Air conditioning system of server room

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system capable of cooling a server efficiently in a simple way.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system for a server room comprises cold air supply means for sending cold air into a cold aisle, a front side ventilation member (11) arranged so as to cover a front opening of a server rack and provided with a plurality of vent holes for suctioning the cold air in the cold aisle, and a rear side ventilation member arranged so as to cover a rear opening of the server rack and provided with a plurality of vents for exhausting warm air to the hot aisle. At least one of the front side ventilation member and the rear side ventilation member has an opening rate adjusted so that an opening rate of an upper region (11a) is higher than an opening rate of a lower region (11c).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for a server room, and more particularly to an air conditioning system for a server room in which a cold aisle and a hot aisle are formed with a server rack as a boundary. [Background technology]

[0002] There is an air conditioning system in a data center server room that forms a cold aisle and a hot aisle separated by the server rack, cools the servers in the server rack with cold air sent into the cold aisle, and exhausts the warm air in the server rack to the hot aisle. This air conditioning system can reduce the mixing of cold air and warm air in the server room.

[0003] Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-133950 (Patent Document 1) proposes a technique for preventing warm air from leaking into the cold aisle by mounting servers in an inclined position in a server rack. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-133950 A (Patent No. 5378195) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an air conditioning system with a cold aisle and a hot aisle in a server room, the temperature difference between the two aisles causes natural convection between the aisles. In a normal air conditioning system equipped with a typical server rack, it becomes difficult to supply low-temperature air to the top of the server rack, which causes temperature unevenness in the internal space of the server rack and makes it difficult to sufficiently cool the servers. One possible solution is to lower the temperature of the conditioned air supplied to the cold aisle, but this comes with the problem of reduced energy efficiency.

[0006] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the servers are mounted in an inclined position with the rear side positioned higher than the front side to prevent warm air from leaking into the cold aisle, but a simpler method was needed.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system that can efficiently cool a server in a simple manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An air conditioning system for a server room according to one aspect of the present invention is an air conditioning system for a server room in which a cold aisle and a hot aisle are formed with a server rack as a boundary, and includes a cold air supply means for sending cold air into the cold aisle, a front ventilation member arranged to cover the front opening of the server rack and provided with a plurality of air vents (intake holes) for drawing in cold air in the cold aisle, and a rear ventilation member arranged to cover the rear opening of the server rack and provided with a plurality of air vents (exhaust holes) for exhausting warm air to the hot aisle. At least one of the front ventilation member and the rear ventilation member has an opening rate adjusted so that the opening rate of an upper region is higher than the opening rate of a lower region.

[0009] Preferably, the opening ratios of the upper and lower regions are adjusted by varying the size or number of the ventilation holes provided in the upper region and the lower region.

[0010] At least one of the front ventilation member and the rear ventilation member may include a ventilation member body having a plurality of ventilation holes and a louver provided facing the ventilation member body, in which case the opening ratios of the upper region and the lower region may be adjusted by varying the spacing of the louvers.

[0011] An air conditioning system for a server room according to another aspect of the present invention includes, in addition to the above-mentioned cold air supply means, front-side ventilation member, and rear-side ventilation member, a guide member that guides warm air exhausted into the hot aisle from multiple exhaust holes in the rear-side ventilation member to the ceiling side of the hot aisle.

[0012] Preferably, the guide member is disposed between two server racks arranged back to back with the hot aisle in between, and includes a partition member extending in the vertical direction.

[0013] The air conditioning system for the server room may further include a blower that promotes exhaust from an upper region of the rear ventilation member. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress temperature unevenness occurring in a server rack with a simple method. This makes it possible to efficiently cool the servers. As a result, it becomes possible to operate in a stable temperature environment while improving energy conservation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an air conditioning system for a server room according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of an airflow adjustment means employed by the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1A is a diagram showing the difference in size (and shape) of punched holes due to different aperture ratios, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a method of adjusting the aperture ratio by utilizing wiring inside a server rack. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic view of an airflow adjusting means employed in an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 11(A) to 11(C) are diagrams illustrating schematic diagrams of modified examples of the airflow adjustment means employed in the air conditioning system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an auxiliary device for the airflow adjusting means in each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the pressure caused by temperature difference ventilation due to the temperature difference between the cold aisle and the hot aisle. [Figure 8] FIG. 8(A) is a front view of a typical server rack, and FIG. 8(B) is a rear view of the typical server rack. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing the schematic diagram of the effect of temperature difference ventilation occurring in a general air conditioning system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0017] (About the overview) With reference to FIG. 1, an overview of an air conditioning system for a server room R according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0018] A plurality of server racks 1 are arranged in a server room R of a data center, and a cold aisle 92 and a hot aisle 93 are formed with the server racks 1 as the boundary. The server rack 1 has a front-side ventilation member 11 facing the cold aisle 92, and a rear-side ventilation member 12 facing the hot aisle 93. The front-side ventilation member 11 is arranged to cover the front opening of the server rack 1, and has many (multiple) intake holes. The rear-side ventilation member 12 is arranged to cover the rear opening of the server rack 1, and has many (multiple) exhaust holes.

