DATA CENTER WITH ROW OF DISTRIBUTION CABINETS ARRANGEMENT IN A CONTAINER AND DIVISION BETWEEN COLD AISLE AND HOT AISLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a data center (1) having a row of distribution cabinets (3) arranged in a container (2) and separating a cold aisle (5) from a hot aisle (6) by means of a partition (4), characterized in that at least one cooling device (7) is inserted in at least one opening (8) through an outer wall (9) of the container (2), which is connected to the interior of the container (2) by means of its internal air circuit (10) and which is connected to the environment of the container (2) by means of its external air circuit (11) which is fluidly isolated from the internal air circuit (10), and wherein the partition (4) fluidly separates a cooling air outlet (12) of the internal air circuit (10) from a hot air inlet (13) of the internal air circuit (10).

Description

[0001] Data center with a row of switch cabinets arranged in a container and a cold aisle-warm aisle partition

[0002] The invention is based on a data center with a row of switch cabinets arranged in a container, which separates a cold aisle from a hot aisle with a partition. Such a data center is described in EP 3 157 316 Bi. Similar data centers are also described in WO 2014 / 174606 Ai, US 2013 / 0008197 Ai, and US 2015 / 0245541 Ai.

[0003] Conventional container-based data centers have the disadvantage of limited scalability of the cooling capacity provided. In particular, the corresponding cooling units are usually permanently installed within the container, so that to increase the cooling capacity, for example, as part of an expansion of the IT infrastructure in the container, an inline cooling unit in the switch cabinet row must be replaced with another cooling unit with a correspondingly adapted cooling capacity. The cooling units are also limited in terms of the cooling technology used or require extensive piping to fluidly connect external free coolers or chillers to evaporators installed in the switch cabinet row or in the raised floor.

[0004] It is therefore the object of the invention to further develop a data center of the type described above in such a way that it has a high scalability with regard to the cooling technology used and, in particular, the exchange of the cooling technology, for example for capacity adjustment, is realized with simple technical means.

[0005] This object is achieved by a data center having the features of the main claim. The dependent claims each relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0006] Accordingly, in a data center, at least one cooling device is installed in at least one opening through an outer wall of the container, which is connected to the interior of the container via an inner air circuit, and which is connected to the container's surroundings via its outer air circuit, which is fluidically separated from the inner air circuit. Furthermore, the partition fluidically separates a cool air outlet of the inner air circuit from a warm air inlet of the inner air circuit. The invention thus takes advantage of the fact that, depending on the design, containers can be provided with openings in almost any way, even retrospectively, in order to easily and interchangeably insert cooling devices of any capacity.The cooling devices, in turn, can be switch cabinet cooling devices known from the prior art, which can be mounted in or on an opening in a flat part of a switch cabinet housing, so that their inner air circuit is assigned to the interior of the switch cabinet and their outer air circuit to the environment of the switch cabinet housing. Depending on the design, various cooling technologies can be implemented in the cooling device, for example, free cooling, a chiller, or a combination of both. A cooling device particularly suitable for the present invention is described, for example, in EP 2 891396 Bi.

[0007] The cooling device can particularly preferably be installed in an opening through a vertical outer wall of the container. The cooling air outlet can be arranged below the warm air inlet, wherein the cooling air outlet is preferably arranged vertically below the warm air inlet. This arrangement of the cooling air outlet and warm air inlet corresponds to the arrangement customary in switch cabinet cooling devices, which is designed to blow cooling air into a lower region of the switch cabinet housing and, after heating and corresponding convection, to suck this air back into the cooling device in an upper region of the switch cabinet housing. In one embodiment of the invention, this arrangement of the warm air inlet and air outlet is used to supply the switch cabinet row in the cold aisle with cooling air in a lower region and to suck out heated air from the warm aisle in a separate upper region.

[0008] The interior of the container can be fluidically separated from the surroundings, preventing mixing of the air contained within the container and the ambient air. Unlike conventional container solutions, this also eliminates the need to filter the air entering the control cabinet, as no potentially contaminated ambient air is drawn into the container.

[0009] The partition can be arranged horizontally and / or at an acute angle to the horizontal, at least in sections. The partition can be optically transparent at least in a section arranged horizontally and / or at an acute angle to the horizontal. This is particularly useful if a downward-radiating light source is arranged above the optically transparent section. The light source can, in particular, be arranged under the ceiling of the container, as is known from the prior art in container data centers. In this respect, the partitioning of the data center according to the invention in no way affects the usual lighting infrastructure of the container data center.

[0010] The warm aisle can extend above the switch cabinet row across the entire width of the interior of the container. In particular, it can thus be provided that the partition does not adjoin the ceiling of the container at any point. Rather, the partition can be guided between an upper side of the switch cabinet row and that outer wall, preferably a vertical side wall, of the container in which the at least one opening is formed, in which the at least one cooling device is inserted, wherein the partition then fluidically separates the warm air inlet facing the warm aisle from the cool air outlet facing the cold aisle at its transition to the outer wall in the manner according to the invention.

