Air conditioning system

Abstract

To appropriately cool a target device by uniformly supplying cooling air to a plurality of housing racks entirely.SOLUTION: A plurality of housing racks 2 are disposed in a rack installation region 13. Cooling devices 3 are arranged on opposite end sides of a first direction X1 such that they are opposite each other in the first direction X1 across the rack installation region 13. A cooling air supply unit 4 comprises: an underfloor flow part 41 that passes cooling air to the rack installation region 13 from the cooling device 3 under a floor of a rack installation space 11; and an underfloor blowout part 42 that blows the cooling air in the underfloor flow part 41 above the floor of the rack installation space 11 and supplies it to the housing rack 2. Under the floor of the rack installation space 11, a first underfloor partitioning portion 61 is provided in a center part of the rack installation region 13 in a first direction X1, the first underfloor partitioning portion extending along a second direction X2 orthogonal to the first direction X1 and partitioning the underfloor flow part 41 into one side and the other side of the first direction X1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning system that is provided with a storage rack for storing equipment to be cooled, and that cools the equipment to be cooled by supplying cooled air to the storage rack. [Background technology]

[0002] In data centers and server rooms where various information processing devices are installed, multiple storage racks (also called server racks) are provided to store the information processing devices, and these information processing devices are required to be cooled. Known air conditioning systems include a cooled air supply unit that supplies cooled air generated by a cooling device to the storage racks, and an air return unit that returns the air supplied to the storage racks to the cooling devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, multiple storage racks are arranged in the center of the indoor space of a data center or server room, and cooling devices are arranged at both ends of the indoor space, facing each other across the multiple storage racks. The cooled air supply unit circulates cooled air from the cooling devices through the underfloor space of the indoor space and blows the cooled air onto the floor from the floor section between the multiple storage racks, supplying the cooled air to the storage racks. The air return unit supplies the air supplied to the storage racks from the ceiling section to the attic space, and circulates the air through the attic space to return it to the cooling devices.

[0004] In this way, the cooling air supply unit utilizes the space under the floor to supply cooling air to the storage rack, and the air return unit utilizes the space above the ceiling to return air to the cooling device, and circulates and supplies cooling air from the cooling device to the storage rack, thereby cooling the equipment to be cooled stored in the storage rack. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-93859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, the cooling devices are arranged at both ends of the indoor space, facing each other across multiple storage racks, so there is a possibility that the cooled air supplied from the cooling device on one side will collide with the cooled air supplied from the cooling device on the other side in the center of the indoor space, causing turbulence.

[0007] Since the number and types of equipment to be cooled housed in storage racks vary, the magnitude of the cooling load typically varies depending on the storage rack. Because cooling devices control the amount of cooling air sent to them to cover the cooling load of the storage racks to be cooled, the amount of cooling air sent from one cooling device may differ from the amount of cooling air sent from the other cooling device. In such cases, the difference in airflow rates can easily cause turbulence due to collisions between the cooling air streams.

[0008] Furthermore, since the cooling air flows through the underfloor space, the Coanda effect cannot be expected to dampen the airflow much, and the cooling air flows to the center of the interior space at a relatively high speed, causing the air bubbles to collide with each other, which makes it more likely that turbulence will occur.

[0009] In this way, when turbulence occurs in the flow of cooling air, it becomes difficult to supply cooling air uniformly to all of the multiple storage racks, and hot spots, or areas with temperatures above a specified value, occur, making it difficult to cool the equipment to be cooled.

[0010] In view of this situation, a main object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system that can supply cooled air uniformly to all of a plurality of storage racks and appropriately cool the equipment to be cooled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a cooling system including: a storage rack for storing equipment to be cooled; a cooling air supply unit that supplies the cooling air generated by the cooling device to the storage rack; an air return unit that returns the air supplied to the storage rack to the cooling device, The storage racks are arranged in a plurality of rack installation areas set in a central area in a first direction within the rack installation space, the cooling devices are disposed on both ends in the first direction in a state where they face each other across a rack installation area in the first direction, the cooling air supply unit includes an underfloor flow unit that circulates cooling air from the cooling device under the floor of the rack installation space to the rack installation area, and an above-floor blow-out unit that is disposed on the floor of the rack installation area and blows the cooling air from the underfloor flow unit onto the floor of the rack installation space to supply it to the storage racks; A first underfloor partition section is provided under the floor of the rack installation space, extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the center of the rack installation area in the first direction, and dividing the underfloor flow section into one side and the other side in the first direction.

