Energy saving system and method for cooling computer data center and telecom equipment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling systems in data centers are inefficient, leading to wasted cooling air that fails to effectively reach heat-producing electronic equipment, resulting in thermal failures and high energy consumption due to inefficient airflow and mixing with warmer air masses.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses airtight enclosures and partitions to create a reduced-volume cooled environment, controlling airflow to prevent mixing with warmer air and ensure high-volume, cold airflow delivery directly to electronic components, thereby increasing cooling efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air is delivered to the entire data center environment, then the volume of air to be cooled is large, but the cooling efficiency decreases due to mixing with warmer air masses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the data center environment into separate zones using partitions and enclosures. Cold air is delivered to a specific reduced-volume environment surrounding the electronic equipment, rather than cooling the entire data center space. This segmentation prevents mixing with warmer air masses and improves cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a localized cooled environment with different thermal properties than the surrounding data center space. By concentrating cooling resources on the specific volume containing the electronic equipment, the system achieves better temperature control and reduces energy waste on cooling unnecessary spaces.
2Productivity
If air handler units are placed near heat-producing equipment, then cooling air delivery is improved, but air mixing with warmer environments reduces cooling effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces partitions and enclosures as intermediary structures between the cooling air source and the electronic equipment. These intermediaries create a controlled airflow path that prevents direct mixing with warmer surrounding air, maintaining cooling effectiveness while enabling strategic placement of air handlers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses relatively simple partition walls and enclosure structures that can be easily installed and configured. These lightweight barriers effectively separate thermal zones without requiring complex infrastructure, making the solution cost-effective and easy to implement in existing data centers.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cooled environment volume is large, then more equipment can be accommodated, but energy consumption for cooling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling requirement into a focused reduced-volume zone around the electronic equipment. This allows the system to accommodate equipment in a compact enclosed space while avoiding the energy penalty of cooling the entire data center volume, achieving both adaptability and energy efficiency.
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 significantly reduces energy consumption for cooling, enhances cooling performance, and allows for the efficient operation of modern electronic equipment by ensuring that the coldest air is delivered directly to heat-producing components, reducing the risk of thermal failures and optimizing data center space utilization.
Implementation Method 1
provides an airtight enclosure that prevents mixing of the cooling air with warmer air in the surrounding environment
Implementation Method 2
generating a pressure differential from a first side of the electronic component to a second side of the electronic component to create a flow of the cooling air across a surface of the electronic component
Implementation Method 3
exposing the cooling air with respect to the reduced volume cooled environment... create a flow of the cooling air across a surface of the electronic component
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of reducing consumption of electricity used to cool electronic components such as in an electronic computer data center or in a facility of networking and telecommunications equipment, and to reduce the incidence of thermal failure of the electronic components, includes providing one or more partitions configured to form a reduced-volume cooled-environment chamber in order to supply cooled air from an air conditioning system to the chamber adjacent to racks containing the electronic components, thereby preventing dilution of the cooling air by warmer air from outside of the chamber, and controlling the delivery of cooling air through the reduced-volume cooled-environment chamber.