Data Centre Over-Floor Air Corridor Design for Rapid Cooling Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centres face inefficiencies in cooling systems, leading to high power usage and space constraints due to rapid growth in IT capacity, with traditional methods taking up to two years to construct new facilities and current designs spreading IT equipment thinly across large areas to manage heat.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a data centre design featuring controllable air circulation systems, over-floor air supply corridors acting as cooling ducts, and modular construction to efficiently transport cooling air above the floor, reducing the need for under-floor ducts and allowing for rapid expansion of IT capacity without additional cooling infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional under-floor duct cooling systems are used, then cooling air can be supplied to IT equipment, but the system requires significant floor space and complex construction taking up to two years
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional under-floor cooling approach by implementing over-floor cooling corridors. Instead of supplying cooling air from below the floor, the system uses elevated corridors above the floor to transport cooling air directly to IT equipment, eliminating the need for complex under-floor ductwork and accelerating construction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal under-floor duct routing to vertical over-floor corridor routing. By elevating the cooling air supply system above the floor level, the design utilizes the vertical dimension to simplify construction and reduce floor space requirements while maintaining effective cooling air delivery
2Area of stationary object
If IT equipment is spread thinly across large areas to manage heat, then cooling requirements are reduced, but space efficiency decreases and construction time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data centre into modular rack rooms with dedicated over-floor cooling corridors. This segmentation allows IT equipment to be concentrated in specific zones while each zone has its own efficient cooling pathway, enabling high-density configurations without compromising heat management
Solution Approach 2:
The over-floor cooling corridor acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates efficient heat management in high-density configurations. The corridor serves as a dedicated channel for cooling air transport, enabling concentrated IT equipment placement while maintaining effective thermal control through structured air flow pathways
3Loss of energy
If refrigerant-based cooling systems are used, then cooling capacity is sufficient, but energy efficiency decreases and power usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the refrigerant-based cooling component from the system and replaces it with air-based cooling through over-floor corridors. By removing the refrigerant cycle entirely and using ambient or mechanically supplied air for cooling, the system eliminates the energy inefficiencies associated with refrigerant compression and condensation while maintaining adequate cooling capacity
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 enables high air flow rates while optimizing space usage, reducing the need for refrigerant-based cooling and allowing for rapid expansion of IT capacity, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing construction times.
Implementation Method 1
one or more controllable air circulation systems... for transporting cooling air, above the floor, to the cold aisles
Data Source
AI summary
A data center (100) includes at least one rack room (in for example module 140) having a floor and a plurality of rack storage areas on the floor, each rack storage area being arranged to accommodate a plurality of racks (143) in which a plurality of rack-mountable electronic components may be housed, one or more controllable air circulation systems (in for example module 122), one or more cold aisles (144) in the rack room, each cold aisle being adjacent to a rack storage area, and one or more hot aisles (145) in the rack room, each hot aisle being adjacent to a rack storage area. There may be a large air duct, in the form of a personnel corridor (123), for transporting, under the control of the one or more air circulation systems, cooling air, above the floor, to the one or more cold aisles. The air supply corridor/duct (123) may have a height greater than 1.5 m above the floor and a cross-sectional area of at least 2 m2 and a maximum dimension in the plane of the cross-section of less than 3 m.