U.S. patent application number 11/451281 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-13 for method and system for cooling electronic equipment.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sun Microsystems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Nicholas E. Aneshansley, Gary L. Gilbert, Guoping Xu.
Application Number | 20070283710 11/451281 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38820512 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070283710 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gilbert; Gary L. ; et
al. |
December 13, 2007 |
Method and system for cooling electronic equipment
Abstract
A system includes electronic equipment, a device arranged to
cool air using a refrigerant, the device secured to one of a top
side and a bottom side of the electronic equipment, and a housing
arranged to enclose the electronic equipment and the device, where
the cooled air is propagated from one of the top side and the
bottom side of the electronic equipment to the other one of the top
side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment.
Inventors: |
Gilbert; Gary L.; (San
Diego, CA) ; Aneshansley; Nicholas E.; (San Diego,
CA) ; Xu; Guoping; (San Diego, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OSHA LIANG L.L.P./SUN
1221 MCKINNEY, SUITE 2800
HOUSTON
TX
77010
US
|
Assignee: |
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
38820512 |
Appl. No.: |
11/451281 |
Filed: |
June 12, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/259.2 ;
62/407 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/20836 20130101;
H05K 7/20754 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/259.2 ;
62/407 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/12 20060101
F25D023/12; F25D 17/04 20060101 F25D017/04 |
Claims
1. A system, comprising: electronic equipment; a device arranged to
cool air using a refrigerant, the device secured to one of a top
side and a bottom side of the electronic equipment; and a housing
arranged to enclose the electronic equipment and the device,
wherein the cooled air is propagated from one of the top side and
the bottom side of the electronic equipment to the other one of the
top side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment.
2. The system of claim 1, the electronic equipment comprising: one
or more computer systems; and a chassis arranged to support the one
or more computer systems.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant is at least one
of water, air, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.
4. The system of claim 1, the housing comprising a first door
arranged to allow access to a front side of the electronic
equipment, and a second door arranged to allow access to a rear
side of the electronic equipment.
5. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one air flow
channel separated from the cooled air by at least one baffle; and a
liquid cooling unit configured to cool a processor in the
electronic equipment.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one blowing
device implemented at one of the top side and the bottom side of
the electronic equipment.
7. The system of claim 1, the housing comprising: an air plenum
implemented along one or more of a top side and a bottom side of
the housing.
8. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a chiller unit
operatively connected to the housing, the chiller unit arranged to
supply the refrigerant.
9. A method of cooling electronic equipment, comprising: supplying
a refrigerant to a device secured to the electronic equipment in a
first channel; generating cold air by using the device to cool air
that passes vertically through the device; directing the cold air
into one of a top side and a bottom side of the electronic
equipment, wherein the cold air cools the electronic equipment; and
directing air heated by the electronic equipment to the other of
the top side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: supplying
refrigerant to a second device secured to the electronic equipment
in the first channel; and generating cold air by using the device
to cool the air heated by the electronic equipment that passes
vertically through the device.
11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: directing one of
heated air and cold air through a plenum to a second channel,
wherein the air in the second channel moves in a direction opposite
that of air in the first channel.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising: propagating air from
one of the top side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment
to the other of the top side and the bottom side of the electronic
equipment.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein the refrigerant is one of water,
air, ammonia, and carbon dioxide.
14. The method of claim 9, wherein the electronic equipment is
housed in a housing.
15. An apparatus, comprising: electronic equipment in a first
channel of a housing; and a heat exchanger secured to one of a top
side and a bottom side of the electronic equipment, the heat
exchanger arranged to cool air entering the heat exchanger; wherein
the housing is arranged to house the electronic equipment and the
heat exchanger, and wherein cold air generated by the heat
exchanger is arranged to flow within the housing from one of the
top side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment to the
other one of the top side and the bottom side of the electronic
equipment.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: at least one
blowing device implemented at one or more of the top side and the
bottom side of the electronic equipment arranged to propagate the
air within the housing.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a plenum
implemented along at least one of a top side and a bottom side of
the housing connecting the first channel and a second channel,
wherein air in the second channel moves in a direction opposite
that of air in the first channel.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, the electronic equipment comprising:
a plurality of servers; and a rack arranged to support the
plurality of servers.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the heat exchanger cools air
dependent on a refrigerant.
