U.S. patent application number 11/670208 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-24 for thermal load locator.
This patent application is currently assigned to LIEBERT CORPORATION. Invention is credited to James K. MARTIN.
Application Number | 20080092577 11/670208 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39296072 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080092577 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MARTIN; James K. |
April 24, 2008 |
THERMAL LOAD LOCATOR
Abstract
A centralized cooling system can selectively deliver
individualized cooling to individual electrical load units. The
system can provide direct cooling from a manifold of cooling
outlets in a controlled manner based on the sensed electrical loads
of particular load units. A branch monitoring system monitors the
load on electrical feeds that are coupled to electrical load units.
A controller is coupled to the branch monitoring system and
provides output to control a cooling unit. At least one control
valve is further coupled to the controller downstream of the
cooling unit generally at each cooling outlet to control an amount
of cooling fluid, such as air or liquid, directed to one or more of
the units. If a load changes for a given unit, the controller can
actuate a cooling valve coupled to a corresponding cooling outlet
and alter the amount of cooling fluid flowing into or around the
unit(s).
Inventors: |
MARTIN; James K.; (Delaware,
OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LOCKE LORD BISSELL & LIDDELL LLP;ATTN: IP DOCKETING
600 TRAVIS STREET, 3400 CHASE TOWER
HOUSTON
TX
77002
US
|
Assignee: |
LIEBERT CORPORATION
Columbus
OH
|
Family ID: |
39296072 |
Appl. No.: |
11/670208 |
Filed: |
February 1, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60862538 |
Oct 23, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/259.2 ;
62/185 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 2200/201 20130101;
G06F 1/206 20130101; H05K 7/20781 20130101; H05K 7/20836
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/259.2 ;
62/185 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/12 20060101
F25D023/12; F25D 17/02 20060101 F25D017/02 |
Claims
1. A system to cool a plurality of electrical load units with a
central cooling unit, comprising: at least two electrical load
sensors coupled to at least two of the electrical load units, each
of the at least two electrical load units being coupled to at least
one of the electrical load sensors, the electrical load sensors
being adapted to sense electrical loads on the electrical load
units; a controller coupled to the electrical load sensors and
adapted to receive data from the load sensors; a central flow
conduit coupled to the central cooling unit and adapted to provide
cooling fluid to the at least two electrical load units, the
central flow conduit being coupled to at least two cooling outlets
and the at least two cooling outlets being coupled to the at least
two electrical load units, each of the at least two electrical load
units being coupled to at least one of the cooling outlets; and at
least two control valves coupled to the at least two cooling
outlets, each of the at least two cooling outlets being coupled to
at least one of the control valves, and the controller being
adapted to control proportional flows of the cooling fluid from the
central flow conduit in the at least two cooling outlets to the at
least two electrical load units based on the sensed electrical
loads.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensed electrical load is
electrical current.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a branch control
monitor coupled to the at least two electrical load sensors, the
load sensors being coupled to a plurality of electrical feeds, and
the electrical feeds being coupled to the electrical load
units.
4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a data communication
link coupled between the branch control monitor and the
controller.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cooling fluid comprises a
gas, a liquid, or a combination thereof.
6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control bus coupled
between the controller and the control valves.
7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least two thermal
sensors adapted to sense thermal conditions of the at least two
electrical load units and provide thermal data to the
controller.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load units
comprise an electrical cabinet, a rack in the cabinet, or an
electrical device.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is coupled to the
cooling unit.