[0019] The air flows in the server room R as follows. Conditioned air by an air conditioner (not shown) installed outside the server room R is blown into the underfloor chamber 91, and the cold air in the underfloor chamber 91 is blown out from the air outlet 92a into the cold aisle 92 (solid line arrow F1). The air outlet 92a is provided on the floor surface of the cold aisle 92. The air conditioner, the underfloor chamber 91, and the air outlet 92a constitute a cold air supply means that sends cold air into the cold aisle 92. The cold air supply means also includes, for example, a blower (not shown) provided in the air outlet 92a.

[0020] The cold air supplying means is not limited to a configuration including the underfloor chamber 91. For example, cold air may be supplied (horizontally) directly from an air conditioner installed in a machine room adjacent to the cold aisle 92.

[0021] The cool air blown out into the cold aisle 92 is drawn into the server rack 1 through the intake holes of the front ventilation member 11 of the server rack 1, and the hot air in the server rack 1 is exhausted into the hot aisle 93 through the exhaust holes of the rear ventilation member 12 by the wind pressure of the blower (broken line arrow F2). The hot air exhausted into the hot aisle 93 rises and is exhausted into the ceiling chamber 94 through the heat exhaust port 93a provided in the ceiling surface of the hot aisle 93 (solid line arrow F3). In this way, the servers in the server rack 1 are cooled. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the intake hole and the exhaust hole, they are called "vents."

[0022] In such an air conditioning system, a temperature difference occurs between the cold aisle 92 and the hot aisle 93 via the server rack 1. In Fig. 7(A), high temperature spaces are indicated by dots for ease of understanding. Therefore, in the server room R, pressure due to temperature difference ventilation acts on the server rack 1, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 7(B).

[0023] Here, the ventilation holes 2 of a typical server rack 1A will be described with reference to Figures 8(A) and (B). The ventilation holes 2 include an intake hole 21 and an exhaust hole 22. Figure 8(A) is a front view of the server rack 1A, and Figure 8(B) is a rear view of the server rack 1A. Note that Figure 8(B) shows a schematic example in which the wiring 3c of the server 3 is pulled out into a side space within the server rack 1A.

[0024] The front ventilation member 11A and the rear ventilation member 12A of the server rack 1A are formed of, for example, a punched steel plate or a mesh-like steel member (wire mesh member). At least one of the front ventilation member 11A and the rear ventilation member 12A is a door that can be opened and closed. The opening ratio of the front ventilation member 11A and the rear ventilation member 12A of a typical server rack 1A is relatively high (typically 70% or more).

[0025] A normal front ventilation member 11A and a normal rear ventilation member 12A have a uniform opening ratio in the vertical direction (and the horizontal direction). That is, the size and shape of the ventilation holes 2 (intake holes 21, exhaust holes 22) are uniform throughout each ventilation member 11A, 12A. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9(A) as a schematic, the pressure of the blower (mechanical ventilation) applied to the server rack 1A is approximately constant in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the pressure of the blower and the pressure due to the temperature difference ventilation are combined, the pressure in the upper space of the server rack 1A becomes smaller than that in the lower space.

[0026] 9(B), the amount of air passing through the upper space 10a in the server rack 1A is less than the amount of air passing through the lower space 10b, which may result in poor cooling of the servers 3 arranged in the upper space 10a in the server rack 1A.

[0027] Therefore, in order to eliminate temperature unevenness caused by natural convection, the air conditioning structure of the server room R according to this embodiment is provided with a means for adjusting the amount of ventilation to the upper space and the lower space in the server rack 1. Each embodiment of the ventilation amount adjustment means will be described below.

[0028] (Embodiment 1) 2(A) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an airflow adjustment means employed in the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The airflow adjustment means in this embodiment is realized by a front ventilation member 11 of the server rack 1 with an adjusted opening ratio. Specifically, the opening ratio of the front ventilation member 11 is adjusted so that the opening ratio of the upper region 11a is higher than the opening ratio of the lower region 11c.