20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a front door of
the housing arranged to allow access to a front side of the
electronic equipment without affecting air circulation.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to application Ser. No.
11/185,531, filed on Jul. 20, 2005, and entitled "Techniques for
Cooling Electronic Equipment." For the purposes of this
application, the aforementioned application is hereby incorporated
by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A computer system frequently needs data and/or services from
another computer system. For example, a bank customer may request
to see his current bank account information on his home computer
system, which obtains the requested information from a computer
system maintained by and located at the bank. In such arrangements,
the computer system requesting the data and/or service is referred
to and known as the "client" system, and the computer system
servicing the request is referred to and known as the "server"
system.
[0003] Many entities, for various reasons, situate groups of
servers and related electronic equipment in "server rooms" or "data
centers." Within a server room, several servers may be positioned
vertically atop one another (with spacing) using a "rack." Racks of
servers (hereinafter generally referred to as "electronic
equipment") are often housed or enclosed in housings known as
"cabinets" that provide protection from environmental variables
such as, for example, light and dust. Cabinets may have front and
back doors so as to allow for the servicing and changing of cabinet
components. Moreover, cabinets reduce or prevent electromagnetic
interference that might otherwise exist between, for example,
different servers.
[0004] An important issue regarding server rooms involves
temperature. As those skilled in the art will note, computer
operation results in heat dissipation. In a server room, thousands
of processors may be operating at the same time, and thus, without
an adequate cooling technique, the servers and related electronic
equipment in the server room may be damaged or operate incorrectly
as a result of high temperatures.
[0005] One cooling technique cools servers and related electronic
equipment using air supplied from within the server room. FIG. 1
shows such a server room 10. The server room 10 has two cabinets
12, 14, each of which houses servers and/or related electronic
equipment (not shown). Cold air is introduced into the server room
10 using a plenum 16 of cold air supplied by an air conditioning
unit (not shown). The cold air from the plenum 16 is directed to
the front of each cabinet 12, 14. Cold air entering the front of
each cabinet 12, 14 flows through the cabinets 12, 14 and is heated
by the heat dissipation of the electronic equipment housed in the
cabinets 12, 14. Consequently, hot air exits from the rear of each
cabinet 12, 14 and returns to the server room 10. The hot air rises
and enters a cooling coil 18, which uses water or a refrigerant
supplied by a chiller unit 20 to cool the hot air and return cold
air back to the server room 10. This returned cold air is directed
to the front of each cabinet 12, 14.
[0006] As servers and related electronic equipment become more
powerful, heat dissipation increases. In other words, as servers
and related electronic equipment continue to improve in terms of
density, computing speed, and performance, more energy is released,
thereby resulting in increased heat dissipation. Using only an air
cooling technique to cool a server room having such increased heat
dissipation requires the consideration of some potentially
problematic issues. For example, air cooling such a server room
might require an air plenum below the floor of the server room that
is significantly wider than one used for a server room not having
increased heat dissipation. Further, the mixing of cold air and hot
air in the server room might be of more significant concern than in
a server room not having increased heat dissipation. Further, the
increased volume of air flow that would be required to cool the
server room might render the server room uncomfortable for
operators and technicians in the server room.
[0007] A technique that may be used to somewhat address the
concerns associated with using only air cooling to cool high heat
dissipation server rooms involves the use of a liquid coolant.