10. A method of cooling a plurality of electrical load units with a
central cooling unit, comprising: delivering electrical current to
at least two of the electrical load units; sensing electrical loads
on the at least two electrical load units; flowing a cooling fluid
through a central flow conduit coupled to the central cooling unit
into at least two cooling outlets coupled between the central flow
conduit and the at least two electrical load units; and controlling
the flow of the cooling fluid proportionately from the central flow
conduit in the at least two cooling outlets to the at least two
electrical load units based on the sensed electrical loads.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein sensing the electrical loads
comprises sensing electrical currents to the at least two
electrical load units.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising sensing the
electrical loads on the at least two electrical load units from a
branch monitoring system.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising sensing thermal
conditions of the at least two electrical load units and at least
partially controlling the flow of the cooling fluid to the
electrical load units based on the sensed thermal conditions.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling the flow
of the cooling fluid based on the sensed electrical loads prior to
sensing changes in the thermal conditions.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein sensing the electrical loads
comprises sensing an electrical load on an electrical cabinet, a
rack of one or more cabinets, an electrical device, or a
combination thereof.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Appl. No. 60/862,538, filed Oct. 23, 2006, and is incorporated
herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention.
[0005] The present invention relates generally to electronic
equipment cabinets and housings, and, more particularly to
electronic equipment cabinets having cooling systems.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art.
[0007] With the expansion of telecommunication and computer
technology, increasing amounts of electronic equipment are required
at businesses and other facilities. Large amounts of electronic
equipment are often stored in a room devoted to that purpose. As
shown in FIG. 1, the equipment is generally organized in a cabinet
2 of standard dimensions with multiple horizontal trays 4 to
support multiple rows of equipment. The cabinet 2 generally
includes sides, 6, back 8, top 10, bottom 12, and a door 14 to gain
access to the equipment therein. Power rails, uninterruptible power
supplies, and other features can be included. This equipment
generates heat, which must be removed from the room in order to
maintain stable conditions in the rooms. Because advances in
technology have lead to an increased density of the amount of
electronic equipment that can be provided in a set amount of space,
it has become increasingly difficult to remove this heat by means
of the conventional room air conditioning sized according to
traditional practices.
[0008] General purpose cooling systems for rooms and open spaces
now are either oversized and inefficient to handle the additional
cooling requirements or inadequate for single racks of critical
electronic equipment that may incur particular heavy loads.
Therefore, it is often necessary to install localized cooling for
the cabinets that house this electronic equipment. Some existing
commercial suppliers have provided a closed loop refrigerated
cooling system coupled to the cabinets. The refrigeration system
typically includes a compressor for compressing refrigerant in the
system to an elevated pressure, a condenser to cool the refrigerant
that is heated by the act of compression, an expansion device that
thermodynamically cools the refrigerant, an evaporator that is
cooled by the cooled refrigerant flowing therethrough, a fan to
move air across the evaporator's surfaces to cool the air whereby
the refrigerant in turn absorbs heat from the warmer air, various
refrigeration lines for carrying the refrigerant between the
components, and a system controller, such as a thermostat. These
systems are typically mounted in the bottom or on top of the
cabinet. A typical cabinet is about 24'' wide and 78'' to 84''
high. The cooling module can consume about 12''-15'' in the bottom
of the cabinet or add such amount to the overall height if mounted
on top of the cabinet. While having individual cooling systems per
cabinet has been well received, it raises the costs per cabinet and
adds complexity to the system.
[0009] Another challenge with existing electronic equipment
cabinets with built-in cooling coils and fans is that they
typically do not respond quickly to large, instantaneous changes in
heat load. The cooling system senses the heat after the heat has
been generated and then attempts to compensate by extra cooling to
lower the temperature back down to an intended set point. The
cooling system is therefore responsive to thermal heat after it has
been produced. The result can be a wide fluctuation of temperatures
in the cabinet, as the cooling system's control system responds to
the load change.
[0010] Therefore, there remains a need for an improved cooling
system for electronic equipment cabinets.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention provides a centralized cooling system
can selectively deliver individualized cooling to individual
electrical load units, such as individual cabinets, racks of such
cabinets, or other cooled units. The system can provide direct
cooling from a manifold of cooling outlets in a controlled manner
based on the sensed electrical load of a particular cabinet, rack,
or other unit. The system generally includes a branch monitoring
system coupled to each branch circuit that is monitored from which
electrical feeds are coupled to a plurality of electrical load
units, and a controller coupled to the branch monitoring system.
