Cold Aisle Isolation With Overhead Chimneys for Data Center Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers face inefficiencies in heat dissipation and energy consumption due to bypass airflow, recirculation, hot and cold air remixing, air stratification, and uncomfortable ambient temperatures, leading to wasted energy and reduced air conditioner efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A rack cooling system with a back panel featuring an open area and air passageway to direct heated air away from the housing, combined with ducts, fans, and baffles to isolate cold and hot air flows, allowing for efficient heat containment and air conditioner optimization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thickened front or back rack panels with ducting and fans are used to route air through the rack, then heat dissipation is improved, but the depth of the racks increases which limits the number of racks that can be fit into a data center
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the air routing function from the rack panels themselves and relocates it to a separate overhead infrastructure. Air passageways are installed above the racks to route heated air away, eliminating the need for thickened panels with embedded ducting and fans, thus maintaining shallow rack depth while achieving effective heat dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the air routing function from the horizontal plane (within rack panels) to the vertical dimension (overhead air passageways). By routing air above the racks rather than through the rack panels, the system achieves effective heat management without increasing rack depth.
2Temperature
If open air systems with overhead ducting and raised floor plenums are used to deliver cold air, then cooling coverage is improved, but hot and cold air remixing occurs reducing air conditioner efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the data center into distinct thermal zones using cold aisle isolation structures. These structures create separate pathways for cold and hot air flows, preventing remixing while maintaining comprehensive cooling coverage. The segmentation allows independent control and optimization of each airflow path.
Solution Approach 2:
Cold aisle isolation structures serve as intermediary elements between the cold air supply and hot air exhaust paths. These structures act as physical barriers that guide and separate airflow, preventing direct mixing while ensuring both cold and hot air are properly managed throughout the data center.
3Loss of energy
If cold aisle isolation structures are added to prevent hot and cold air mixing, then air conditioner efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cold aisle isolation structures are designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: they isolate cold aisles, guide airflow paths, support overhead air passageways, and provide structural organization for rack arrangements. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
4Ease of operation
If racks are arranged in traditional hot and cold aisle configurations, then airflow management is simplified, but bypass airflow and recirculation occur reducing cooling efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
Overhead air passageways act as intermediary structures that collect and redirect hot air from rack exhausts before it can bypass or recirculate into cold aisles. These passageways provide a controlled pathway that ensures hot air is efficiently routed to exhaust points, maintaining simple rack arrangements while eliminating energy-wasting airflow patterns.
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 solution prevents air mixing, increases air conditioner efficiency, reduces energy consumption, and allows for scalable data center layouts, improving both cooling capacity and working conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an air passageway in fluid communication with the open area in the back, to conduct heated air exiting the housing through the open area away from the housing
Implementation Method 2
heated air exiting the housing through the open area away from the housing
Data Source
AI summary
The invention combines systems and methods for heat containment and cold air isolation for managing airflow and temperature in data centers. The data center contains at least two rows of cabinets containing heat-generating equipment and arranged to form a cold aisle and a hot aisle. The data center system includes panels or doors at both ends of the cold aisle and an optional cover over the cold aisle to inhibit cooled air supplied by an air conditioning system from exiting the cold aisle and inhibit air warmed by the heat-generating components from entering the cold aisle. A chimney coupled to the top, rear, or top and rear of the cabinets is configured to exhaust the warmed air into a region above the rows of cabinets. The chimneys may be ducted to a plenum or suspended ceiling or to the intake of the air conditioning system. Baffles and/or fans may be included in the chimneys, ducts, and/or plenums to control the air pressure. The invention may also include one or more data center air conditioning units, and each air conditioning unit may be configured to service one or more rows of cabinets. Alternatively, or in addition, cool air may be supplied by the building's air conditioning system.