Liquid cooling may be used in combination with a front-to-back air
cooling technique, such as that described above with reference to
FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows such a technique. Particularly, FIG. 2 shows a
side view of a cabinet 32. An air-liquid heat exchanger 30 is
placed at the bottom of the cabinet 32 underneath electronic
equipment (e.g., servers) 34. The hot air exiting from the rear of
the electronic equipment is captured by a back door 36 of the
cabinet 32 with fans (not shown) and is directed down along the
back door 36 to the air-liquid heat exchanger 30. The air-liquid
heat exchanger 30 cools the hot air, and the resulting cold air is
directed up the front of the cabinet 32 between a front door 38 of
the cabinet 32 and the electronic equipment 34 to be cooled. The
air re-circulates within the cabinet 32 as the front door 38 and
back door 36 of the cabinet 32 are closed. Those skilled in the art
will note that the front and rear surfaces of the electronic
equipment 34 represent space for connectors for the electronic
equipment 34, and thus, front-to-back air cooling may limit such
use of the front and rear surfaces of the electronic equipment
34.
[0008] Further, those skilled in the art will note that servicing a
component in such front-to-back air cooled electronic equipment may
result in a disruption to the air flow within the cabinet, thereby
requiring an adequate air cooling technique within the server room
so as to keep the other components of the electronic equipment cool
while the front and/or back doors of the cabinet are opened for
servicing.
SUMMARY
[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, a housing
comprises electronic equipment a device arranged to cool air using
a refrigerant, the device secured to one of a top side and a bottom
side of the electronic equipment, and a housing arranged to enclose
the electronic equipment and the device, where the cooled air is
propagated from one of the top side and the bottom side of the
electronic equipment to the other one of the top side and the
bottom side of the electronic equipment.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, a method of
cooling electronic equipment comprises supplying a refrigerant to a
device secured to the electronic equipment in a first channel,
generating cold air by using the device to cool air that passes
vertically through the device, directing the cold air into one of
the top side and the bottom side of the electronic equipment, where
the cold air cools the electronic equipment, and directing air
heated by the electronic equipment to the other of the top side and
the bottom side of the electronic equipment.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus
comprises electronic equipment in a first channel of a housing and
a heat exchanger secured to one of a top side and a bottom side of
the electronic equipment, the heat exchanger arranged to cool air
entering the heat exchanger, where the housing is arranged to house
the electronic equipment and the heat exchanger, and where cold air
generated by the heat exchanger is arranged to flow within the
housing from one of the top side and the bottom side of the
electronic equipment to the other one of the top side and the
bottom side of the electronic equipment.
[0012] Other aspects of the invention will be apparent from the
following description and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a typical server room.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a typical technique for cooling electronic
equipment.
[0015] FIG. 3A shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 3B shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0017] FIG. 4A shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 4B shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 5 shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for cooling a cooling system in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0021] FIG. 7 shows a server room in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 8 shows a cooling system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described
with reference to the accompanying figures. Like items in the
figures are shown with the same reference numbers. Further, the use
of "ST" in the figures is equivalent to the use of "Step" in the
detailed description below.
[0024] In embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details
are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of
the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary
skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these
specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not
been described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.
[0025] Embodiments of the invention relate to a system and method
for cooling electronic equipment. More specifically, one or more
embodiments of the invention relate to electronic equipment that is
cooled by air that flows from or to a top side of the electronic
equipment to or from a bottom side of the electronic equipment,
where the air is cooled by a heat exchanger secured to at least one
of a top side and a bottom side of the electronic equipment.
[0026] FIG. 3A shows an exemplary system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Specifically, FIG. 3A shows a section
of a cross-sectional front view of a housing 310. In one or more
embodiments if the invention, housing 310 is a cabinet containing
one or more server racks. The housing 310 houses blowing devices
302, heat exchanger 304, and electronic equipment 306. Connected to
heat exchanger 304 are refrigerant lines 312 and 314.
[0027] In FIG. 3A, blowing devices 302 direct air downward, as
indicated by arrows, in a channel enclosed by the walls of housing
310, through heat exchanger 304 and electronic equipment 306.
