Containerized Data Center

Abstract

To provide a container-type data center capable of preventing leakage of a cooling liquid as much as possible.SOLUTION: A container-type data center 30 includes: a container main body 32; a liquid tank rack 3 housed in the container main body 32 and storing a cooling liquid inside; a substrate which is disposed in a manner of being immersed in the cooling liquid in the liquid tank rack 3 and on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted; a heat exchanger housed in the container main body 32 for cooling the cooling liquid guided from the inside of the liquid tank rack 3 and returning the same to the liquid tank rack; and a drain pan 48 housed in the container main body 32 and receiving the cooling liquid leaking out from the liquid tank rack 3 at a lower part of the liquid tank rack 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a container-type data center that houses electronic devices such as servers. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a container-type data center that houses servers. The container-type data center can be configured compactly by storing servers in a standardized container and providing a cooling device for cooling the servers. In addition, containers have the advantage of being easy to install because of their excellent portability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6293355 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a liquid immersion method is adopted as a method for cooling a server, in which the server is immersed in a cooling liquid, there is a problem in that the cooling liquid may leak from the container. There is also a demand for the immersion cooling device to be housed compactly within a container.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a container-type data center that can prevent leakage of cooling liquid as much as possible. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a container-type data center that can compactly store an immersion cooling apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The container-type data center disclosed herein comprises a container body, a container housed in the container body and storing a cooling liquid therein, a circuit board mounted with a plurality of electronic components and arranged so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid within the container, a temperature adjustment unit housed in the container body and configured to cool the cooling liquid guided from within the container and return it to the container, and a drain pan housed in the container body and located below the container for receiving cooling liquid that has leaked from the container; A partition wall portion that separates a temperature control space in which the temperature control unit is installed from an electronic component cooling space in which the container is installed, and an exhaust device that exhausts air from within the temperature control space separated by the partition wall portion. It is prepared. Effect of the Invention

[0007] By providing a drain pan, leakage of the coolant can be prevented as much as possible. The electronic component cooling space and the temperature control space are separated by a partition wall, allowing the liquid immersion cooling device to be stored compactly. 。 [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an immersion cooling device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container-type data center equipped with the immersion cooling apparatus of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view showing a liquid vat rack accommodated in the container-type data center of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view showing a drain pan provided in the container-type data center of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of louvers, filters, and a heat exchanger. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an immersion cooling apparatus 1 used in a container-type data center. The immersion cooling apparatus 1 includes a liquid vat rack (container) 3 and a pump unit 5.

[0010] The liquid vat rack 3 is a bottomed container in which the cooling liquid Lq is stored. The liquid vat rack 3 has a main body 3a having a side wall portion 3b, and an opening / closing lid 3c provided on the upper surface of the main body 3a. The cooling liquid Lq is an electrically insulating liquid, such as silicone oil, etc. The cooling liquid Lq is filled to a height sufficient to completely immerse the substrate 11 placed in the main body 3a of the liquid tank rack 3.

[0011] The opening / closing cover 3c opens and closes by rotating around one end.

[0012] A plurality of boards 11 are installed in the main body 3a of the liquid vat rack 3. Each board 11 is, for example, a board constituting a server, and is arranged at a predetermined interval with its longitudinal direction facing vertically. A plurality of electronic components, such as a CPU, a power supply unit, memory, storage such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication unit, for constituting the server are mounted on the board 11. These electronic components generate heat during operation of the server and are cooled by the coolant Lq.

[0013] A pump unit 5 is connected to the liquid vat rack 3 via a liquid supply pipe 13 and a liquid return pipe 15 . A downstream end 13a of the liquid supply pipe 13 is connected to a side wall portion 3b of the liquid tank rack 3. An upstream end 13b of the liquid supply pipe 13 is connected to a heat exchanger 17 installed inside the pump unit 5. An upstream end 15a of the liquid return pipe 15 is connected to the side wall 3b of the liquid tank rack. A downstream end 15b of the liquid return pipe 15 is connected to a liquid pump 19 installed inside the pump unit 5.

