Datacenter Dry Cooling With Evaporative Pad Water Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dry cooling techniques in datacenters face issues such as high water consumption, pathogenic bacteria dispersion, increased power consumption, and noise emissions due to direct spraying and evaporative cooling methods, necessitating improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A datacenter dry cooling system with a closed loop and open loop arrangement, incorporating an evaporating pad and an electronic controller to manage fluid flow and fan speed based on sensor feedback, optimizing cooling fluid distribution and airflow to minimize water usage and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If direct spraying evaporative techniques are used to pre-cool ambient air, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but water consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an evaporating pad as an intermediary substance between the cooling system and ambient air. The pad is saturated with cooling fluid and allows air to pass through it, enabling evaporative cooling without direct spraying. This mediator approach achieves the cooling effect while significantly reducing water consumption compared to direct spraying methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporating pad is made of porous material that allows ambient air to pass through while retaining cooling fluid within its structure. The porous structure provides large surface area for evaporation to occur, enabling efficient heat exchange without requiring direct water spraying, thus improving cooling efficiency while minimizing water usage.
2Temperature
If direct spraying techniques are used to increase humidity and reduce temperature, then cooling performance is improved, but pathogenic bacteria dispersion is promoted
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporating pad serves as a physical barrier and intermediary that prevents direct water spraying into the environment. By containing the cooling fluid within the pad structure and allowing only vapor to escape during evaporation, the system achieves temperature reduction without dispersing liquid water that could carry pathogenic bacteria.
3Quantity of substance
If evaporating pads are used for cooling, then water consumption is reduced, but airflow obstruction occurs leading to increased power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The use of porous material in the evaporating pad design allows air to pass through with minimal resistance. The porous structure provides numerous flow paths that maintain good airflow characteristics while still providing sufficient surface area for evaporative cooling, thus reducing the power needed to move air through the system.
4Quantity of substance
If evaporating pads are used for cooling, then water consumption is reduced, but noise emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The porous structure of the evaporating pad enables smooth airflow with minimal turbulence. By providing numerous narrow flow paths instead of a solid barrier, the porous material reduces air resistance and minimizes noise generation from air movement, thus achieving water reduction without significant noise penalty.
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 system achieves efficient cooling with reduced water consumption, minimized noise, and lower power consumption by optimizing fluid distribution and airflow, addressing the drawbacks of conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger adapted to receive the circulating first cooling fluid from the heat generating source and configured to dissipate the heat imparted on the first cooling fluid by the heat generating source to re-cool the first cooling fluid
Implementation Method 2
an evaporating pad... for receiving the supplied flow of the second cooling fluid for cooling dampening
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
A datacenter dry cooling system (200) for cooling a heat generating source (110) is presented that incorporates a first closed loop arrangement (120) including an air-to-liquid heat exchanger (20) to recool heat imparted onto the first cooling fluid, and a first pump (105) that forwards the re-cooled first cooling fluid to the heat generating source. A second cooling fluid open loop arrangement (166) that conveys a second cooling fluid via a second pump (204) to supply the second cooling fluid onto an evaporating pad (150) of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger (20) for cooling dampening. The system also incorporates at least one fan (142) to cause an air flow through the evaporating pad (150) and the first air-to-liquid heat exchanger (20) along with an electronic controller (500) to manage and control the flow rates of the first (105) and second (204) pumps, the flow rate of the second cooling fluid valve (106), and/or a rotation speed of the at least one fan (142).