[0011] The warm aisle can accordingly extend between opposite vertical outer walls of the container, with one of the outer walls being the outer wall with at least one opening. In particular, the warm aisle can extend continuously, at least in sections, between opposite vertical outer walls of the container.

[0012] The cooling air outlet can be arranged below a horizontal section of the bulkhead or a section extending at an acute angle to the horizontal.

[0013] The cooling air outlet can be located opposite a cooling air inlet of the switch cabinet row. Preferably, a warm air outlet of the switch cabinet row is located on a side of the switch cabinet row opposite the cooling air inlet of the switch cabinet row.

[0014] In the warm aisle, a horizontal air duct with at least one air duct can be arranged above the switch cabinet row, preferably between the switch cabinet row and the ceiling of the container, wherein the at least one air duct preferably opens into the warm air inlet of the internal air circuit of the cooling device. The cooling device can have an open-air cooling system, which preferably has a heat pipe. In addition, the cooling device can have a refrigeration machine, wherein the open-air cooling system and the refrigeration machine have separate refrigerant circuits. In particular, the two separate refrigerant circuits can be operated independently of one another, for example depending on the temperature difference between an actual temperature inside the switch cabinet and an ambient temperature of the container and / or depending on a cooling capacity to be provided.

[0015] The two refrigerant circuits can be controlled with prioritization of the open-air cooling and depending on the power loss of the switch cabinet row as well as the ambient air temperature of the container in order to provide the required cooling capacity.

[0016] Using the data center described above, an all-in-one container solution for outdoor use can be provided, which, thanks to the excellent availability of any control cabinet cooling units, ensures extremely high energy and cost efficiency for data center operation. Due to its excellent scalability, areas with an IT load of 10 to 70 kW can be optimally covered. In particular, compared to state-of-the-art data centers, split units, which require complex piping and are only partially adaptable to changing cooling requirements, can be avoided.

[0017] Further details of the invention are explained with reference to the following figures.

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an external view of a data center according to the invention; and

[0019] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the data center according to Figure 1.

[0020] Figures 1 and 2 show an exemplary embodiment of a data center 1 according to the invention, which is based on a container 2. In the present case, two cooling devices 7 are inserted into a vertical outer wall 9, for which purpose the outer wall 9 has two cutouts 8, through each of which a cooling device 7 extends, so that their inner air circuit 10 is fluidly connected to the interior of the container 2, while their outer air circuit 11 is open to the environment of the container 2.The cooling device 7 can, for example, be a cooling device as described in EP 2 891 396 Bi, with an outer air circuit fluidically separated from the inner air circuit and based on a hybrid cooling technology, consisting of a chiller and a heat pipe, which have separate refrigerant circuits and can be controlled independently of one another in order to compensate for a required cooling capacity, for example to compensate for a currently existing power loss of an IT infrastructure accommodated in the switch cabinet row 3, depending on the situation and, for example, according to energy efficiency considerations.

[0021] Figure 1 further illustrates that the number of cooling units 7 is essentially arbitrarily scalable by introducing additional openings 8 into the outer wall 9 as needed. Since the cooling units 7 can be commercially available switch cabinet cooling units, they can also be replaced individually and as needed, allowing for highly flexible adaptation of the cooling technology and the cooling capacity as well as the efficiency of the cooling units.

[0022] Figure 2 illustrates that a row of switch cabinets 3 is accommodated in the interior of the container 2 in a manner known per se, which separates a cold aisle 5 from a hot aisle 6, wherein, in contrast to the solutions known from the prior art, a partition 4 is not guided between the top side of the row of switch cabinets 3 and the roof 17 of the container 2, but rather, starting from the top side of the row of switch cabinets 3, to the outer wall 9 of the container 2, in which the two cooling devices 7 are inserted.

[0023] The partition 4 borders the outer wall 9 in such a way that a cooling air outlet 12 of the inner air circuit 10 is fluidically separated from a warm air inlet 13 of the inner air circuit 10. For this purpose, it can be provided in particular that the partition 4 according to the invention extends over the entire length (perpendicular to the drawing plane of Figure 2) of the switch cabinet row 3, in the manner basically known from the prior art. The cooling air exiting the inner circuit 10 via the cooling air outlet 12 of the cooling device 7 is blown directly in front of a cooling air inlet 15 of the switch cabinet row 3. Due to the excess pressure generated in the cold aisle, the cooling air is forced through the switch cabinet row 3, heated in the process, and blown out as heated air into the hot aisle 6.In contrast to the data centers known from the prior art, the warm air can now reach the entire width of the container, i.e., also across the cold aisle 5, up to the outer wall 9 containing the cooling unit 7, from where it is drawn into the cooling unit 7 via the warm air inlet 13 of the internal air circuit 10. After the warm air has been cooled in the cooling unit 7, it can be blown out again as cooled air into the cold aisle 5 in the manner described above and once again supply the switch cabinet row 3.