[0014] The pump unit 5 includes the above-mentioned heat exchanger 17 and liquid pump 19 therein. Heat exchanger 17 exchanges heat between air taken in from the outside and the cooling liquid supplied from liquid pump 19 via cooling liquid discharge pipe 21. The cooling liquid is cooled by exchanging heat with the air in heat exchanger 17. The air introduced into heat exchanger 17 is led in from the outside. The liquid pump 19 may be driven by, for example, an electric motor, and the discharge amount may be varied by a control unit (not shown).

[0015] 2 shows a container-type data center 30 that houses the above-mentioned liquid vat rack 3 and pump unit 5. The container-type data center 30 has a standard container shape that is portable.

[0016] The container-type data center 30 includes a container body 32 that has an external shape that is a rectangular parallelepiped. The width direction (longitudinal direction, x direction) of the container body 32 is 12 ft (3.66 m) or less. The depth direction (y direction) of the container body 32 is smaller than the dimension in the width direction. Each side of the rectangular parallelepiped container body 32 is formed of frame members (frames) 34, which are, for example, metallic square pillars, and the ends of each frame member 34 are fixed.

[0017] A partition vertical member 36, which is, for example, a metal rectangular pillar, is provided on the front surface FR of the container body 32. The partition vertical member 36 is a structural member for separating a server cooling space (electronic component cooling space) R1 in which the liquid vat racks 3 are housed and a temperature control space R2 in which the pump units 5 are housed. The partition vertical member 36 extends in the vertical direction (z direction), and both ends are fixed to the upper and lower frame members 34, respectively. Although not shown, another partition vertical member 36 is also provided at a symmetrical position on the rear side of the container body 32. Using these partition vertical members 36, a partition wall portion 37 having a flat plate shape is provided as shown in FIG. 3. The partition wall portion 37 separates the server cooling space R1 and the temperature control space R2 into left and right portions. The width direction (x direction) dimension of the server cooling space R1 is set to be ½ or more of the width direction dimension of the container main body 32, and the width direction dimension of the temperature control space R2 is set to be ½ or less of the width direction dimension of the container main body 32. In other words, the width direction dimension of the server cooling space R1 is the same as or larger than the width direction dimension of the temperature control space R2.

[0018] 2, when the container body 32 is viewed from the front FR side, the server cooling space R1 is located on the left side and the temperature control space R2 is located on the right side. The server cooling space R1 and the temperature control space R2 can each be made into a closed space.

[0019] A server-side front door 38 that opens on both sides is provided on the front surface FR of the container body 32 on the server cooling space R1 side. A handle 38a with a lock is provided on the server-side front door 38. As shown in FIG. 3, a server-side side door 40 that opens on both sides is also provided on the left side surface of the server cooling space R1. A server-side rear door 41 that similarly opens on both sides is also provided on the rear surface of the server cooling space R1. Note that instead of the doors 38, 40, 41 provided in the server cooling space R1, one or two of them may be fixed walls. The upper part of the server cooling space R1 is partitioned by a server-side ceiling wall portion 42.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the liquid vat rack 3 described with reference to Fig. 1 is installed in the server cooling space R1. Although not shown in Fig. 3, the liquid supply pipe 13 and the liquid return pipe 15 shown in Fig. 1 are connected to the liquid vat rack 3. The liquid supply pipe 13 and the liquid return pipe 15 are led from the temperature control space R2 via the partition wall portion 37.

[0021] The liquid vat rack 3 is placed on a flat floor material 44. The floor material 44 is installed on the upper surface of the frame material 34 that constitutes the lower side of the container body 32. A grating 46 is provided on part of the floor material 44. The grating 46 is provided in a position directly below the liquid vat rack 3. From lattice-shaped openings formed in the grating 46, the cooling liquid Lq (see FIG. 1) that leaks from the liquid vat rack 3 is guided downward. A dam portion 47 having a predetermined height is provided so as to surround the grating 46. The dam portion 47 prevents the cooling liquid Lq from leaking from the grating 46 side to the outside.