[0029] 2(A), the aperture ratio of air intake holes 21 in upper region 11a, where the amount of ventilation is likely to decrease, is made larger than the aperture ratio in central region 11b. Conversely, the aperture ratio of air intake holes 21 in lower region 11c, where the amount of ventilation is likely to become excessive, is made smaller than the aperture ratio in central region 11b. As an example, the aperture ratios of upper region 11a, central region 11b, and lower region 11c could be set to 60%, 70%, and 80%, respectively, with the average aperture ratio being 70%.

[0030] The aperture ratio of each of the regions 11a, 11b, and 11c can be adjusted by varying the size of the air intake holes 21, as shown in Fig. 2(A). Fig. 3(A) shows an example of the difference in size (and shape) of the punched holes resulting from the difference in the aperture ratio. The aperture ratio of each of the regions 11a, 11b, and 11c may also be adjusted by varying the number of air intake holes 21 of a fixed size.

[0031] When the aperture ratio is adjusted in this way, the amount of airflow in the server rack 1 is greater at the top than at the bottom, as shown in Figure 2(B). This makes it possible to keep the amount of airflow constant in the vertical direction when combined with the amount of airflow when temperature difference ventilation is in effect. In other words, it is possible to absorb the bias in the amount of airflow caused by temperature difference ventilation.

[0032] The front ventilation member 11 may be divided into two regions, upper and lower, and two different opening rates may be used. Alternatively, the opening rate may be gradually increased toward the upper side without dividing the region.

[0033] In the present embodiment, the opening ratio of the front ventilation member 11 is adjusted by adjusting the size and number of the air intake holes 21 themselves, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the ventilation resistance of air passing through air intake holes 21 of a certain size may be made different between the upper region 11a and the lower region 11c. Specifically, the front ventilation member includes a ventilation member main body having a plurality of air intake holes 21 and a louver provided facing the ventilation member main body, and the opening ratio of the upper region 11a and the lower region 11c may be adjusted by making the intervals between the louvers different (not shown).

[0034] The rear ventilation member 12 may have a certain size and number of exhaust holes 22, similar to a general rear ventilation member 12A. In such a case, the opening ratio may be adjusted by using wiring 3c in the server rack 1, as shown in FIG. 3(B). Since the wiring 3c is usually passed through an underfloor chamber 91, the density of the wiring 3c can be increased from the top to the bottom in the server rack. The wiring 3c includes a core wire and a wiring cover that covers the core wire.

[0035] In this embodiment, the opening rate of the front side ventilation member 11 is adjusted in the vertical direction, but the opening rate of the back side ventilation member 12 (exhaust holes 22) may also be adjusted in the same manner. Alternatively, the opening rate of the front side ventilation member 11 may be made uniform as in the case of a general front side ventilation member 11A, and only the opening rate of the back side ventilation member 12 may be adjusted in the vertical direction. That is, it is sufficient that the opening rate of at least one of the front side ventilation member 11 and the back side ventilation member 12 is adjusted so that the opening rate of the upper region is higher than the opening rate of the lower region.

[0036] (Embodiment 2) 4 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an airflow adjustment means employed in an air conditioning system according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. The airflow adjustment means in this embodiment is realized by a guide member 4 installed in hot aisle 93. Specifically, guide member 4 is a plate-like member that guides the warm air exhausted from multiple exhaust holes 22 of rear-side ventilation member 12A to hot aisle 93, toward the ceiling side of hot aisle 93.

[0037] The air conditioning system in this embodiment includes a general server rack 1A shown in Fig. 8, and the opening ratios of the front ventilation member 11A and the rear ventilation member 12A are uniform. The guide member 4 faces the rear ventilation member 12A and is a plate-like member that rises vertically upward from the floor surface of the hot aisle 93. It is desirable that the guide member 4 extend upward higher than the upper end height of the rear ventilation member 12A.

[0038] When a typical server rack 1A is placed between the cold aisle 92 and the hot aisle 93, as described above, the amount of warm air exhausted to the hot aisle 93 is greater at the bottom than at the top. In this embodiment, the guide member 4 is placed facing the rear ventilation member 12A. Therefore, an upward air current can be intentionally created by the exhaust air hitting the lower region of the guide member 4 (see the outline arrow in FIG. 4). This creates a suction effect due to the induced air current in the upper space 10a of the server rack 1A, improving the amount of ventilation from the upper region of the rear ventilation member 12A (see the dashed arrow in FIG. 4).

[0039] 4, when two server racks 1A are arranged back-to-back with a hot aisle 93 in between, it is desirable to arrange the guide member 4 extending in the vertical direction at a midpoint between the two server racks 1A. This allows the guide member 4 to also function as a partition member that divides the hot aisle 93 into two spaces, preventing the air currents exhausted from the lower areas of the back-to-back rear ventilation members 12A from interfering with each other (colliding with each other), which would cause ventilation resistance. This also prevents the warm air exhausted from one server rack 1A from entering the interior of the other server rack 1A.

