Adaptive Vent Tile Control for Uniform Data Center Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers with raised floor architectures face inefficient cooling due to non-uniform temperature distribution caused by fixed vent tile configurations and CRAC unit responses, leading to overprovisioning of cooling capacity.
Innovation Solution
A method and controller that identify correlations between fluid moving device operational settings and environmental conditions, using adaptive vent tiles and feedback loops to optimize cooling distribution by varying the volume flow rate and supply temperature of fluid moving devices and vent tiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fixed vent tile configurations and CRAC unit responses are used, then cooling capacity is provided, but temperature distribution becomes non-uniform leading to overprovisioning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making vent tiles adjustable rather than fixed. The system dynamically modifies vent tile openings based on real-time thermal conditions, allowing the cooling distribution to adapt to changing workload and thermal patterns. This enables uniform temperature distribution while avoiding overprovisioning of cooling capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring thermal conditions and using this information to adjust vent tile configurations. The system measures temperature distribution and feeds this information back to the control mechanism, which then modifies vent tile openings to achieve desired thermal uniformity and optimize cooling capacity utilization.
2Device complexity
If fixed blower speed and tile configuration are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but airflow provided to equipment becomes constant and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by implementing control mechanisms directly at the vent tile level, allowing each vent tile to autonomously adjust its opening based on local thermal feedback. This distributed self-service approach maintains relative system simplicity while dramatically improving cooling efficiency through adaptive airflow control, eliminating the need for complex centralized control of fixed-speed blowers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes cooling resource use while maintaining predefined environmental condition thresholds, optimizing cooling distribution and reducing energy consumption in data centers.
Implementation Method 1
identify correlations between a volume flow rate of the fluid moving device and conditions detected within the infrastructure
Implementation Method 2
identify correlations between... supply temperature of the fluid moving device and conditions detected within the infrastructure
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for manipulating environmental conditions in an infrastructure containing a fluid moving device are disclosed that include identifying correlations between operational settings of the fluid moving device and environmental conditions resulting from changes to the operational settings. In addition, an environmental condition detected at a location proximate to or within the plenum following supply of fluid into the plenum by the fluid moving device is received and errors between the received environmental condition and a reference environmental condition are identified. Operational settings for the fluid moving device to achieve the reference environmental condition are determined based upon the identified correlations and errors.