[0022] The coolant Lq guided through the grating 46 is received in a drain pan 48 shown in FIG. 4. The drain pan 48 is provided below the floor material 44, and has a bottomed container shape. The drain pan 48 is provided between a plurality of support materials (frames) 50 extending in the depth direction (y direction). The support materials 50 are provided between the front and rear frame materials 34 extending in the x direction, and are structural materials that support the load of the liquid tank rack 3 and the like. The height (dimension in the z direction) of the support materials 50 is set to be equal to that of the frame material 34. The drain pan 48 is provided in the space surrounded by the frame material 34 and the support materials 50, within the range of the height of the frame material 34 and the support materials 50.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, a temperature control side front door 55 that opens on one side is provided on the front surface FR of the container main body 32 on the temperature control space R2 side. A handle 55a with a lock is provided on the temperature control side front door 55. As shown in Fig. 3, a temperature control side rear door 57 that opens on one side is provided on the rear surface of the temperature control space R2. Although not shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a door that opens on both sides is provided on the side of the temperature control space R2. Instead of the doors 55, 57 provided in the temperature control space R2, one or two of them may be fixed walls.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature adjustment side front door 55 is formed with an air intake 58. The air intake 58 is provided with a louver 59. The louver 59 is configured with a plurality of vertically extending blades arranged in parallel in the width direction (x direction) with a predetermined gap therebetween. However, the orientation of the blades is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be oriented horizontally. The louver 59 removes coarse impurities in the air. The louver 59 is provided over most of the temperature adjustment side front door 55. However, the area in which the louver 59 is provided is appropriately set according to the cooling capacity, etc.

[0025] 5, a filter 61 and a heat exchanger 17 are provided in this order on the rear side of the louver 59. That is, the outside air passes through the louver 59, the filter 61, and the heat exchanger 17 in that order. The filter 61 and heat exchanger 17 are provided at the air intake 58, and are in the form of a flat plate having an area equivalent to that of the louvers 59. The filter 61 removes fine impurities and moisture in the air that could not be removed by the louvers 59. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 17 is an air-cooled heat exchanger, and for example, a fin tube type is used. The cooling liquid Lq taken out from the liquid vat rack 3 is cooled by the heat exchanger 17 with the outside air.

[0026] 2, the upper surface of the temperature control space R2 is partitioned by a temperature control side ceiling wall portion (outer wall portion) 63. An exhaust port 65, for example, having a circular shape, is formed in the temperature control side ceiling wall portion 63. An exhaust fan (exhaust device) 67 is provided in the exhaust port 65. The exhaust fan 67 is driven by an electric motor (not shown). The start / stop and rotation speed of the electric motor are controlled by a control portion (not shown). By driving the exhaust fan 67, outside air is drawn into the temperature-controlled space R2 through the air intake 58, circulates within the temperature-controlled space R2, and is then exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 65.

[0027] 2 to 4, the temperature control space R2 is provided with the components of the pump unit 5 shown in Fig. 1, such as the liquid pump 19. The liquid pump 19 is also cooled by air introduced from the air intake 58.

[0028] The control unit is provided at a predetermined position in the container body 32. However, the control unit may be provided outside the container body 32 and connected to the devices in the container body 32 by wire or wirelessly. The control unit is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a computer-readable storage medium. A series of processes for realizing various functions is stored in a storage medium or the like in the form of a program, for example, and the CPU reads the program into the RAM or the like and executes information processing and arithmetic processing to realize various functions. The program may be installed in a ROM or other storage medium in advance, provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or distributed via a wired or wireless communication means. The computer-readable storage medium may be an SSD, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

[0029] Next, the operation of the container-type data center 30 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, when the liquid pump 19 is started by a command from the control unit, the cooling liquid Lq flows and is guided to the heat exchanger 17. In the heat exchanger 17, the cooling liquid Lq is cooled by heat exchange with the outside air (air) taken in from the air intake 58 by the exhaust fan 67. The cooling liquid Lq that leaves the heat exchanger 17 is guided to the liquid vat rack 3 through the liquid supply pipe 13. The cooling liquid Lq guided to the liquid vat rack 3 flows inside the liquid vat rack 3 and cools the electronic components mounted on the board 11. The cooling liquid Lq that has cooled the electronic components is extracted from the liquid return pipe 15 and guided to the heat exchanger 17 via the liquid pump 19, where it is cooled, and is guided again to the liquid vat rack 3 through the liquid supply pipe 13.

