Data Centre Enclosure with Herringbone Bay Partitioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high construction and modification costs of dedicated data center buildings and pre-existing building modifications make it impractical for small-scale data center installations, especially for SMEs and local authorities, and existing data center enclosures face challenges with rack positioning and server management.
Innovation Solution
A rectangular parallelepiped data center enclosure with elongated horizontal axis, featuring at least four bays that separate cold and hot zones with an interior partitioning system allowing for easy bay removal and installation, and incorporating air circulation for efficient cooling without refrigerant fluids, enabling standard mass production and reduced costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated building is constructed for data center use, then the data center can be exclusively used and optimized for server hosting, but the construction cost becomes very high making it unsuitable for SMEs or small local authorities
Solution Approach 1:
The data center is segmented into a portable enclosure unit that can be deployed independently without requiring a dedicated building. The enclosure (1) is a self-contained structure that houses all necessary equipment and infrastructure, allowing data center functionality to be separated from permanent building construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The essential data center functions are extracted from the building structure and consolidated into a portable enclosure. The enclosure contains its own power distribution, cooling, and server housing components, eliminating the need for expensive building-specific infrastructure.
2Reliability
If emergency energy production facilities such as generators are set up in a dedicated building, then power supply reliability is improved, but large quantities of fuel must be stored on-site requiring specific declarations and costly security measures
Solution Approach 1:
The generator and fuel storage system are integrated directly into the enclosure structure rather than being separate external components. The fuel tank (42) is positioned within the enclosure, eliminating the need for external fuel storage facilities and associated security infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The power generation system is merged with the enclosure structure itself. The generator (35) and fuel storage are combined within the same compact space, creating an integrated emergency power solution that eliminates separate fuel storage facilities and reduces security requirements.
3Ease of manufacture
If a data center is fitted out in the rooms of pre-existing buildings, then the initial construction cost is reduced, but modification costs become significant creating an obstacle to implementing solutions adapted to manufacturer recommendations
Solution Approach 1:
The data center is segmented into a portable enclosure unit that requires no modification of existing buildings. The enclosure is a complete, self-contained solution that can be deployed in any location without adapting the host building's infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The data center functions are extracted from the building modification approach and consolidated into a portable enclosure that brings its own infrastructure, eliminating the need to modify existing building structures.
4Productivity
If reception bays are arranged in existing data center enclosures, then server hosting capacity is provided, but the positioning and changing of racks or servers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reception bays are designed with dynamic positioning capabilities. The bays can be moved along the longitudinal axis of the enclosure, and the interior partitioning can be adjusted to accommodate different server configurations, enabling flexible rack positioning and easy server changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The reception bays are segmented into modular units that can be independently positioned and reconfigured. This segmentation allows individual bays to be moved or repositioned without affecting the entire system, facilitating easy rack and server management.
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
The solution provides a cost-effective, adaptable data center enclosure suitable for small-scale installations with efficient air treatment and reduced power requirements, allowing for simple regulatory compliance and easy server management, while minimizing the need for extensive site modifications.
Implementation Method 1
the interior partitioning being adapted so that the circulation of air between the cold zone and the hot zone takes place mainly through the reception bays
Data Source
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a data center enclosure, generally rectangular in shape and elongated along a horizontal longitudinal axis (λ), comprising computer system bays (25), each generally rectangular in shape and elongated along a vertical axis, characterized in that it comprises, within the space it delimits: - at least four computer and/or telecommunications system bays (25) which contribute to delimiting within the enclosure a cold zone (F) in front of the bays (25) and a hot zone (C) behind the bays (25), which are arranged in a herringbone pattern and whose sagittal plane (S) forms an acute angle (α) between 35° and 85° with the longitudinal axis of the enclosure (λ), - and an internal partition (26) which separates the cold zone (F) from the hot zone (C) and which includes the reception bays (25),The internal partition (26) is adapted so that air circulation between the cold zone (F) and the hot zone (C) occurs primarily through the reception bays (25). The arrangement of the reception bays (25) is adapted to allow the removal and insertion of one of the bays into the internal partition (26), as well as the evacuation of said bay to the outside of the enclosure through an access door (20) located at an extreme side wall of the enclosure, without moving the other reception bays (25). The invention also relates to an installation implementing such an enclosure.