Blowing devices 302 may be, for example, fans used to propagate air
in the channel in housing 310. One skilled in the art will
appreciate that while two (2) blowing devices 302 are shown in the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3A, any number of blowing devices may
be present. Additionally, if air is forced through housing 310 by
an external source, blowing devices 302 may not be present.
[0028] Air is directed by blowing devices 302 to an air-liquid heat
exchanger 304 secured to a top side of the electronic equipment
306. The air-liquid heat exchanger 304 uses a refrigerant supplied
to it through refrigerant line 312 to cool air directed to the
air-liquid heat exchanger 304. This process results in (i) heating
the entering refrigerant, where the resulting warm refrigerant is
directed away from the air-liquid heat exchanger 304 through
refrigerant line 314 and (ii) returning cold air to the channel in
housing 310. The resulting cold air flows to a top side of
electronic equipment 306. Blowing devices 302 direct this cold air
through electronic equipment 306 and out a bottom side of
electronic equipment 306.
[0029] A refrigerant used in one or more embodiments of the
invention may be a liquid or a gas. For example, a refrigerant may
be air, ammonia, water, or carbon dioxide.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3A, a technique for cooling electronic
equipment in an embodiment of the invention involves the flow of
air from a top side of the electronic equipment to a bottom side of
the electronic equipment. Those skilled in the art will note that
in such an embodiment, the front and back sides of the electronic
equipment are accessible without disrupting air flow in components
of the electronic equipment whether or not being accessed.
[0031] One skilled in the art will appreciate that while air flow
in FIG. 3A is from top to bottom, air may also flow from bottom to
top in a housing. Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate
that a server rack or other housing of electronic equipment may
have multiple electronic components or groups of electronic
components that need to be cooled. In other words, electronic
components may be stacked serially, on top of each other. The
number of electronic components to be cooled is limited only by be
the size of the housing and the cooling requirements of each
component. Thus, if the cooling requirements of multiple electronic
components may be met by a single blower unit, multiple electronic
components may be stacked serially, with or without one or more
heat exchangers and/or fans.
[0032] FIG. 3B shows an exemplary system in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention where air is directed from bottom to
top. In FIG. 3B, blowing devices 316 direct air upward, as
indicated by arrows, in the channel enclosed by walls of housing
322. This may be accommodated by, for example, reversing the
direction of flow of blowing devices 316, or by reversing the
orientation of blowing devices 316.
[0033] Similar to the system shown in FIG. 3A, housing 322 houses
blowing devices 316, heat exchanger 320, and electronic equipment
318a, 318b. Refrigerant lines 324 and 326 are connected to heat
exchanger 320. In this embodiment, blowing devices 316 direct air
upward in a channel enclosed by the walls of housing 322, after
having passed through heat exchanger 320 and electronic equipment
318a, 318b. As discussed with respect to FIG. 3A, one skilled in
the art will appreciate that while two (2) blowing devices 316 are
shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3B, any number of blowing
devices may be present. Additionally, if air is forced through
housing 310 by an external source, blowing devices 302 may not be
necessary.
[0034] Air is directed by blowing devices 316 to air-liquid heat
exchanger 304 secured to a bottom side of the electronic equipment
306. The air-liquid heat exchanger 320 uses a refrigerant supplied
to it through refrigerant line 324 to cool air directed to the
air-liquid heat exchanger 320. As discussed with reference to FIG.
3A, this process results in (i) heating the entering refrigerant,
where the resulting warm refrigerant is directed away from the
air-liquid heat exchanger 320 through refrigerant line 326 and (ii)
returning cold air to the channel in housing 322. The resulting
cold air flows to a bottom side of electronic equipment 318a.
Blowing devices 316 direct this cold air through electronic
equipment 318a, out a top side of electronic equipment 318a, and to
a bottom side of electronic equipment 318b. Air then flows through
electronic equipment 318ba and out a top side of electronic
equipment 318b.
