally installed at the top of the air wall (15). The horizontal partition (21) forms a return air channel with the top plate and side plates of the modular frame. A vertical partition (22) is vertically installed at the front end of the cooling distribution unit (6) to separate the front and rear of the modular frame. The vertical partition (22) guides the return air entering the return air channel through the return air louvers (1) to the air wall at the bottom of the return air channel. The return air is then convected and heat-exchanged by the coil (16) inside the air wall. The cooled return air is then sent back into the data center through the blower (2) and the blower louvers (19) to form a circulating air path.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chiller unit (9) includes a compressor (11), a first evaporator (10), a second evaporator (8), and a water pump (7); the compressor connects the first evaporator and the second evaporator and is connected to a plurality of condensers (14) at the top of the chiller unit to form a refrigerant circulation system; the water pump (7) is connected to the cooling capacity distribution unit (6) and the coil (16) located at the front end of the chiller unit to form a water circulation system; the water circulation system is connected to the heat exchange pipes of the first evaporator and the second evaporator to exchange heat and obtain cooled circulating water.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The chiller unit (9) can be in the form of an air-cooled chiller unit, a water-cooled chiller unit, or a cooling tower.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The condenser (14) is configured with two condenser plates forming an angle, with the angled end located at the top of the chiller unit, forming an inverted triangular structure with the opening facing upwards, and the exhaust fan (13) is located at the upper end of the opening; several condenser units are arranged side by side, and the inclined surfaces of the triangular bodies form an array-type heat dissipation structure.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The return air valve (17) is horizontally positioned between the horizontal partition (21) and the vertical partition (22) to block the circulating air path. The opening and closing of the return air valve controls whether the return air enters the air wall (15). The fresh air valve (18) is located on the side plate of the modular frame below the height of the return air valve (17), and its width is between the vertical partition (22) and the wind wall (15). The opening and closing of the fresh air valve controls whether natural wind enters the wind wall (15).

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The fresh air valve (18) is equipped with a multi-stage filtration device at its front end, including a primary filter and a secondary filter, and the filtration device is detachable.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The modular frame is a prefabricated container structure with an inspection door (5) on its side for maintenance of components such as the cooling capacity distribution unit (6) and the air wall (15). The fresh air valve (18) is located on the inspection door (5).

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The air supply louvers (19) are designed with adjustable angles.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The electrical control box (12) includes, The main control board is used to control the operation of the equipment; the sensors are used to detect indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity; and the display panel is used to set the control logic, enabling the equipment to dynamically adjust the cooling capacity and cooling mode.

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