[0012] According to this configuration, a first underfloor partition is provided under the floor of the rack installation space in the center of the rack installation area in the first direction, and the underfloor conduit is partitioned into one side and the other side in the first direction. Therefore, the cooling air from the cooling device disposed on one side in the first direction flows through the area on one side of the partitioned underfloor conduit in the first direction, and the cooling air from the cooling device disposed on the other side in the first direction flows through the area on the other side of the partitioned underfloor conduit in the first direction. This prevents the cooling air from the cooling device disposed on one side in the first direction from colliding with the cooling air from the cooling device disposed on the other side in the first direction, effectively preventing the generation of turbulence due to this collision. Therefore, turbulence does not cause disruption of the cooling air flow, making it easier to uniformly supply cooling air to the multiple storage racks arranged in the rack installation area, and the equipment to be cooled housed in the multiple storage racks can be appropriately cooled.

[0013] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the storage racks are arranged in a state where the long left-right direction is aligned along the first direction, and the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction are spaced apart from each other, The above-floor blowing section is arranged on the floor of the rack installation area in a front end gap area that corresponds to the gap between the front ends of the storage racks in the second direction, and the gap between the front ends of the storage racks in the second direction is used as a cooling air supply space.

[0014] According to this configuration, the storage racks are arranged with their long left-right directions aligned with the first direction, so the gap between the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction, which serves as the cooling air supply space, extends along the first direction. On the other hand, the cooling devices are arranged on both ends of the first direction, so they blow cooling air along the first direction from both ends of the first direction.

[0015] This allows the direction in which the cooling air supply space extends to be aligned with the direction in which the cooling device blows cooling air, making it easier to supply cooling air efficiently and uniformly throughout the entire cooling air supply space and to supply cooling air uniformly throughout the entire storage rack.

[0016] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the cooling device is provided in plurality on both ends in the first direction and arranged in a line in the second direction, A second underfloor partition section is provided under the floor of the rack installation space, extending along the first direction and dividing the underfloor flow section into multiple underfloor flow areas corresponding to the multiple storage racks lined up in the second direction.

[0017] According to this configuration, the second underfloor partition divides the underfloor passage section into multiple underfloor passage areas corresponding to the multiple storage racks lined up in the second direction, so that the multiple cooling air supply spaces, which are the gaps between the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction, can be associated with the multiple underfloor passage areas. This makes it possible to assign which underfloor passage area the cooling air should flow through for each of the multiple cooling devices lined up in the second direction. Therefore, even if the cooling load differs depending on the storage rack, the amount of cooling air sent to the underfloor passage area corresponding to that storage rack can be adjusted for each underfloor passage area, so that effective cooling air can be supplied to the multiple storage racks lined up in the second direction while flexibly responding to the cooling load of the storage rack.

[0018] A fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the number of the cooling devices is set to be greater than the number of cooling air supply spaces which are gaps between the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction, The rack installation space has a communicating space at both ends in the first direction under the floor, which allows cooling air to flow between multiple underfloor flow areas partitioned by the second underfloor partition.

[0019] According to this configuration, the number of cooling devices is greater than the number of cooling air supply spaces. Therefore, when supplying cooling air to the cooling air supply spaces, if cooling devices are assigned one-to-one to the cooling air supply spaces, there will be spare cooling devices. As a result, even if a cooling device fails, the spare cooling device can supply cooling air to the cooling air supply space that the failed cooling device was responsible for. By providing spare cooling devices in this way, cooling air can be supplied continuously, 24 hours a day, without interruption, making this system particularly effective in data centers, server rooms, and other locations where constant cooling is required.

