Ceiling-Mounted Data Center Cooling for Uniform Rack Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cooling solutions for data centers consume valuable floor space, constrain rack and aisle positions, and introduce the risk of coolant leakage, while existing integrated units suffer from airflow distribution challenges due to their installation location at the room's edges.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system with separate interior spaces containing fans and cooling units positioned strategically to recirculate air through thermally separated compartments, using fans to draw hot air from equipment and cooling units to condition it to cold air, which is then reintroduced, optimizing airflow and eliminating coolant leakage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If in-row or rear door heat exchangers are installed adjacent to rack servers, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but floor space is consumed and rack/aisle positions are constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the cooling system from the horizontal floor plane to the vertical ceiling dimension. By installing cooling units and fans in the ceiling space above the racks, the system eliminates the need for floor-mounted heat exchangers and extensive coolant piping, thereby freeing up floor space while maintaining cooling effectiveness through overhead air circulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the traditional in-row heat exchanger configuration and relocates it to separate ceiling-mounted units. This extraction removes the constraint of coolant piping running through the floor and eliminates the need for precise rack/aisle positioning relative to cooling components, allowing greater flexibility in data center layout.
2Reliability
If integrated units with both coils and fans are installed around the room perimeter, then cooling coverage is improved, but airflow distribution becomes challenging due to distance from electronic equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements localized cooling units positioned directly above individual rack locations rather than centralized perimeter units. Each ceiling-mounted cooling unit serves its adjacent racks, creating localized cooling zones that ensure optimal airflow distribution close to the heat-generating equipment while maintaining comprehensive coverage throughout the data center.
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
Enhances airflow efficiency, reduces hot spots, increases equipment density, and minimizes coolant connections by positioning air handling components out of the data center floor space, ensuring homogeneous temperature distribution and flexible equipment placement.
Implementation Method 1
at least one fan is operable to draw hot air from the first interior space into the second interior space across the first thermal barrier
Implementation Method 2
the at least one cooling unit/coil is operable to condition the hot air in the third interior space to cold air
Implementation Method 3
A first thermal separator/barrier is positioned between the first interior space and the second interior space
Data Source
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AI summary
A data center cooling system includes a first interior space for containing electronic equipment, a second interior space for containing at least one fan, and a third interior space for containing at least one cooling unit. The first interior space is thermally separated from the second and third interior spaces such that hot air is drawn from the first interior space, conditioned, and then the cold air is delivered into the first interior space again. The at least one fan is positioned overhead of the electronic equipment, for instance in the ceiling, to improve the air distribution and increase the maximum airflow. The at least one cooling unit is positioned to at least one side of the first interior space. In use, the at least one fan and the at least one cooling unit operate together to condition and recirculate air through interior spaces.