Modular Cooling Spine for Data Center Heat Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data center cooling systems face inefficiencies in cooling distribution, maintenance accessibility, and infrastructure redundancy, leading to increased costs and space requirements.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a modular cooling spine system that supplies utilities like cooling fluid and electrical power, featuring arrays of cooling units with heat exchanger and circulation assemblies, which provide customizable cooling to rows of cabinets while reducing pressure drop and enabling side-stream filtration, thus enhancing efficiency and scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional cooling systems use underfloor plenums and overhead plenums for cooling distribution, then cooling coverage is provided, but the system requires increased physical footprint and capital expenditures
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into modular cooling units that can be distributed throughout the data center space. Each module contains integrated components (cooling coils, fans, filtration) that can be independently deployed, eliminating the need for extensive overhead and underfloor plenum infrastructure while maintaining effective cooling distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple cooling functions are merged into integrated cooling modules. The system combines cooling coils, circulation fans, filtration units, and even hot aisle containment into single modular units, reducing the overall physical footprint by eliminating separate overhead plenums, underfloor plenums, and standalone filtration systems.
2Loss of energy
If conventional systems use in-line filtration for return air, then air is filtered, but the system experiences increased pressure drop and requires higher fan power
Solution Approach 1:
A separate filtration unit acts as an intermediary component that filters return air through a side-stream configuration. The filtration unit draws a portion of return air through filters and returns the filtered air to the cooling coil intake, preventing direct in-line filtration that would create excessive pressure drops while still achieving effective air quality management.
Solution Approach 2:
The filtration system transitions from a one-dimensional in-line arrangement (directly in the air flow path) to a three-dimensional side-stream configuration. The filtration unit is positioned to draw air from the return air stream, filter it separately, and return it to the cooling coil intake, adding spatial dimensions to the filtration process and reducing pressure drop.
3Productivity
If cooling units are positioned to maximize cooling efficiency, then cooling performance improves, but maintenance accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into discrete modular units that can be independently accessed and maintained. Each module contains all necessary components (cooling coils, fans, filtration) in a compact configuration that can be reached from aisle spaces, allowing maintenance personnel to service individual units without disrupting the entire cooling system or requiring complex disassembly.
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 reduces energy costs, capital expenditures, and physical footprint by optimizing cooling distribution, improving maintenance accessibility, and allowing for flexible scaling of data center capacity without redundant infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
heat exchanger assemblies, such as cooling coils, that cool the warmer return air prior to entering the cooling spine
Implementation Method 2
circulation assemblies, such as fans, that discharge cooled supply air from the cooling spine directly into the cold aisles and draw warmer return air directly from the hot aisles
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes systems for cooling one or more data halls of a data center that include one or more sections of a cooling spine. Each section of the cooling spine includes a riser module, a manifold module, and one or more arrays of cooling units. The riser module includes riser piping configured to fluidically couple to a liquid cooling system. The manifold module includes manifold piping fluidically coupled to the riser piping. Each array of cooling units is positioned toward a data hall of the one or more data halls of the data center and includes a heat exchanger assembly and a circulation assembly. The heat exchanger assembly is fluidically coupled to the manifold piping and configured to cool return air from a hot aisle adjacent a row of cabinets. The circulation assembly is configured to discharge supply air to a cold aisle adjacent the row of cabinets.