[0024] The bulkhead 4 is arranged horizontally or at an acute angle to the roof 17 or the horizontal, at least in sections. At least in the horizontal section and / or in a section arranged at an acute angle to the horizontal or the roof 17, the bulkhead 4 can be optically transparent, allowing light to pass through. This eliminates the need for the bulkhead 4 itself to have any light sources. Instead, the light sources 14 provided on the ceiling 17 as standard in data center containers can be used, so that no adaptations to the lighting technology are required for the use of the bulkhead according to the invention.

[0025] To optimize the air flow above switch cabinet row 3, a horizontal air duct 18 with an air duct 19 is provided between switch cabinet row 3 and the ceiling 17 of container 2. The air duct can be arranged to open into the warm air inlet of the cooling unit's internal air circuit in order to optimize the air flow from the side of switch cabinet row 3 having the warm air outlet 16 of switch cabinet row 3, across switch cabinet row 3, to the warm air inlet 13 of cooling unit 7 in the outer wall 9 of container 2 bordering cold aisle 5.

[0026] The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the drawings and in the claims may be essential for the realization of the invention both individually and in any combination.

[0027] List of reference symbols

[0028] Data center

[0029] container

[0030] Control cabinet series

[0031] Bulkhead

[0032] Cold aisle

[0033] Warming aisle

[0034] Cooling device

[0035] breakthrough

[0036] exterior wall

[0037] inner air circuit

[0038] outer air circuit

[0039] Cooling air outlet

[0040] Warm air inlet

[0041] light source

[0042] Cooling air inlet

[0043] Warm air outlet

[0044] Ceiling

[0045] Air duct

[0046] Air duct

Claims

Claims: A data center (1) comprising a row of switch cabinets (3) arranged in a container (2), the compartment separating a cold aisle (5) from a hot aisle (6) by means of a bulkhead (4), characterized in that at least one cooling unit (7) is inserted into at least one opening (8) through an outer wall (9) of the container (2), the cooling unit being connected to the interior of the container (2) by its inner air circuit (10), and the cooling unit being connected to the environment of the container (2) by its outer air circuit (11), which is fluidically sealed off from the inner air circuit (10), and wherein the bulkhead (4) fluidically separates a cooling air outlet (12) of the inner air circuit (10) from a warm air inlet (13) of the inner air circuit (10). A data center (1) according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit (7) is inserted into an opening (8) through a vertical outer wall (9) of the container (2).Data center (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling air outlet (12) is arranged below the warm air inlet (13), preferably vertically below the warm air inlet (13). Data center (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the container (2) is fluidically separated from the environment of the container (2) so that mixing of the air contained within the container (2) and the ambient air is prevented. Data center (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bulkhead (4) is at least partially horizontal and / or at an acute angle to the horizontal. Data center (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bulkhead (4) is optically transparent at least in a horizontal section and / or at an acute angle to the horizontal.Data center (1) according to claim 6, wherein a vertically downward-radiating light source (14) is arranged above the optically transparent section. 8 Data center (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hot aisle (6) extends above the row of switch cabinets (3) across the entire width of the interior of the container (2) and over the row of switch cabinets (3). Data center (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hot aisle (6) extends between opposing vertical outer walls (9) of the container (2), one of the outer walls (9) being the outer wall (9) with the at least one opening (8). Data center (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling air outlet (12) is arranged below a horizontal section of the bulkhead (4) or a section extending at an acute angle to the horizontal.Data center (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling air outlet (12) is arranged opposite a cooling air inlet (15) of the control cabinet row (3), and wherein a warm air outlet (16) of the control cabinet row (3) is arranged on a side of the control cabinet row (3) opposite the cooling air inlet (15) of the control cabinet row (3). Data center (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a horizontal air duct (18) with at least one air guide channel (19) is arranged in the hot aisle (6) above the control cabinet row (3), preferably between the control cabinet row (3) and the ceiling (17) of the container (2), wherein the air guide channel (19) preferably opens into the warm air inlet (13) of the inner air circuit (10) of the cooling unit (7).Data center (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cooling unit (7) has free air cooling, preferably comprising a heat pipe. Data center (1) according to claim 13, wherein the cooling unit (7) has a chiller in addition to the free air cooling, the free air cooling and the chiller having separate refrigerant circuits. Data center (1) according to claim 14, wherein the free air cooling is prioritized and dependent on the power dissipation of the switchgear array, as well as... 9 The two refrigerant circuits are controlled based on the ambient air temperature of the container (2) to provide the required cooling capacity. 10

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