U.S. patent application number 12/261565 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-06 for air barrier for datacenter usage which automatically retracts when fire sprinklers are activated.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to John P. Karidis.
Application Number | 20100108272 12/261565 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42130011 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100108272 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Karidis; John P. |
May 6, 2010 |
AIR BARRIER FOR DATACENTER USAGE WHICH AUTOMATICALLY RETRACTS WHEN
FIRE SPRINKLERS ARE ACTIVATED
Abstract
An air barrier structure located in an airflow passageway for
datacenter usage, which is automatically retractable upon
activation of fire sprinklers in the event of a conflagration. The
barrier structure is a shade-type roll up member, which in the
absence of any complex mechanical structure, will automatically
retract about a spring-loaded roller upon the activation of a fire
sprinkler, and whereby the barrier incorporates water-soluble
structural aspects which will facilitate such automatic retraction
upon being impinged upon and dissolved by a flow of water emanating
from the fire sprinkler.
Inventors: |
Karidis; John P.; (Ossining,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCULLY, SCOTT, MURPHY & PRESSER, P.C.
400 GARDEN CITY PLAZA, SUITE 300
GARDEN CITY
NY
11530
US
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
CORPORATION
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
42130011 |
Appl. No.: |
12/261565 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
160/238 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E06B 2009/585 20130101;
E06B 9/42 20130101; A62C 3/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
160/238 |
International
Class: |
A47G 5/02 20060101
A47G005/02 |
Claims
1. At least one barrier structure located in an airflow passageway
between a ceiling mounting fire sprinkler and an upper surface of a
computer rack in a datacenter, said at least one air barrier
structure comprising: a spring-biased roller attachable to said
ceiling; a shade member constituted of a flexible air-impervious
material having an upper end fastened to said roller, said roller
normally imparting a biasing force for winding said shade member
upward about said roller; a rod member attached to a bottom edge of
said shade member; a hold-down structure fastenable to the upper
surface of said computer rack, said hold-down structure including a
further rod member; water-soluble elements interconnecting said rod
member at the bottom edge of said shade member with said further
rod member of the hold-down structure for retaining said shade
member in a downwardly extended airflow blocking condition in said
passageway; and channeling structure connected to said shade member
in close proximity with said water-soluble elements, whereby upon
activation of a fire sprinkler responsive to a conflagration, water
emanating therefrom is channeled to said water-soluble elements to
dissolve the latter so as to release the interconnection between
said barrier structure and the hold-down structure and facilitating
the upward retraction of said shade member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an air barrier structure
located in an air flow passageway for datacenter usage, which is
automatically retractable upon activation of fire sprinklers in the
event of a conflagration.
[0003] In the present state of the data processing technology,
large datacenters are employed, which require the consumption of
huge amounts of electricity, and thereby frequently necessitate
that extensive amounts of air be conveyed across computer racks of
such datacenters in order to conduct heat that is generated by the
electronic components in the computer racks to computer room air
conditioner units (CRAC), or to other suitable air cooling
arrangements.
[0004] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art
[0005] A problem which is frequently encountered in such datacenter
installations is an undesirable mixing of flows of air of widely
divergent temperatures emanating from hot-air aisles and from
cold-air aisles between the computer racks, and wherein even the
direct recirculation of hot air, which is exhausted proximate the
top of a rack or racks, passes over the upper surface or top of the
racks or adjoining racks and is resultingly sucked into the front
of a rack normally employed for cooling. However, the cooling
efficiency of the datacenter can be significantly increased in the
instance in which the respective hot-aisle and the cold-aisle can
be partitioned from each other so as to minimize or inhibit any
exchange of air flows therebetween.
[0006] At this time, there are systems in existence which fully
enclose the hot-aisle structure, however, these systems are
expensive to manufacture and require extensive installations and
the use of specific in-row coolers. Many datacenters would improve
upon their cooling by simply blocking recirculation of an air flow
across the tops of the racks, which can be implemented with
inexpensive materials installed downstream of the racks.
Nevertheless, in many locales, the promulgation of fire-safety
codes do not allow for the positioning of any flow-restricting
barricades between the tops of the racks and the level of the
ceiling or sprinkler levels of the datacenter installation, in
order to ensure that water emanating from fire sprinklers can
adequately reach all areas of the datacenter when the sprinklers
are triggered by a conflagration. Therefore, the technology is in
need of an inexpensive, easy-to-install system of barricades that
can be installed in a variable height space above any computer
rack, but which would not interfere with the function of activated
fire sprinklers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, pursuant to the present invention, in order to
obtain the desired functions in separating the air flows between
the hot-air and cold-air aisles, of the computer racks, there are
provided suitable barriers which will permit fire sprinklers to
operate efficiently in quenching fires or conflagrations which may
be encountered in the datacenters without such barriers creating
obstructions.
[0008] The invention provides for self-retracting barriers to
airflows that are held in their extended (airflow-blocking)
orientations by incorporating water-soluble retaining members.
Hereby, upon water from a fire sprinkler striking either side of
the barrier, the water-soluble retainers will rapidly dissolve and
the barrier will automatically retract, permitting the fire
sprinklers to function as if no barrier was ever present. Although
this concept may require some certifications and/or fire-code
modification in some geographic locales, from an engineering
standpoint, it represents a fail-safe solution in that the barrier
will retract when the fire sprinklers are activated, even in the
absence of any electrical power or initiation of an external
control signal.
