Rooftop Trim Cooling Assembly for Data Center Intake Air
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers face challenges in efficiently managing waste heat removal from electronic components, leading to overheating and high operational costs due to variations in outside air quality and the need for complex cooling systems.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a chiller-less air cooling system with a rooftop trim cooling assembly that provides adjustable sensible cooling to intake air, combining evaporative cooling with external trim cooling units to optimize cooling performance across varying environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If evaporative cooling system is sized for hotter, drier times of year, then cooling capacity is sufficient for hot weather, but cooling performance becomes inadequate in humid weather
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system dynamically switches between evaporative cooling mode and mechanical cooling mode based on real-time environmental conditions. The controller monitors temperature and humidity levels, activating the mechanical cooling system when evaporative cooling becomes insufficient due to high humidity, thereby maintaining reliable cooling performance across varying weather conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system integrates multiple cooling mechanisms (evaporative cooling and mechanical cooling) into a single unified system that can perform both functions. This multi-functional approach allows the system to adapt to different environmental conditions, providing effective cooling whether the weather is hot and dry or hot and humid
2Reliability
If mechanical cooling system is sized to provide effective cooling during hot, humid summer months, then cooling performance is sufficient for humid weather, but the system becomes significantly oversized for drier times of year
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses evaporative cooling for the majority of cooling needs during hot and dry periods, activating the more capacity-intensive mechanical cooling system only partially or not at all during these times. The mechanical cooling capacity is sized for humid conditions but is used selectively, avoiding the excess capacity problem by relying on the more efficient evaporative cooling when conditions permit
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes its operational parameters based on environmental conditions, switching between different cooling modes. During hot and dry weather, it operates in evaporative cooling mode with minimal mechanical cooling. During hot and humid weather, it transitions to mechanical cooling mode, effectively adapting the system's cooling approach to match current atmospheric conditions
3Temperature
If forced air systems and air conditioning are used to maintain temperatures in data center, then temperature control is effective, but installation and operating costs increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporative cooling system utilizes the natural cooling effect of water evaporation to cool intake air without requiring energy-intensive mechanical refrigeration. The system draws in outside air and uses evaporation to reduce its temperature, providing effective cooling with minimal energy consumption compared to traditional forced air conditioning systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts the cooling function from expensive mechanical air conditioning equipment and implements it through a simpler, more energy-efficient evaporative cooling process. By separating the cooling function from the need for complex HVAC systems, the solution achieves effective temperature control at a fraction of the operating cost
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 operational costs and complexity by allowing for efficient cooling of data centers, even in conditions where evaporative cooling alone is insufficient, while minimizing the need for internal mechanical cooling systems and reducing risks associated with liquid coolant leaks.
Implementation Method 1
Each computing pod includes a chiller-less air cooling system that provides evaporative cooling of intake air
Implementation Method 2
evaporative cooling unit that evaporates water into intake air and provides evaporative cooling of the air
Implementation Method 3
The trim cooling units can be selectively controlled to provide adjustable sensible cooling of the received ambient air
Data Source
AI summary
A trim cooling assembly provides a sensible trim cooling capability for intake air provided to a downstream computing pod that includes an air cooling system that provides cooling air to computer systems in the pod. The air cooling system can evaporatively chill received intake air to provide the cooling air. The trim cooling assembly is mounted externally to the computing pod and upstream of the air cooling system and includes one or more trim cooling units that can be individually controlled to provide adjustable sensible chilling of the intake air. The trim cooling units and an evaporative cooling unit in the air cooling system can be controlled to provide various levels of sensible and evaporative cooling to maintain conditions of air downstream of the evaporative cooling unit within certain ranges. Trim cooling units can be progressively activated and de-activated in stages to provide progressively adjusted sensible cooling.