Direct evaporative cooling system with precise temperature control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing evaporative cooling systems for data centers face challenges in providing precise temperature control with minimal pressure drop and fan power consumption, as they often result in stratified air output and increased fan power requirements due to physical constraints and inefficiencies in air handling systems.
Innovation Solution
The system employs movable evaporative media sections that can be positioned between fixed sections to allow bypass air to flow around them, mixing with conditioned air to achieve desired temperature and humidity levels, while minimizing pressure drop and promoting air homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If evaporative media sections are fixed in position, then the system structure is simple, but the temperature control precision is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporative media sections are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be dynamically repositioned along the air flow path. This enables continuous adjustment of the cooling surface area exposed to air flow, thereby achieving precise temperature control while maintaining a relatively simple system structure.
2Productivity
If all evaporative media are wetted continuously, then cooling efficiency is maximized, but fan power consumption increases due to higher pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously wetting all evaporative media, the system selectively wets only the necessary portions based on cooling demand. The movable media sections can be repositioned to expose different surface areas to air flow, allowing the system to achieve required cooling efficiency with minimal wetted surface area, thereby reducing pressure drop and fan power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the wetted surface area by moving evaporative media sections along the air flow path. This allows optimization of the balance between cooling efficiency and pressure drop, enabling the system to achieve required cooling with minimal energy consumption from the fan.
3Temperature
If evaporative media sections are positioned to maximize cooling, then temperature control is improved, but air flow stratification occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporative cooling system is divided into multiple independent media sections that can be individually positioned and controlled. This segmentation allows the system to distribute cooling across different zones, preventing localized over-cooling and promoting uniform air flow composition throughout the output.
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 precise control of air temperature and humidity with reduced fan power consumption and eliminates stratification, improving cooling efficiency and system performance in data centers.
Implementation Method 1
As the warm, dry air (input air 112) passes through the evaporative media 102, it evaporates a portion of the water. The energy used for evaporation is drawn from the input air 112 itself, resulting in cool, humidified air (output air 114) leaving the downstream face of the evaporative media 102.
Implementation Method 2
The system employs movable evaporative media sections that can be positioned between fixed sections to allow bypass air to flow around them, mixing with conditioned air to achieve desired temperature and humidity levels
Data Source
AI summary
An air handling system includes a movable evaporative media section. The movable evaporative media section is movable between a closed position and an open position. When the movable evaporative media section is in an open position, the movable evaporative media section exposes an opening to the air flow and is positioned to allow at least a portion of the air flow in the volume to flow around the movable evaporative media section and through the opening.