The controller provides output to control a cooling unit, such as
an air conditioner. At least one control valve is further coupled
to the controller downstream of the cooling unit generally at each
cooling outlet to control an amount of cooling fluid, such as air
or liquid, directed to one or more of the electrical load units.
Data can be communicated between the branch monitoring system, the
controller, the cooling unit, or a combination thereof. If a load
and/or a change in load is sensed for a given electrical load
unit(s), the controller can actuate a cooling valve coupled to a
corresponding cooling outlet and alter the amount of cooling fluid
flowing into or around the electrical load unit(s). Further, one or
more thermal sensors can be mounted at the load unit to provide
feedback from the unit on cooling conditions, so that the
controller can make adjustments as necessary.
[0012] The disclosure provides a system to cool a plurality of
electrical load units with a central cooling unit, comprising: at
least two electrical load sensors coupled to at least two of the
electrical load units, each of the at least two electrical load
units being coupled to at least one of the electrical load sensors,
the electrical load sensors being adapted to sense electrical loads
on the electrical load units; a controller coupled to the
electrical load sensors and adapted to receive data from the load
sensors; a central flow conduit coupled to the central cooling unit
and adapted to provide cooling fluid to the at least two electrical
load units, the central flow conduit being coupled to at least two
cooling outlets and the at least two cooling outlets being coupled
to the at least two electrical load units, each of the at least two
electrical load units being coupled to at least one of the cooling
outlets; and at least two control valves coupled to the at least
two cooling outlets, each of the at least two cooling outlets being
coupled to at least one of the control valves, and the controller
being adapted to control proportional flows of the cooling fluid
from the central flow conduit in the at least two cooling outlets
to the at least two electrical load units based on the sensed
electrical loads.
[0013] The disclosure also provides a method of cooling a plurality
of electrical load units with a central cooling unit, comprising:
delivering electrical current to at least two of the electrical
load units; sensing electrical loads on the at least two electrical
load units; flowing a cooling fluid through a central flow conduit
coupled to the central cooling unit into at least two cooling
outlets coupled between the central flow conduit and the at least
two electrical load units; and controlling the flow of the cooling
fluid proportionately from the central flow conduit in the at least
two cooling outlets to the at least two electrical load units based
on the sensed electrical loads.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] A more particular description, briefly summarized above, may
be had by reference to the embodiments illustrated in the appended
drawings, forming part of the present specification and described
herein. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings
illustrate only some embodiments described herein and are therefore
not to be considered limiting of the disclosure's scope, in that
there can be other equally effective embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective view an existing stack of
cabinets to support electronic equipment.
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of at least one
embodiment of a central cooling system controlled for individual
load units, such as cabinets.
[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of at least one
embodiment of a central cooling system controlled for individual
load units, such as racks within cabinets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The Figures described above and the written description of
specific structures and processes below are not presented to limit
the scope of what Applicants have invented or the scope of
protection for those inventions. Rather, the Figures and written
description are provided to teach any person skilled in the art to
make and use the inventions for which patent protection is sought.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all features of a
commercial implementation of the inventions are described or shown
for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill in this
art also appreciate that the development of an actual commercial
embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventions will
require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve the
developer's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Such
implementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are not
limited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,
government-related and other constraints, which may vary by
specific implementation, location and from time to time. While a
developer's efforts might be complex and time-consuming in an
absolute sense, such efforts would be, nevertheless, a routine
undertaking for those of skill this art having benefit of this
disclosure. The inventions disclosed and taught herein are
susceptible to numerous and various modifications and alternative
forms. Lastly, the use of a singular term is not intended as
limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relational terms,
such as, but not limited to, "top," "bottom," "left," "right,"
"upper," "lower," "down," "up," "side," and the like are used in
the written description for clarity in specific reference to the
Figures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or
the appended claims. The term "coupled," "coupling," "coupler," and
like terms are used broadly herein and can include any method or
device for securing, binding, bonding, fastening, attaching,
joining, inserting therein, forming thereon or therein,
communicating, or otherwise associating, for example, mechanically,
magnetically, electrically, chemically, directly or indirectly with
intermediate elements, one or more pieces of members together and
can further include without limitation integrally forming one
functional member with another in a unity fashion. The coupling can
occur in any direction, including rotationally.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of at least one
embodiment of a central cooling system controlled for individual
load units, such as cabinets. The system 20 generally includes at
least one sensor coupled to at least one electrical load unit of a
plurality of electrical load units, a controller coupled to the
sensor, a central flow conduit coupled to a central cooling unit,
at least one cooling outlet coupled between the central flow
conduit and the electrical load unit, and a control valve coupled
to the cooling outlet and the controller. The sensor is adapted to
sense an electrical load, such as current, on the unit or units to
which it is coupled and provide data to the controller for
processing and providing instructions to the control valve and/or
cooling unit. These elements will be described in more detail
below.