[0009] In essence, the foregoing provides for suitable airflow
barrier structures, which, while serving the function of inhibiting
any unwanted mixing hot-airflows and cold-airflows, between the
computer racks, will concurrently facilitate the unhindered
operation of fire sprinklers, and which can functionally satisfy
local fire ordinances and regulations.
[0010] Although different concepts can be applied in the forming of
retractable and/or collapsible barriers, pursuant to the invention,
a generally simple and flexible structure resides in a so-called
"window-shade" style device with a spring-loaded cylinder about
which there is wrapped a barrier material. This design allows the
extension of the shade-like barrier to be easily varied so that any
available space can be blocked, up to the maximum length of the
extended barrier. However, a typical roll-up window shade normally
incorporates a clutch mechanism that prevents the shade from
retracting once it has been pulled down. Typically the shade is
manually retracted by extending it slightly and then quickly
releasing it to thereby unlatch the clutch mechanism. Such a manual
approach is obviously unacceptable in a datacenter, where automatic
retraction of the barrier must be triggered by activation of the
fire sprinklers.
[0011] Accordingly, in order to obviate the limitations which are
currently encountered in providing air flow barriers for datacenter
installations, the present invention provides for a shade-type roll
up barrier, which in the absence of any complex mechanical
structure, will automatically retract upon the activation of a fire
sprinkler, and whereby the barrier incorporates water-soluble
structural aspects which will facilitate such automatic retraction
upon being impinged by a flow of water emanating from an activated
fire sprinkler.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Reference may now be made to the following detailed
description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates, in a generally diagrammatic perspective
representation, an air barrier for datacenter usage which is
automatically retractable responsive to activation of a fire
sprinkler; and
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, a fragmentary
segment of the air barrier of FIG. 1, as represented by encircled
portion A thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Referring, in particularity to the drawings, FIG. 1
illustrates a barrier structure 10 which is generally in the shape
of a curtain-like roll-up shade. The barrier structure has the
shade portion 12 constituted of an airflow-resistant or impervious
material, which may be of a fabric or other flexible consistency.
The shade portion 12 may be opaque, translucent or transparent in
nature.
[0016] At the upper end 14 of the barrier structure, there is a
spring-loaded roller 16, which has the upper end of shade portion
12 attached thereto, and wherein the roller 16 is adapted to be
fastened to a suspended ceiling of a datacenter (not shown), or to
any other ceiling structure located above the upper end or end
surfaces of computer racks (not shown) in a spaced relationship
with the ceiling. The roller 16 is fastened to the ceiling so as to
be freely rotatably about its longitudinal axis, and normally
imparts a roll-up winding force to the shade portion 12 about the
roller for retracting the shade portion 16.
[0017] At its lower end 18, the shade portion 12 is fastened to a
termination rod member 22 extending along the bottom edge 20 of the
shade portion.
[0018] Arranged in a closely spaced, parallel relationship with the
termination rod member 22, is a hold-down structure 24, which may
comprise a rod member 26 similar in shape to the termination rod
member 22. The rod member 26 may have attachment devices 28
fastened thereto, preferably proximate the ends thereof, for
attaching the hold-down structure 24 to the upper surface or
surface of computer racks. These attachment devices may consist of
magnets, adhesives, clips, screws, clamps, as may be applicable or
practical for their physical installation.
[0019] In order to maintain the shade portion 12 in its downward
extended barrier-forming position, in which it obstructs the
unwanted flow of air between hot-air and cold-air aisles, during
normal usage thereof in the datacenter, there are provided
connections 32. As illustrated more closely in FIG. 2 of the
drawings, this shows one of the connections 30 between rod members
22 and 26, as enlarged from "A" in FIG. 1, whereby these
connections 30 are located at preferably the opposite ends of the
rod members.
[0020] Each of the connections 30 may consist of a loop-shaped
retention strap constituted of a water-soluble material, such as a
film or strip, which can be heat-welded into flexible loops,
lengths or other suitable shapes. The water-soluble material is
adapted to rapidly (i.e., within a few seconds) dissolve upon being
contacted by water.
[0021] Thus, by attaching each end of the extended barrier or shade
portion 12 to the hold-down structure 34 with a separate loop 30
(or length) of the water soluble film material connecting rod
members 22 and 26, it is assured that the barrier 10 will be
released and the shade portion 12 spring-retracted about a roller
16 when either (or both) of the hold-down loops 30 is contacted by
water from a sprinkler and resultingly dissolved. Furthermore, by
attaching a preferably V-shaped plastic gutter-tray 32 at the
bottom end of the extended barrier above rod member 22, it is
possible to channel any water running off from either side of the
shade portion 12 to at least one of the water-soluble retention
loops 30. Through this type of structure, the activation of any
sprinkler that sprays water onto either side of the extended shade
portion 12 will quickly wet at least one of the loops 30,
dissolving the latter and quickly result in the force of the
spring-loaded roller 16 causing upward retraction of the barrier 10
upon being released from the hold-down structure 24. Long or
contiguous sections constituted of barriers 10 can be created
simply by mounting several of these in end-to-end relationships
above the computer racks (with or without some material
overlap).
[0022] While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is
well calculated to fulfill the objects stated above, it will be
appreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be
devised by those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the
appended claims cover all such modifications and embodiments as
fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
* * * * *