Raised Floor Cooling with Individual Fan Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning systems for rooms with double floors struggle to ensure optimal cooling of cold aisles with varying heat loads and require complex sealing measures, leading to inefficient energy use and potential air distribution issues, especially in spaces with small cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
Each cold aisle is equipped with a fan device directly below it, allowing individual control based on heat load, and the second room receives supply air at a constant temperature, independent of the heat loads, eliminating the need for complex sealing and enabling efficient cooling even in small cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multi-fan system is located in the raised floor with the cooling capacity tailored to the cold aisle with the highest heat load, then the cooling capacity is optimized for that specific cold aisle, but the energy efficiency of cooling the first room deteriorates and other cold aisles may not receive sufficient cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single multi-fan system into multiple individual fan devices, with each fan device assigned to a specific cold aisle. This segmentation allows each fan to be independently controlled and sized according to the specific heat load of its corresponding cold aisle, rather than all cold aisles being served by one oversized system designed for the highest heat load aisle.
Solution Approach 2:
Each fan device is tailored to the local heat load conditions of its specific cold aisle. The fan devices can have different cooling capacities matched to the actual thermal requirements of each aisle, providing locally optimized cooling rather than a uniform approach that wastes energy on low-heat-load areas.
2Volume of stationary object
If the height of the raised floor and thus the cross-section of the cavity is relatively small, then the space is optimized, but dynamic pressure builds up in the cavity causing cold aisles furthest from the pressure side to not receive sufficient cooled air
Solution Approach 1:
By placing individual fan devices at each cold aisle location rather than relying on a single pressure source, the system eliminates the problem of pressure drop across long distances. Each fan creates its own localized pressure field, ensuring reliable cooling delivery to its specific aisle regardless of cavity dimensions or distance from other fans.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual fan devices act as intermediaries between the heat exchanger and each cold aisle, directly delivering cooled air to the specific location without relying on pressure propagation through the cavity. This eliminates the need for large cavity volumes to maintain adequate pressure for air distribution.
3Reliability
If the fan assembly is located in the second room or directly below the cold aisle, then complex sealing measures are required between the first room and the raised floor, but the pressure conditions in the cavity become decisive for cooling effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The fan devices are positioned in the raised floor cavity rather than in the second room, changing the spatial dimension of the system architecture. This allows the fans to draw air from the first room through the heat exchanger and deliver it directly to cold aisles without requiring complex sealing between rooms, as the fans operate from the intermediate cavity space.
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 ensures consistent cooling of all cold aisles, optimizes space usage by allowing a smaller second room, and simplifies regulation and maintenance, while maintaining an energetically favorable operation.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger (16) which forms at least part of a partition wall (16) between a first room (12) and a second room (14)
Implementation Method 2
each cold aisle (28, 30) is assigned at least one fan device (46, 48) which is arranged directly below the associated cold aisle (28, 30) in the cavity (20)
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The system has ventilator devices (46, 48) flow-technically connecting a room (14) with a dual base (18), which includes a hollow space (20). Cooling ducts (28, 30) run on the base and are defined by heat producing devices i.e. computers, arranged in racks (38-44). The ducts are connected with the hollow space by slotted plates (24, 26) for supplying conditioned air into the ducts. The ventilator devices are associated to each duct and directly arranged below the ducts in the hollow space of the dual base. The ventilator devices are regulated based on heat load of the heat producing device.