[0035] As shown above, a server rack or other housing of electronic
equipment may have multiple electronic components or groups of
electronic components that need to be cooled. Similarly, multiple
blowing units and heat exchangers may be present in a given
housing. Further, electronic components may be stacked serially, on
top of other electronic components. While the devices in FIGS. 3A
and 3B are shown in a particular order, one skilled in the art will
appreciate that electronic components 306, 318a, 318b may still be
cooled when the devices are placed in a different order. For
example, in FIG. 3A, electronic equipment 306 may be placed on top
of heat exchanger 304, which may be placed on top of blowing
devices 302, with air flow still passing from top to bottom in
housing 322. Similarly, other configurations are possible with
respect to FIGS. 3A and 3B which do not depart from the scope of
the invention.
[0036] FIG. 4A shows cross-sectional side view of a cooling system
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this
embodiment, a housing 408 houses multiple groups of electronic
equipment 406a, 406b, and 406c. To accommodate for the additional
electronic equipment, additional cooling devices and blowing
devices may be necessary.
[0037] Similar to the system shown in FIG. 3B, housing 408 houses
blowing devices 402a, 402b, 402c, heat exchangers 404a, 404b, 404c,
404d, and electronic equipment 406a, 4026, 406c. Refrigerant lines
(not shown) are connected to heat exchangers 404a, 404b, 404c,
404d. In this embodiment, blowing devices 402a, 402b, 402c direct
air upward in a channel enclosed by the walls of housing 408, after
having passed through heat exchangers 404a, 404b, 404c, and
electronic equipment 406a, 4026, 406c, respectively. As discussed
with respect to FIG. 3A, one skilled in the art will appreciate
that while two (2) blowing devices (e.g., 402c) are shown in the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3B, any number of blowing devices may
be present. Additionally, if air is forced through housing 408 by
an external source, blowing devices (e.g., 402c) may not be
necessary.
[0038] In FIG. 4A, air enters the bottom side of housing 408, as
indicated by arrows. Air is directed by blowing devices 402a to
air-liquid heat exchanger 404a secured to a bottom side of
electronic equipment 406a. The air-liquid heat exchanger 404a uses
a refrigerant supplied to it through a refrigerant line (not shown)
to cool air directed to the air-liquid heat exchanger 404a. As
discussed with reference to FIG. 3A, this process results in (i)
heating the entering refrigerant, where the resulting warm
refrigerant is directed away from the air-liquid heat exchanger
404a through another refrigerant line (not shown) and (ii)
returning cold air to the channel in housing 408. The resulting
cold air flows to a bottom side of electronic equipment 406a.
Blowing devices 402a direct this cold air through electronic
equipment 406a and out a top side of electronic equipment 406a.
[0039] The resultant cooling of electronic equipment 406a means the
air that leaves the top side of electronic equipment 406a has been
heated, and must be cooled again before it can be used to cool
electronic equipment. Thus, a second air-liquid heat exchanger 404b
is used to cool air that leaves the top side of electronic
equipment 406a. Blowing devices 402a and 402b direct air that
leaves the top side of electronic equipment 406a to second
air-liquid heat exchanger 404a. From this point, the remaining
components function in a manner similar to heat exchanger 404a,
electronic equipment 406a, and blowing devices 402a, as discussed
above. Air that leaves electronic equipment 406c may additionally
pass through blowers 402c and heat exchanger 404d depending on
requirements for the housing 408 or the room in which housing 408
is located. Alternatively, these components may not be present.
[0040] Further, while air is shown as being directed from bottom to
top in the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4A,
one skilled in the art will appreciate that, as discussed with
respect to FIG. 3A, components shown in FIG. 4A may be configured
such that air flows from top to bottom in housing 408. Heat
exchanger 404d allows air to be cooled before entering electronic
equipment 406c in such a case.
