Cooler Wall Layout for Hot-Aisle Data Center Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for data centers and computer rooms face challenges in optimizing cooling efficiency while maintaining energy efficiency and facilitating problem-free maintenance, particularly in designs where hot and cold aisles are not effectively separated and managed.
Innovation Solution
Designating at least one wall as a cooler wall that serves as a heat exchanger surface, allowing cooled exhaust air from hot aisles to be recirculated as supply air, thereby creating a cold aisle within the room, which reduces pressure losses and eliminates the need for a separate cooling device housing, enabling cost-effective and modular scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate air conditioning housing is used, then the cooling function is provided, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is merged directly into the wall structure by integrating a heat exchanger into the wall element. This eliminates the need for a separate air conditioning housing while maintaining the cooling function, thereby reducing device complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall element serves multiple functions: it acts as both a structural boundary element and a cooling device through the integrated heat exchanger. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated cooling equipment.
2Ease of repair
If the cooler wall is covered by a filter surface on the outside, then maintenance can be performed without entering the room, but the filter surface adds complexity to the wall structure
Solution Approach 1:
The wall element is segmented into functional layers: the heat exchanger integrated into the wall and the filter surface as a separate removable component on the outside. This segmentation allows the filter to be maintained independently without disrupting the structural wall or entering the room.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter surface is extracted as a separate maintainable component from the main wall structure. It can be removed and replaced from the outside of the room, isolating the maintenance activity from the internal environment and enabling easy access without entering the protected space.
3Volume of stationary object
If hot and cold aisles are not separated, then the room space is utilized, but cooling efficiency decreases and hotspots occur
Solution Approach 1:
The wall element provides localized cooling at the boundary between hot and cold zones. By positioning the heat exchanger in the wall, cooling is delivered precisely where needed at the interface, preventing hotspot formation while maintaining spatial efficiency.
4Area of stationary object
If the heat exchanger is integrated into the wall element, then the largest heat exchanger surface is achieved, but the wall structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is merged with the wall element structure, utilizing the wall's surface area for heat exchange. This integration maximizes the heat exchanger surface area without requiring additional space, as the wall itself becomes the heat exchange surface.
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 enhances cooling efficiency by minimizing hotspots, allows for self-regulation of air volume based on temperature, and facilitates easy maintenance by isolating filter replacement and operational components in a separate machine room, ensuring efficient cooling and reduced operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
at least one of the walls delimiting the room is designed as a cooler wall, via which the room can be supplied with cooled exhaust air, which is sucked out of the hot aisle
Implementation Method 2
the air flowing through the electrical devices is then extracted in the ceiling area, which then passes through a heat exchanger
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The air-conditioned room (10) has limiting walls, a cooling device and electronic devices arranged in rows (16,18) in the room, where each row is bounded on a side of a warm course (20). The limiting wall area is formed as radiator wall (26) through which cooled air is supplied that is extracted from the warm course.