[0030] The effects of the present embodiment described above are as follows. Even if the cooling liquid Lq leaks from the liquid vat rack 3 for some reason, the drain pan 48 can receive the leaked cooling liquid below the liquid vat rack 3. This makes it possible to prevent as much as possible the cooling liquid from leaking outside the container body 32 and affecting the external environment.

[0031] A partition wall 37 is provided to separate the temperature control space R2 in which the heat exchanger 17 is installed from the server cooling space R1 in which the liquid vat rack 3 is installed. This reduces the power required to operate the heat exchanger 17 that cools the coolant. For example, to exhaust the air in the temperature control space R2 to cool the heat exchanger 17, it is sufficient to exhaust only the temperature control space R2 with the exhaust fan 67 without exhausting the air in the server cooling space R1, thereby reducing the power required for the equipment.

[0032] An air intake 58 is formed in the temperature control side front door 55 which forms the temperature control space R2, and a heat exchanger 17 which cools the coolant is installed in this air intake 58. By limiting the installation space for the heat exchanger 17 to the temperature control side front door 55, the temperature control space R2 can be made smaller.

[0033] An exhaust port 65 is formed in the temperature-controlled ceiling wall portion 63 at a position different from the air intake 58, and an exhaust fan 67 is installed in the exhaust port 65. As a result, air drawn in by the exhaust of the exhaust fan 67 is introduced into the temperature-controlled space R2 from the air intake 58. This makes it possible to take in air uniformly from the air intake 58 compared to a case in which a suction fan is provided in the air intake 58. This improves the efficiency of the heat exchanger 17 provided in the air intake 58. The position in which the exhaust port 65 is provided is not limited to the temperature-controlled ceiling wall portion 63, and may be a wall or door different from the temperature-controlled front door 55 where the air intake 58 is provided.

[0034] By providing louvers 59 and filters 61 on the air flow upstream side of the heat exchanger 17, it is possible to remove impurities and moisture accompanying the air flowing in from the air intake 58. This suppresses breakdown and corrosion of the equipment installed in the temperature control space R2 and the inner walls that form the temperature control space R2.

[0035] A space having a predetermined height is formed between the frame material 34 and the support material 50. By providing the drain pan 48 in this space, the drain pan 48 can be installed with good space efficiency.

[0036] The container-type data center described in the above-described embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0037] A container-type data center (30) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a container body (32), a container (3) housed in the container body and having a cooling liquid stored therein, a substrate (11) on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted and disposed so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid within the container, a temperature adjustment unit (17) housed in the container body and configured to cool the cooling liquid guided from within the container and return the cooling liquid to the container, and a drain pan (48) housed in the container body and located below the container for receiving the cooling liquid leaked from the container, of It is prepared.

[0038] The electronic components mounted on the board placed in the container are cooled by the cooling liquid. The cooling liquid is cooled by a temperature adjustment unit and returned to the container, so that the temperature of the cooling liquid in the container is maintained at a desired value. The coolant is stored inside the container, but if it should leak for some reason, a drain pan is provided below the container to receive the leaked coolant, preventing the coolant from leaking outside the container body and affecting the external environment as much as possible. The size of the container is, for example, up to 12 ft (3.66 m) in maximum dimension.

[0039] In a container-type data center according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a partition wall portion (37) is provided that separates a temperature control space (R2) in which the temperature control unit is installed from an electronic component cooling space (R1) in which the container is installed.

[0040] A partition wall is provided to separate the temperature control space in which the temperature control unit is installed from the electronic component cooling space in which the container is installed. This reduces the power required to operate the temperature control unit that cools the coolant. For example, when an exhaust device is provided to exhaust air from within the temperature control space for temperature control, it is only necessary to exhaust the temperature control space, so the power required for the equipment can be reduced.