[0041] In one or more embodiments of the invention, one or more air
plenums may be implemented along the top and/or the bottom sides of
a housing. Particularly, FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional side view
of a housing 418 having a plenum 410 located at the top of housing
418. The housing 418 contains electronic equipment 416a, 416b,
416c, heat exchangers 414a, 414b, 414c, 414d, and blowing units
412a, 412b, 412c, 412d, 412e, 412f. Within the front half of
housing 418, air heated by heat dissipation from the electronic
equipment 416a, 416b, 416c is directed by blowing devices 412a,
412b, 412c to air-liquid heat exchangers 414a, 414b, 414c. The
air-liquid heat exchangers 414a, 414b, 414c use cold refrigerant to
cool the hot air directed to the air-liquid heat exchanger 414a,
414b, 414c. This process results in (i) heating the entering
refrigerant, where the resulting warm refrigerant is directed away
from the housing 418 and (ii) returning cold air to a front side of
the housing 418.
[0042] After passing through the front half of electronic equipment
416c and cooling the front half of electronic equipment 416c, the
resultant heated air flows to the front side of heat exchanger 414d
and is cooled as described above. Then, the cold air flows back
around (via an air plenum 410 along a top side of the housing 418)
to a rear side of the housing 418. Blowing devices 412c, 412d
direct the cold air captured in the air plenum implemented along
the front side of the housing 418 to the rear side of heat
exchanger 414d and through electronic equipment 416c, from top to
bottom.
[0043] After passing through the rear side of electronic equipment
416c and cooling the rear half of electronic equipment 416c, the
resultant heated air flows to the rear side of heat exchanger 414c
and is cooled. The air-liquid heat exchanger 414c uses a
refrigerant supplied to it through a refrigerant line (not shown)
to cool air directed to the air-liquid heat exchanger 414c. This
process continues similarly with the rear halves of electronic
equipment 416b and 416a. After passing through the rear half of
electronic equipment 416a and cooling the rear half of electronic
equipment 416a, the resultant heated air flows to the front side of
heat exchanger 414a and is cooled as described above. Air then
exits the housing 418 through the bottom of housing 418 after
passing through heat exchanger 414a.
[0044] One skilled in the art will appreciate that a partition may
be implemented in order to separate air channels in a housing and
facilitate better air circulation. Further, one skilled in the art
will appreciate that like plenum 410, a plenum may similarly be
implemented on the bottom side of housing 418. Thus, air may enter
the top of a housing, circulate from top to bottom through one
portion of a housing, pass through a plenum at the bottom of the
housing, and circulate from bottom to top through another portion
of the housing. After passing through the housing in such a
circuit, air may leave the top of the housing.
[0045] Alternatively, a plenum may be implemented at the top and at
the bottom of a housing. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary housing in
accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Specifically, FIG.
5 shows a front cross-sectional view of a housing 500 having a
plenum 510 at the top of the housing 500 and a plenum 512 at the
bottom of the housing. Additionally, housing 500 includes a
partition 514 separating a right portion of electronic equipment
506a, 506b, 506c, heat exchangers 504a, 504b, 504c, 504d, 504e,
504f, and blowing units 502a, 502b, 502c, 502d from a left portion
of electronic equipment 506d, 506e, 506f, heat exchangers 504g,
504h, 504i, 504j, 504k, 504l, and blowing units 502e, 502f, 502g,
502h.
[0046] In FIG. 5, air passes through the heat exchangers and
electronic equipment as shown by arrows and as described above with
reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. For example, in FIG. 5, blowing
devices 502c and 502d direct cold air through a first channel, from
top to bottom, to electronic equipment 506c. Air that cools
electronic equipment 506c exits a bottom side of electronic
equipment 506c. This air, which is heated by electronic equipment
506c, passes through heat exchanger 504f and is cooled. Blowing
devices 502d and 502e direct air through air plenum 512 from a
right side of housing 500 to a left side of housing 500. Thus, air
is then directed from bottom to top in a second channel. This air
is directed through heat exchanger 504g, where it is cooled. The
process of cooling electronic equipment continues until air reaches
heat exchanger 504l. After leaving heat exchanger 504l, air is
directed by blowing units 502h, 502a through plenum 510, from a
left side of cabinet 500 to a right side of cabinet 500, where it
re-enters the first channel on the right side of housing 500.