[0020] When supplying cooling air to the cooling air supply space using a spare cooling device, since the underfloor flow section is divided into multiple underfloor flow areas by the second underfloor partition section, it is necessary to enable cooling air to flow from the spare cooling device to the underfloor flow area to be supplied.

[0021] Therefore, according to this configuration, communication spaces are provided under the floor of the rack installation space on both end sides in the first direction, and cooling air can flow between the multiple underfloor flow areas partitioned by the second underfloor partitions. This allows cooling air from the spare cooling device to flow through the communication spaces to the underfloor flow areas to be supplied, and cooling air can be appropriately supplied to the cooling air supply spaces to be supplied. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] Floor plan of the rack installation room and machine room [Figure 2] Plan view of the rack installation room and under the floor of the machine room [Figure 3] Side view of the cold aisle from the second direction [Figure 4] Side view of the hot aisle from the second direction [Figure 5] A side view showing the main part of the rack installation area as viewed from the first direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an air conditioning system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, this air conditioning system is applied to a building 1 to be cooled, such as a data center or server room where various information processing devices are installed, and the various information processing devices etc. stored in storage racks 2 are treated as the equipment to be cooled. The equipment to be cooled is cooled by circulating and supplying cooled air to the storage racks 2.

[0024] This air conditioning system includes a storage rack 2 that houses equipment to be cooled, such as information processing equipment, as well as a cooled air supply unit 4 that supplies cooled air generated by a cooling device 3 to the storage rack 2, as shown in Figure 3, and an air return unit 5 that returns the air supplied to the storage rack 2 to the cooling device 3, as shown in Figure 4.

[0025] 1 and 3, the building 1 to be cooled is provided with a rack installation room 11 (corresponding to a rack installation space) in which a plurality of storage racks 2 are installed, and a machine room 12 in which a plurality of cooling devices 3 are installed. As shown in FIG. 1, the machine room 12 is provided as an adjacent room adjacent to the rack installation room 11 in the first direction X1, and is arranged on both ends of the first direction X1 with the rack installation room 11 sandwiched between them in the first direction X1.

[0026] Here, the directions in the building 1 to be cooled are set based on the storage rack 2, with the left-right direction of the storage rack 2 being the first direction X1 and the front-to-back direction of the storage rack 2 being the second direction X2, and the first direction X1 and the second direction X2 being perpendicular to each other.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, the central area in the first direction X1 in the rack installation room 11 is set as a rack installation area 13, and as shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of storage racks 2 are arranged on the floor of the rack installation area 13. As shown in Fig. 1, the storage racks 2 are arranged in a state where their long left-right direction is aligned along the first direction X1, and where the front end portions 21 of the storage racks 2 and the rear end portions 22 of the storage racks 2 that face each other in the second direction X2 are spaced apart.

[0028] 1, a plurality of storage racks 2 (e.g., 12 storage racks 2) are arranged at intervals in the second direction X2 between their front ends 21 and between their rear ends 22, forming passageways through which workers and the like can pass. The storage racks 2 arranged at intervals in the second direction X2 form a row, one on each side of the first direction X1, forming a passageway 29 through which workers and the like can pass in the center of the first direction X1. The passageway 29 formed in the center of the first direction X1 can also be used as a space for arranging pillars in the building 1 to be cooled.

[0029] Although detailed illustration is omitted, the storage rack 2 is provided with a plurality of storage sections lined up in the vertical and horizontal directions, and each storage section is capable of storing equipment to be cooled. As shown in Fig. 5, the storage rack 2 supplies cooling air to each storage section from its front end 21 to cool the equipment to be cooled stored in each storage section, and the cooled air (hot air) is discharged to the rear end 22 of the storage rack 2. As a result, in the second direction X2, the passages between the front end sections 21 of the storage racks 2 are provided as cold aisles 24, and the passages between the rear end sections 22 of the storage racks 2 are provided as hot aisles 25.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the cooling air supply unit 4 is equipped with an underfloor circulation unit 41 that circulates cooling air under the floor of the rack installation room 11, and an above-floor blow-out unit 42 that blows the cooling air from the underfloor circulation unit 41 onto the floor of the rack installation room 11.