[0041] In a container-type data center according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an air intake (58) is formed in a door or outer wall portion that forms the temperature-controlled space, and a heat exchanger (17) that cools the cooling liquid is installed in the air intake.

[0042] An air intake is formed in the door or outer wall that forms the temperature-controlled space, and a heat exchanger that cools the cooling liquid is installed in the air intake. By limiting the installation space for the heat exchanger to the door or outer wall, the temperature-controlled space can be made smaller.

[0043] In a container-type data center according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an exhaust port is formed in the door or the outer wall at a position different from the air intake, and an exhaust device is installed in the exhaust port to exhaust air within the temperature-controlled space to the outside.

[0044] An exhaust port is formed on a door or an outer wall at a position different from the air intake, and an exhaust device is installed at this exhaust port. As a result, air drawn in by the exhaust device's exhaust is introduced into the temperature-controlled space from the air intake. This makes it possible to draw in air more uniformly from the air intake compared to the case where a suction fan is installed at the air intake. This improves the efficiency of the heat exchanger installed at the air intake.

[0045] In a container-type data center according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a louver (59) and a filter (61) are provided on the air flow upstream side of the heat exchanger.

[0046] By providing a louver and a filter on the upstream side of the air flow of the heat exchanger, impurities and moisture accompanying the air flowing in from the air intake can be removed, thereby suppressing damage and corrosion of the equipment installed in the temperature-controlled space and the inner walls that form the temperature-controlled space.

[0047] A container-type data center according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of frames (34, 50) arranged below the container, and the drain pan is arranged in a space formed between each of the frames.

[0048] A space having a predetermined height is formed between the frames, and the drain pan can be installed in this space with high space efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Immersion cooling device 3 Liquid tank rack (container) 3a Main body 3b Side wall part 3c Open / close lid 5. Pump unit 11 Substrate 13 Liquid delivery pipe 13a Downstream end 13b Upstream end 15 Liquid return pipe 17 Heat exchanger 19 Liquid Pump 21 Coolant discharge pipe 30 Container Data Center 32 Container body 34 Frame material (frame) 36 Vertical partition member 37 Partition wall 38 Server side front door 38a Handle 40 Server side door 41 Server side rear door 42 Server side ceiling wall 44 Flooring 46 Grating 48 Drain pan 50 Support material (frame) 55 Temperature control side front door 57 Temperature control side rear door 58 Air Intake 59 Louver 61 Filters 63 Temperature control side ceiling wall section (exterior wall section) 65 Exhaust port 67 Exhaust fan (exhaust device) FR front Lq Coolant R1 Server cooling space (electronic component cooling space) R2 Temperature controlled space

Claims

1. A container body; a container housed in the container body and having a cooling liquid stored therein; a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, the substrate being disposed in the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid; a temperature adjustment unit that is accommodated in the container body and that cools the cooling liquid guided from the inside of the container and returns the cooling liquid to the container; a drain pan that is accommodated in the container body and is located below the container to receive the cooling liquid that has leaked from the container; a partition wall portion that separates a temperature control space in which the temperature control unit is installed from an electronic component cooling space in which the container is installed; an exhaust device that exhausts air from within the temperature control space partitioned by the partition wall; A container-type data center equipped with the following:

2. An air intake is formed in a door or an outer wall portion that forms the temperature-controlled space, 2. The container-type data center according to claim 1, wherein a heat exchanger for cooling a cooling liquid is installed at the air intake.

3. An exhaust port is formed in the door or the outer wall portion at a position different from the air intake port, The container-type data center according to claim 2 , wherein the exhaust device that exhausts air in the temperature-controlled space to the outside is installed in the exhaust port.

4. 4. The container-type data center according to claim 2, wherein a louver and a filter are provided on an air flow upstream side of the heat exchanger.

5. A plurality of frames are provided below the container, 5. The container-type data center according to claim 1, wherein the drain pan is provided in a space formed between the frames.

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