[0047] In FIG. 5, partition 514 separates a top-to-bottom airflow
on the right side of the cabinet 500 from a bottom-to-top airflow
on the left side of the cabinet 500. Further, when air reaches the
end of a channel, it passes through a plenum to another channel,
where the direction of air flow is reversed. In this manner, a
closed loop of circulating air may be contained in housing 500. One
skilled in the art will appreciate that while air circulates in a
clockwise direction in the exemplary embodiment of the invention
shown in FIG. 5, blowing units, heat exchangers, and/or electronic
equipment may be configured such that air passes through a housing
in a counterclockwise direction.
[0048] One skilled in the art will appreciate that a single housing
may be partitioned into front and rear halves as well as right and
left halves, depending on the size of the housing and the cooling
requirements of the electronic equipment contained therein.
[0049] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows a method for cooling
electronic equipment in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. Initially, refrigerant is supplied to a heat exchanger
in a first channel of a housing associated with particular
electronic equipment (Step 602). Air in the channel or air that has
recently entered the housing passes vertically through the heat
exchanger to cool the air (Step 604). As discussed above, for
example, with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, air may pass from
bottom to top or from top to bottom through a heat exchanger. After
passing through the heat exchanger, air is directed in the same
direction through electronic equipment in the housing to cool the
electronic equipment (Step 606). One skilled in the art will
appreciate that air that passes through the electronic equipment to
cool the electronic equipment results in the air being heated in
the process.
[0050] If a second heat exchanger is associated with the electronic
equipment (Step 608), refrigerant is supplied to the second heat
exchanger (Step 610) in the same manner as refrigerant is supplied
to the first heat exchanger. Similarly, air passes through the
second heat exchanger (Step 612) as described in Step 604. Even if
a second heat exchanger is not present (Step 608), a plenum may
exist in the housing. If a plenum does not exist in the housing
(Step 614), the process ends. If a plenum is present (Step 614),
air is directed through the plenum to a second channel in the
housing (Step 616). In one or more embodiments of the invention,
the plenum is designed such that after air passes through the
plenum, air moves in a direction opposite the direction of the air
in the first channel. Once the above process ends, it may be
repeated as necessary to adequately cool all electronic equipment
in the housing.
[0051] In one or more embodiments of the invention, air flow
through some components in electronic equipment may be from top to
bottom, while air flow through other components in the electronic
equipment may be from bottom to top. This may be achieved by, for
example, creating particular air plenums to force the direction of
air in the housing.
[0052] Those skilled in the art will note that in one or more
embodiments of the invention, a component in electronic equipment
in a housing may be accessed without disrupting the cooling air
flow of other components in the electronic equipment. As described
above, in conventional front-to-back air flow cooling, a server
room has to be equipped with adequate air conditioning so as to
maintain cooling of even those components that are not being
accessed when a front or back door of the housing is opened to
access a particular component.
[0053] Accordingly, in one or more embodiments of the invention,
separate air conditioning may not be required as components not
being accessed remain air cooled by the same process occurring when
the housing doors are closed. FIG. 7 shows an exemplary server room
706 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 7,
server room 706 has two housings 702, 704. Each of the housings
702, 704 is connected to refrigerant lines 710, 712 that are
connected to a chiller unit 708. As discussed above, air may
recirculate within the housings or in the room in which the
housings are located.
[0054] Further, in one or more embodiments of the invention, if a
refrigerant is not available in a particular server room, the
electronic equipment may still be situated in the server room by
removing any air-liquid heat exchangers. In such embodiments, air
in the housing would flow from the top/bottom of the electronic
equipment to the bottom/top of the electronic equipment using, for
example, fans implemented with the electronic equipment and/or fans
implemented within the server room.