[0031] The cooling device 3 sends the generated cooled air to the underfloor space of the rack installation room 11, and the underfloor flow section 41 circulates the cooled air sent from the cooling device 3 under the floor of the rack installation room 11 to the rack installation area 13. The entire underfloor space of the rack installation room 11 is provided as the underfloor flow section 41.

[0032] 3, the above-floor blowing section 42 is made of, for example, punched metal with a plurality of holes, and blows the cooled air from the underfloor passage section 41 onto the floor of the rack installation room 11 to supply it to the storage racks 2. The above-floor blowing section 42 is disposed on the floor 14 of the rack installation area 13 in a front end gap region 23 that corresponds to the gap between the front ends 21 of the storage racks 2 in the second direction X2 (see the region marked with small dots in FIG. 1). The cooled air is supplied through the above-floor blowing section 42 to the cold aisle 24, which serves as a passage between the front ends 21 of the storage racks 2 in the second direction X2, and the cold aisle 24 serves as a cooled air supply space.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the air return section 5 is equipped with a first hot air circulation section 51 that circulates the cooled air (hereinafter referred to as "hot air") that has cooled the equipment to be cooled in the storage rack 2 within the rack installation room 11, and a second hot air circulation section 52 that circulates the hot air from the first hot air circulation section 51 in the ceiling of the rack installation room 11.

[0034] 5, in the storage rack 2, hot air that has increased in temperature after cooling the equipment to be cooled is discharged from the rear end 22, so a passage between the rear end portions 22 of the storage racks 2 in the second direction X2 is provided as a hot aisle 25. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this hot aisle 25 serves as a first hot air flow section 51 that circulates air within the rack installation room 11. In the first hot air flow section 51, the hot air discharged from the rear end portions 22 of the storage rack 2 is circulated toward the ceiling section 15 of the rack installation room 11.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the second hot air flow section 52 circulates hot air supplied from the first hot air flow section 51 (hot aisle 25) through a first communication section 16 formed in the ceiling section 15 of the rack installation room 11, through the ceiling space, and supplies the hot air to the machine room 12 through a second communication section 17 formed in a wall section 18 between the rack installation room 11 and the machine room 12. The second hot air flow section 52 is configured throughout the entire ceiling space of the rack installation room 11. A plurality of first communication sections 16 are provided at intervals in the left-right and front-to-back directions of the storage racks 2 in an area of ​​the ceiling section 15 corresponding to the hot aisle 25, and a plurality of second communication sections 17 are provided at intervals in the front-to-back direction of the storage racks 2 in the wall section 18.

[0036] 1, cold aisles 24 and hot aisles 25 are alternately arranged in the second direction X2 for a plurality of storage racks 2 lined up. In order to prevent hot air from the hot aisle 25 from flowing into the cold aisle 24, an aisle partition section 26 is provided to separate the cold aisle 24 and the hot aisle 25, as shown in FIGS.