[0020] Thus, at least in some embodiments, the electrical load unit
in its cooling demands are anticipated even prior to the actual
increase in temperature caused from the increased load. Similarly,
when the electrical load unit decreases its need for energy, the
change in electrical load is sensed, communicated to the controller
and the amount of cooling is adjusted. The early sensing of the
electrical load allows the controller to control the anticipated
cooling needs based on the electrical load among a distributed
network of cooled load units. This proactive control can assist in
maintaining a cooling environment, for example, before an increased
electrical load generates an higher amount of heat that is sensed
by a thermal sensor that then requires compensation to restabilize
the system affected by the heat. Further, it is believed that the
proactive control helps promote more efficient use and sizing of
the cooling unit and overall cooling system, because the cooling
capacity can be allocated to specific needs on specific electrical
load units on a relatively real time basis. The sensing can help
avoid the temperature variations and thermal momentum caused by
responding the heat after it has been generated by the load, and
then sensed by a thermal sensor.
[0021] More particularly, the system 20 generally includes an
electrical distribution center 22 having a branch control
monitoring system ("BCMS") 24. A plurality of electrical feeds 26
is coupled between the electrical distribution center 22, and
particularly the BCMS 24, and a plurality of electrical load units
36A, 36B, 36C, 36D (collectively designated as 36) coupled to a
central cooling system. Such electrical load units could include,
without limitation, a cabinet having a plurality of racks disposed
therein, the racks themselves mounted within the cabinets, specific
processors, disk drives, and other electrical components having
electrical needs and therefore electrical loads. The BCMS 24
monitors the individual electrical loads of the branch circuits of,
for example, a panelboard through current transformers coupled to
the BCMS. The output from the current transformers of the BCMS can
be directed to a processor for manipulation and output. A suitable
BCMS system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/420,784 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/420,786,
incorporated herein by reference, and owned by the assignee of this
invention, Liebert Corporation, a company of Emerson Electric Co.
in the USA. A BCMS can be obtained from the Liebert Corporation,
Columbus, Ohio, USA.
[0022] Each of the electrical load units generally require cooling
to avoid overheating and possible premature failure caused by the
electrical loads. A central cooling unit 28 can be used to provide
cooling to the electrical load units. The central cooling unit
flows cooling fluid through a central flow conduit 30 which branch
to generally a plurality of cooling outlets 32 which are coupled to
the electrical load units to be cooled. The cooling medium can be a
gas, such as air, or liquid, such as chilled water, and can include
air conditioning or water cooled systems. Depending on the cooling
needs of the electrical load units, the cooling outlet or outlets
can cool individual electrical load units or groups of electrical
load units by varying the amount of cooling, such as on a
percentage basis, between the distributed electrical load units
depending on their individual electrical loads. Generally, a
control valve 34, such as an air damper or liquid flow valve, is
coupled to each cooling outlet that can control the amount of
cooling fluid flowing through the particular cooling outlet to the
electrical load unit as a proportion of the overall cooling fluid
flowing through the central flow conduit 30 at the particular time.
If an increase in an electrical load is sensed for a particular
electrical load unit, the controller can direct a greater
proportion or amount of cooling flow from the central flow conduit
to the particular electrical load unit through the associated
cooling outlet.