[0040] The guide member 4 is not limited to a plate-like member such as an iron plate, and may be made of a cloth member such as a curtain.

[0041] In Fig. 4, an example is shown in which the guide member 4 is disposed perpendicular to the floor surface, but as shown in Fig. 5(A), it may be slightly inclined. In this case, it is preferable that the inclination is such that the distance between the rear ventilation member 12A and the guide member 4 becomes narrower toward the upper side. This can improve the suction effect of the induced airflow more than the example in Fig. 4.

[0042] In order to create an upward air current more effectively, multiple airflow guides 5 may be provided in the rear ventilation member 12A as shown in Fig. 5(B). The airflow guides 5 are inclined so that the tip side (the guide member 4 side) faces upward. It is desirable that the multiple airflow guides 5 are arranged at intervals from each other along the vertical direction of the rear ventilation member 12A.

[0043] Alternatively, a wind direction guide 6 may be provided at the lower end of the guide member 4, with the guide member 4 side facing upward. Both the wind direction guide 6 and the wind direction guide 5 provided in the rear side ventilation member 12A may be used. In this case, the wind direction guide 5 may be provided only in the central region or the upper region.

[0044] According to the air conditioning systems according to the first and second embodiments described above, it is possible to efficiently cool the servers in a simple manner while utilizing a conventional air conditioning system as is.

[0045] In addition to the above method, as shown in Fig. 6, a blower 7 may be additionally provided at the upper part of the server rack 1A where the exhaust volume is small. The blower 7 is an exhaust fan that promotes exhaust from the upper area of ​​the rear ventilation member 12A. This can reliably improve the ventilation volume at the upper part of the server rack 1A. Such a blower 7 may be adopted in the air conditioning system of the first embodiment.

[0046] According to each of the embodiments described above, the temperature unevenness occurring in the server rack 1 (1A) is eliminated, so that operation in a stable temperature environment is possible. In addition, since high temperature spots are unlikely to occur (locally) in the internal space of the server rack 1, there is no need to set the air conditioning temperature of the air conditioner lower than necessary. Therefore, it is also possible to improve energy saving.

[0047] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 server rack, 3 server, 4 guide member, 5, 6 air direction guide, 7 blower, 11 front ventilation member, 11a upper area, 11b central area, 11c lower area, 12 rear ventilation member, 91 underfloor chamber, 92 cold aisle, 93 hot aisle, 94 ceiling chamber, 2 ventilation hole, 21 intake hole, 22 exhaust hole, R server room.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system for a server room in which a cold aisle and a hot aisle are formed with a server rack as a boundary, A cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the cold aisle; A front ventilation member is arranged to cover a front opening of the server rack and has a plurality of ventilation holes for drawing in cold air in the cold aisle; a rear ventilation member disposed to cover a rear opening of the server rack and having a plurality of ventilation holes for exhausting warm air to the hot aisle; An air conditioning system for a server room, wherein at least one of the front ventilation member and the rear ventilation member has an opening rate adjusted so that the opening rate of an upper region is higher than the opening rate of a lower region.

2. 2. The air conditioning system for a server room according to claim 1, wherein the opening ratios of the upper region and the lower region are adjusted by varying the size or number of the air vents provided in the upper region and the air vents provided in the lower region.

3. At least one of the front ventilation member and the rear ventilation member includes a ventilation member body having the plurality of ventilation holes and a louver provided facing the ventilation member body, 2. The air conditioning system for a server room according to claim 1, wherein the opening ratios of the upper region and the lower region are adjusted by varying the intervals of the louvers.

4. An air conditioning system for a server room in which a cold aisle and a hot aisle are formed with a server rack as a boundary, A cold air supply means for supplying cold air to the cold aisle; A front ventilation member is arranged to cover a front opening of the server rack and has a plurality of intake holes for drawing in cold air in the cold aisle; a rear ventilation member disposed to cover a rear opening of the server rack and having a plurality of exhaust holes for exhausting warm air to the hot aisle; a guide member that guides the warm air exhausted from the plurality of exhaust holes of the rear ventilation member to the hot aisle to a ceiling side of the hot aisle.

5. 5. The air conditioning system for a server room according to claim 4, wherein the guide member is disposed between two of the server racks arranged back to back with the hot aisle in between, and includes a partition member extending in the vertical direction.

6. 5. The air conditioning system for a server room according to claim 1, further comprising a blower that promotes exhaust from an upper region of the rear ventilation member.

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