[0037] 4 and 5, the aisle dividing section 26 divides the hot aisle 25 into the cold aisle 24 and the hot aisle 25 by shielding the hot aisle 25. The aisle dividing section 26 is provided with a first shielding section 27 (see FIG. 4) that shields from the floor 14 to the ceiling 15 of the rack installation room 11 at both ends of the hot aisle 25 in the first direction X1, and a second shielding section 28 (see FIG. 5) that shields from the upper end of the storage rack 2 facing the hot aisle 25 to the ceiling 15. In this way, hot aisle capping is adopted, where the first shielding section 27 and the second shielding section 28 shield the hot aisle 25.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1 , the machine rooms 12 are disposed at both ends of the rack installation room 11 in the first direction X1, and the cooling devices 3 are disposed on both ends of the first direction X1, facing each other across the rack installation room 11. By using the cooling devices 3 to blow cooled air from both ends of the first direction X1, cooled air can be uniformly supplied even to the long cold aisle 24. In large-scale data centers and the like that require a large capacity for the equipment to be cooled, such as information processing devices, the storage capacity is ensured, for example, by lengthening the length of the storage racks 2 in the left-right direction. Therefore, although the length of the cold aisle 24 becomes longer, cooled air can be uniformly supplied even to the long cold aisle 24, making this an air conditioning system that is useful even for large-scale data centers and the like that require a large capacity.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 4, the cooling device 3 takes in hot air returned to the machine room 12 via the second hot air passage 52, generates cooled air, and sends the generated cooled air to the underfloor passage 41. The cooling device 3 is equipped with a cooling treatment section 31 such as a cooling coil that cools the hot air, and a blower fan 32 that sends the cooled air. The cooling treatment section 31 is equipped with a heat medium supply path 33 that supplies a heat medium (chilled water) to the cooling treatment section 31, and a flow rate adjustment valve 34 that can freely adjust the flow rate of the heat medium supplied to the cooling treatment section 31.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3 , the cooling device 3 can adjust the temperature of the generated cooled air by controlling the aperture of the flow rate control valve 34, and can adjust the amount of cooled air sent by controlling the rotation speed of the blower fan 32. For example, the cooling device 3 performs discharge temperature control by controlling the aperture of the flow rate control valve 34 so that the temperature detected by the discharge temperature sensor T1 becomes a set temperature, and air volume control by controlling the rotation speed of the blower fan 32 so that the temperature difference between the discharge temperature sensor T1 and the return temperature sensor T2 becomes a set temperature difference. The discharge temperature sensor T1 is disposed in the underfloor passage 41 and detects the temperature of the cooled air sent from the cooling device 3 to the underfloor passage 41. The return temperature sensor T2 is disposed above the machine room 12 and detects the temperature of the hot air returned to the machine room 12 by the second hot air passage 52.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of cooling devices 3 are provided at both ends of the first direction X1 and lined up in the second direction X2. A discharge temperature sensor T1 and a return temperature sensor T2 (see Fig. 3) are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of cooling devices 3, and each cooling device 3 individually controls the discharge temperature and the airflow rate. For example, each cooling device 3 is provided with one discharge temperature sensor T1 and one return temperature sensor T2, and each cooling device 3 individually controls the discharge temperature and the airflow rate based on the temperature information detected by the corresponding discharge temperature sensor T1 and return temperature sensor T2.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3, the cooled air blown from each cooling device 3 is supplied to the storage rack 2 to be supplied with the cooling air by the cooled air supply section 4 of the underfloor circulation section 41 or the above-floor air outlet section 42, and the hot air that has cooled the equipment to be cooled in the storage rack 2 is returned to each cooling device 3 by the air return section 5 of the first hot air circulation section 51 or the second hot air circulation section 52, as shown in Fig. 4. As a result, each of the multiple outlet temperature sensors T1 and the multiple return temperature sensors T2 provided corresponding to each of the multiple cooling devices 3 acquires temperature information that reflects the cooling status of the storage rack 2 to be supplied with cooled air in each cooling device 3. Therefore, each of the multiple cooling devices 3 basically controls the outlet temperature and the airflow volume so as to cover the cooling load of the storage rack 2 to be supplied with cooled air.

[0043] Since the storage racks 2 accommodate different numbers and types of devices to be cooled, the magnitude of the cooling load usually differs depending on the storage rack 2. Therefore, when blowout temperature control and airflow control are performed so that each of the multiple cooling devices 3 covers the cooling load of the storage rack 2 to which the cooling air is supplied, the amount of cooling air blown by each of the multiple cooling devices 3 may differ.

[0044] At this time, since the cooling devices 3 are arranged on both ends of the first direction X1 as shown in Figures 1 and 3, turbulence occurs due to collision between the cooling air blown from the cooling device 3 arranged on one side of the first direction X1 and the cooling air blown from the cooling device 3 arranged on the other side of the first direction X1, making it impossible to supply cooling air uniformly throughout the cold aisle 24.

