Indirect Evaporative Cooling for Data Center Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers face challenges in efficiently cooling IT and telecoms equipment due to the continuous heat production, requiring a cooling method that is both energy-efficient and reliable, while also being compact and flexible to accommodate varying equipment configurations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an indirect evaporative cooling system within a data center, utilizing a secondary air flow that passes through a hygroscopic covering and water reservoir to cool a primary air flow, with the evaporative coolers positioned under a raised floor, allowing for efficient heat transfer and compact design, and reducing the risk of water damage to equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional compressor-driven cooling is used, then cooling capacity is achieved, but energy efficiency is poor and system reliability is reduced due to single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical compressor-driven cooling system with an indirect evaporative cooling system that uses phase change of water and heat exchange through a partition wall. This substitution eliminates the compressor, condenser, and refrigerant, replacing them with a water reservoir, hygroscopic partition wall, and air flow channels, achieving ten times higher energy efficiency while improving reliability through redundancy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a partition wall as an intermediary element that facilitates indirect heat exchange between the primary air flow (to be cooled) and secondary air flow (carrying evaporating water). This intermediary enables efficient heat transfer without direct contact between the air flows, achieving high energy efficiency while maintaining system reliability through the distributed nature of the cooling surfaces
2Volume of moving object
If evaporative coolers are positioned on or outside the building, then cooling capacity is achieved, but the design becomes less compact and flexible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the evaporative coolers in the vertical dimension by installing them on the intermediate floor beneath the equipment floor, rather than on or outside the building horizontal footprint. This dimensional relocation achieves compactness within the building volume while maintaining design flexibility through the modular intermediate floor structure with access openings
3Use of energy by moving object
If water reservoir and hygroscopic covering are used for evaporative cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but risk of water damage to equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the water reservoir and hygroscopic cooling surfaces into multiple distributed locations on the intermediate floor, rather than concentrating them in a single location. This segmentation reduces water damage risk by limiting potential leak impact zones while maintaining high cooling efficiency through distributed heat exchange surfaces across multiple partition walls
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the water-containing evaporative cooling components and places them on a separate intermediate floor level, physically separating the water reservoir system from the equipment floor. This extraction eliminates water damage risk to equipment while maintaining cooling efficiency through the intermediate floor's access openings that enable air flow between levels
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 method provides efficient, reliable cooling that is energy-efficient, ten times more efficient than conventional compressor-driven cooling, and reduces the risk of water damage, while allowing for flexible configuration and compact design, making it suitable for continuous operation and varying equipment loads.
Implementation Method 1
at least one part of a portion of the partition wall facing the secondary air flow is preferably covered with at least one hygroscopic covering, and at least one water reservoir arranged for moistening at least one part of at least one partition wall
Implementation Method 2
water, preferably from the hygroscopic covering (if used) (moistened by means of the water tank), will evaporate and be entrained by the secondary air flow. The required heat of evaporation will at least partially be abstracted from the at least one partition wall of the evaporative cooler, and therefore from the primary air flow, so that the primary air flow is cooled
Implementation Method 3
use is made of one or more indirect evaporative coolers arranged for the—via at least one partition wall—(indirect) exchange of heat, or at least enthalpy, between a primary air flow to be cooled and a secondary air flow
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a data center for IT and/or telecoms equipment, especially servers, comprising a building with an intermediate floor arranged for carrying IT and/or telecoms equipment, especially servers, as well as cooling means for cooling the IT and/or telecoms equipment, especially servers, in order to counteract overheating of the IT and/or telecoms equipment, especially servers.