[0055] Further, one or more embodiments of the invention described
above may be used in conjunction with one or more other means of
cooling electronic equipment. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a
housing 810 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the
invention houses blowing devices 802, heat exchanger 804, and
electronic equipment 806. Connected to heat exchanger 804 are
refrigerant lines 812 and 814. Also within housing 810 are air flow
channels 814a, 814b, separated by a baffle. Further, within
electronic equipment 806 is liquid cooler 816.
[0056] Operatively, blowing devices 802, heat exchanger 804, and
electronic equipment 806 function similarly to blowing devices 302,
heat exchanger 304, and electronic equipment 306, described with
reference to FIG. 3A. In one or more embodiments of the invention,
air flow channels 818a, 818b are configured to allow air to flow
from front to back or from back to front in housing 810, and liquid
cooler 816 is configured to cool individual electronic components
(e.g., a processor in the electronic equipment 806). Thus, in one
or more embodiments of the invention, air flow channels 818a, 818b
may cool electronic devices near the sides of housing 810, and
liquid cooler 816 may cool individual electronic components, in
conjunction with blowing devices 802, heat exchanger 804, and
electronic equipment 806. One skilled in the art will appreciate
that air flow channels 818a, 818b may be used independently from
liquid cooler 816, and additionally that other similar means of
cooling electronic equipment may be used in conjunction with the
aforementioned components.
[0057] Advantages of the invention may include one or more of the
following. In one or more embodiments of the invention, electronic
equipment is cooled using air that is cooled using an air-liquid
heat exchange in a housing.
[0058] In one or more embodiments of the invention, the ability to
air cool electronic equipment using cooled air may be used to cool
electronic equipment having increased heat dissipation.
[0059] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because
electronic equipment is cooled from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top,
space on the sides of the electronic equipment that would be used
to facilitate other methods of cooling (e.g., space needed for air
holes) may be instead used for connectors (e.g., power connections,
input/output connections), or may be removed to reduce the
footprint of the housing (i.e., the surface area used on the floor
of the room in which the housing is located). Further, in one or
more embodiments of the invention, an air plenum may be removed
from one or more sides, a top or a bottom of a housing. Further, in
one or more embodiments of the invention, typical data center
requirements such as cooling coils and raised floor or ceiling
space or air plenums may not be necessary.
[0060] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because air
holes are not needed in a housing in which air contained within the
housing flows from one side to another side of electronic equipment
in the housing, electromagnetic interference may be better
contained.
[0061] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because
electronic equipment is cooled from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top,
one or more components of the electronic equipment may be stacked,
and one or more components of the electronic equipment may be
serviced/accessed without disrupting air flow in other components.
This obviates the need for a separate air cooling mechanism to cool
those other components were air flow directed from one side of the
electronic equipment to another side of the electronic
equipment.
[0062] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because
electronic equipment is cooled from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top,
a smaller volume of air is moved. Further, in one or more
embodiments of the invention, because electronic equipment is
cooled from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top, less air needs to be
circulated to cool electronic equipment. Further, in one or more
embodiments of the invention, because electronic equipment is
cooled from top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top, air may be reused in a
given stack of electronic equipment.
[0063] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because
electronic equipment is housed in a housing that uses air to cool
the electronic equipment, where the air is contained within the
housing, noise suppression of the electronic housing may be
improved.
[0064] In one or more embodiments of the invention, a housing is
less dependent on an air flow rate or an air flow space of a server
room than a housing which requires air flow in the server room to
cool the electronic equipment in the housing either during normal
operation or servicing.
[0065] In one or more embodiments of the invention, because
electronic equipment in a housing is cooled by cold air, there may
be less of a risk of water or refrigerant leakage.
[0066] In one or more embodiments of the invention, electronic
equipment in a housing may be operated in a server room having only
a power supply and a chiller unit (for communicating refrigerant
with the housing).
[0067] In one or more embodiments of the invention, multiple
cooling system components may be implemented to provide levels of
redundancy for electronic equipment in a housing.
[0068] While the invention has been described with respect to a
limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having
benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments
can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention
as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should
be limited only by the attached claims.
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