[0045] Therefore, an underfloor passage 41 is provided under the floor of the rack installation room 11, which makes the entire underfloor space of the rack installation room 11 a flow space for cooling air, and a first underfloor partition 61 is provided that partitions the underfloor passage 41 in the first direction X1, as shown by the thick dotted line in Fig. 1. Incidentally, Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the rack installation room 11 and the machine room 12, and the first underfloor partition 61 and second underfloor partition 62 that exist under the floor of the rack installation room 11 are shown by the thick dotted lines.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 2, the first underfloor partition 61 is provided in the center of the rack installation area 13 in the first direction X1 and extends along the second direction X2, dividing the underfloor flow section 41 into a one-side underfloor flow area 43 (upper side area in Fig. 2) and an other-side underfloor flow area 44 (lower side area in Fig. 2) in the first direction X1. As shown by the thick dotted line in Fig. 1, the first underfloor partition 61 is disposed below the passage 29 formed in the center of the rack installation area 13 in the first direction X1. Incidentally, Fig. 2 shows a plan view of the underfloor of the rack installation room 11 and the machine room 12, and the storage racks 2 installed on the floor of the rack installation room 11 are indicated by dotted lines.

[0047] The first underfloor partition 61 is provided with a plate-like body extending vertically from the lower end to the upper end of the underfloor flow section 41 (underfloor space), and as shown in Figure 2, the plate-like body is extended linearly over the entire length in the second direction X2, thereby dividing the underfloor flow section 41 into a one-side underfloor flow area 43 and an other-side underfloor flow area 44.

[0048] In this way, by dividing the underfloor flow section 41 into one side underfloor flow area 43 and the other side underfloor flow area 44 at the first underfloor partition 61, the generation of turbulence due to collision of cooling air streams can be prevented, and cooling air can be supplied uniformly throughout the entire cold aisle 24.

[0049] As shown by the thick dotted line in Fig. 1, the underfloor passage section 41 is provided with not only a first underfloor partition section 61 that partitions the underfloor section in the first direction X1, but also a second underfloor partition section 62 that partitions the underfloor section in the second direction X2. As shown in Fig. 2, the second underfloor partition section 62 extends along the first direction X1 and partitions the underfloor passage section 41 into a plurality of underfloor passage areas 45 to 48 corresponding to the plurality of storage racks 2 lined up in the second direction X2.

[0050] Similar to the first underfloor partition 61, the second underfloor partition 62 is provided with a plate-like body extending vertically from the lower end to the upper end of the underfloor flow section 41 (underfloor space), and as shown in FIG. 2, the plate-like body extends linearly along the first direction X1, thereby dividing the underfloor flow section 41 into a plurality of underfloor flow areas 45 to 48.

[0051] 2, a plurality of second underfloor partitions 62 are provided at intervals in the second direction X2, and divide the underfloor flow section 41 into a plurality of underfloor flow areas 45-48 so that the number of storage racks 2 present in each underfloor flow area 45-48 matches the control unit of the cooling device 3. The second underfloor partitions 62 are arranged below the cold aisle 24 or the hot aisle 25, as shown by the thick dotted line in FIG.

[0052] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, 12 storage racks 2 are provided lined up in the second direction X2, so three second underfloor partition sections 62 are provided at intervals in the second direction X2, and the underfloor flow section 41 is divided into four underfloor flow areas, the first to fourth underfloor flow areas 45 to 48, so that the number of storage racks 2 present in each underfloor flow area 45 to 48 matches the control unit of the cooling device 3.

[0053] In this way, by dividing the underfloor passage section 41 into first to fourth underfloor passage areas 45-48 by the second underfloor partition 62, it is possible to assign to each of the multiple cooling devices 3 lined up in the second direction X2 which underfloor passage area 45-48 to which cooling air should be sent. Therefore, when the cooling device 3 performs blowout temperature control and airflow control, the blowout temperature control and airflow control can be performed using the underfloor passage areas 45-48 as one unit (control unit), and therefore the temperature and airflow of the cooling air can be adjusted for each of the underfloor passage areas 45-48.