[0023] Variations are possible. For example, a specific number of
electrical load units may have wide variations in electrical loads
and one or more other electrical load units may have a relatively
constant electrical load. A controllable cooling outlet could be
coupled to the varying electrical load units for variable cooling,
while a more constant supply of cooling fluid could be provided to
the one or more constant electrical load units. In such
embodiments, a control valve could optionally be omitted from the
constant electrical load units.
[0024] Thus, the control valve 34 can provide a variation in the
cooling fluid from the central flow conduit 30 through the cooling
outlet 32. The system 20 further includes data and output/input
control for the control valve 34. More particularly, the system 20
includes a data communication link 44 from the electrical
distribution center 22. A controller 38 can be coupled to the
electrical distribution center and particularly the BCMS via
electronic communication through the data communication link 44.
The data communication link can be hardwired or wireless, such as
microwave, infrared, radio waves, and other modes of communication.
The controller 38 can generally include an input and output for
receiving the data and outputting process data through a data
communication link 48 to the cooling unit 28 for control of the
cooling unit. In some embodiments, the controller 38 can be
physically integrated with the cooling unit 28 so that data flow
between the BCMS and the controller could be represented by a data
communication link 50. The controller 38 is also coupled, directly
or indirectly, to a control bus 40. The control bus 40 can provide
control communication between the controller 38 and the control
valve 34. The term "control bus" is used broadly and can include
wired or wireless communications. As the load increases or
decreases, the controller 38 can direct the control valve 24 to
increase or decrease the amount of cooling fluid flowing through a
particular cooling outlet 32 with the control valve 34. The
controller 38 can also control the cooling unit 28 for more general
operation such as cycle times, average temperature in the central
flow conduit, and other system wide parameters.
[0025] In some embodiments, the electrical load unit can be further
sensed by a temperature sensor or one or more portions of the
electrical load unit. The sensor 42 can be coupled to the control
buss 40 and provide additional input to the controller 38.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a
central cooling system for racks of electrical cabinets or devices
on the racks, as types of electrical load units. The system 20 can
further include providing cooling fluid to individual racks of
electrical equipment or specific devices that may be assembled in a
cabinet or data center. The electrical distribution center 22 could
provide electricity to the electrical load units 36 through the
BCMS 24. A data communication link 44 is disposed between the BCMS
24 and the controller 38, and can provide input to the controller
on the electrical loads. A cooling unit 28 can provide cooling
fluid through a central flow conduit 30 coupled to the electrical
load unit 36. A cooling outlet 32 is coupled to the central flow
conduit 30 for the particular electrical load unit 36A to be
cooled. A control valve 34 is coupled to the cooling outlet 32 for
control of fluid therethrough between the central flow conduit 30
and the electrical load unit 36A. Other cooling outlets and control
valves can likewise be coupled to the other exemplary electrical
load unit 36B, and other electrical load units, such as units 36C
and 36D, shown in FIG. 2. A control bus 40 is coupled to the
control valve 34 for control and operation of the control valve
from the controller 38. A data communication link 48 between the
controller 38 and the cooling unit 28 and/or control bus 40
provides communication for control.
[0027] The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences
unless otherwise specifically limited. The various steps described
herein can be combined with other steps, interlineated with the
stated steps, and/or split into multiple steps. Similarly, elements
have been described functionally and can be embodied as separate
components or can be combined into components having multiple
functions.
[0028] The inventions have been described in the context of
preferred and other embodiments and not every embodiment of the
invention has been described. Obvious modifications and alterations
to the described embodiments are available to those of ordinary
skill in the art. The disclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not
intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the
invention conceived of by the Applicants, but rather, in conformity
with the patent laws, Applicants intend to fully protect all such
modifications and improvements that come within the scope or range
of equivalent of the following claims. Further, unless the context
requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as
"comprises" or "comprising", should be understood to imply the
inclusion of at least the stated element or step or group of
elements or steps or equivalents thereof, and not the exclusion of
a greater numerical quantity or any other element or step or group
of elements or steps or equivalents thereof.
* * * * *