[0054] For example, even if the cooling load of the storage rack 2 corresponding to the first underfloor flow area 45 differs from the cooling load of the storage rack 2 corresponding to the second underfloor flow area 46, cooled air sufficient to cover the cooling load of the storage rack 2 corresponding to the first underfloor flow area 45 is sent to the first underfloor flow area 45, and cooled air sufficient to cover the cooling load of the storage rack 2 corresponding to the second underfloor flow area 46 is also sent to the second underfloor flow area 46. In this way, the air conditioning system can perform zone control to control the temperature and blowing volume of cooled air for each of the first to fourth underfloor flow areas 45 to 48 partitioned by the second underfloor partition 62.

[0055] When allocating to which underfloor flow areas 45-48 the cooling air should be blown for each of the multiple cooling devices 3 arranged in the second direction X2, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which one cooling device 3 is allocated to one cold aisle 24, for example. However, if one cooling device 3 breaks down, it will no longer be possible to properly supply cooling air to the cold aisle 24 allocated to that cooling device 3.

[0056] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the number of cooling devices 3 is set to be greater than the number of cold aisles 24. In other words, the number of cooling devices 3 installed is greater than the number required to cover the entire cooling load of the multiple storage racks 2 installed in the rack installation area 13 (the sum of the cooling loads of the storage racks 2). Therefore, even when the entire cooling load is covered by multiple cooling devices 3, there will be spare cooling devices 3. Even if one cooling device 3 breaks down, by operating the spare cooling device 3, cooled air can be supplied to the cold aisle 24 that was covered by the broken-down cooling device 3, and the cooling load of the storage racks 2 facing that cold aisle 24 can be covered.

[0057] However, referring to Figure 2, if the flow of cooling air between the multiple underfloor flow areas 45-48 partitioned by the second underfloor partition 62 is completely blocked, the cooling device 3 will be limited to only the assigned underfloor flow areas 45-48 to which it can blow air, and will not be able to blow cooling air to other underfloor flow areas 45-48.

[0058] 2, the second underfloor partition 62 does not partition the underfloor flow section 41 over the entire length in the first direction X1, but is provided with a communication space 49 that allows cooling air to flow between the multiple underfloor flow areas 45-48 partitioned by the second underfloor partition 62. For example, if the communication space 49 were provided at a midpoint in the first direction X1, the cooling air blown from the cooling device 3 would flow partway through the assigned underfloor flow area 45-48 and then flow through the communication space 49 to another underfloor flow area 45-48, which would likely disrupt the flow of cooling air in each underfloor flow area 45-48. Therefore, the communication space 49 is provided at both end sides in the first direction X1 that are close to the location where the cooling device 3 is installed. The cooling air blown out from the cooling device 3 is immediately passed through not only the assigned underfloor flow area 45-48 but also other underfloor flow areas 45-48, and the cooling air can be passed through other underfloor flow areas 45-48 while suppressing turbulence in the flow of cooling air in each underfloor flow area 45-48.

[0059] In this way, by setting the number of cooling devices 3 to be greater than the number of cold aisles 24 and providing a communication space 49, basically, zone control is performed to control the temperature and airflow of the cooling air for each of the first to fourth underfloor flow areas 45 to 48 partitioned by the second underfloor partition 62, and even if an inconvenience such as a malfunction of a cooling device 3 occurs, cooling air is allowed to flow between the multiple underfloor flow areas 45 to 48, making it possible to appropriately supply cooling air to all of the multiple storage racks 2 installed in the rack installation area 13, and covering the entire cooling load for all of the multiple storage racks 2.

[0060] Regarding how to operate the multiple cooling devices 3, all of the cooling devices 3 can be kept in operation at all times, but for example, instead of keeping all of the cooling devices 3 in operation, it is also possible to stop the operation of only the set number of cooling devices 3 for operation stop. This allows maintenance work to be performed on the cooling devices 3 that are in the operation stop state, and prevents the occurrence of breakdowns in the cooling devices 3.

[0061] When the cooling devices 3 are stopped, the cooling devices 3 to be stopped are not fixed, but can be changed each time a change condition is met. For example, if the change condition is set to the passage of a set time, the cooling devices 3 to be stopped can be periodically rotated. Furthermore, selection conditions for which cooling devices 3 are to be stopped can be set in advance depending on the installation location, operating time, etc., and the cooling devices 3 to be stopped can be selected based on the selection conditions. For example, by setting selection conditions so that the operating times of all cooling devices 3 are uniform, there is no imbalance in operating times, and the occurrence of cooling device 3 breakdowns can be minimized.

[0062] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied independently, but can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0063] (1) In the above embodiment, in addition to the first underfloor partition 61 that divides the underfloor flow section 41 into multiple areas in the first direction X1, a second underfloor partition 62 that divides the underfloor flow section 41 into multiple areas in the second direction X2 is provided, but the second underfloor partition 62 can be omitted.

[0064] (2) In the above embodiment, in order to prevent hot air from the hot aisle 25 from flowing into the cold aisle 24, hot aisle capping is adopted by providing a first shielding section 27 and a second shielding section 28 that shield the hot aisle 25. However, conversely, cold aisle capping can also be adopted by providing a shielding section that shields the cold aisle 24.

[0065] (3) In the above embodiment, the storage racks 2 are arranged such that their long left-right lengths are aligned along the first direction X1 and multiple racks are spaced apart in the second direction X2. However, conversely, the storage racks 2 can also be arranged such that their long left-right lengths are aligned along the second direction X2 and multiple racks are spaced apart in the first direction X1. The arrangement of the storage racks 2 can be changed as appropriate.

[0066] (4) In the above embodiment, the rack installation room 11 in which the storage rack 2 is installed and the machine room 12 in which the cooling device 3 is installed are provided as separate rooms, but the storage rack 2 and the cooling device 3 can also be installed in the same room (same space). [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 2 storage racks 3 Cooling device 4 Cooling air supply section 5. Air return section 11 Rack installation room (rack installation space) 12 Machine room 13 Rack installation area 23 Front end gap area 24 Cold aisle (cooled air supply space) 41 Underfloor passage 42 Above-floor outlet 45 1st underfloor circulation area 46 2nd underfloor circulation area 47 3rd underfloor circulation area 48 4th underfloor circulation area 49 Communication space 61 First underfloor compartment 62 Second underfloor compartment

Claims

1. a storage rack for storing the equipment to be cooled; a cooling air supply unit that supplies the cooling air generated by the cooling device to the storage rack; an air return unit that returns the air supplied to the storage rack to the cooling device, The storage racks are arranged in a plurality of rack installation areas set in a central area in a first direction within the rack installation space, the cooling devices are disposed on both ends in the first direction in a state where they face each other across a rack installation area in the first direction, the cooling air supply unit includes an underfloor flow unit that circulates cooling air from the cooling device under the floor of the rack installation space to the rack installation area, and an above-floor blow-out unit that is disposed on the floor of the rack installation area and blows the cooling air from the underfloor flow unit onto the floor of the rack installation space to supply it to the storage racks; The air conditioning system is provided with a first underfloor partition section located under the floor of the rack installation space, extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the center of the rack installation area in a first direction, and dividing the underfloor flow section into one side and the other side in the first direction.

2. The storage racks are arranged in a state where the long left-right direction is aligned along the first direction and the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction are spaced apart from each other, The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the above-floor blowing section is arranged on the floor of the rack installation area in a front end gap area corresponding to the gap between the front ends of the storage racks in the second direction, and the gap between the front ends of the storage racks in the second direction is used as a cooling air supply space.

3. a plurality of the cooling devices are provided at both ends in the first direction and arranged side by side in the second direction; The air conditioning system of claim 2, wherein a second underfloor partition section is provided under the floor of the rack installation space, extending along the first direction and dividing the underfloor flow section into multiple underfloor flow areas corresponding to multiple storage racks lined up in the second direction.

4. The number of the cooling devices is set to be greater than the number of cooling air supply spaces, which are gaps between the front ends of the storage racks facing each other in the second direction, The air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein a communication space is provided under the floor of the rack installation space at both ends in the first direction, allowing cooling air to flow between multiple underfloor flow areas partitioned by second underfloor partitions.

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