U.S. patent application number 14/086040 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-13 for free cooling system apparatus and communication equipment.
This patent application is currently assigned to Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Taqing Feng, Tao Wang.
Application Number | 20140073235 14/086040 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44662854 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140073235 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wang; Tao ; et al. |
March 13, 2014 |
Free Cooling System Apparatus and Communication Equipment
Abstract
A free cooling system apparatus applied to communication
equipment includes: an air intake apparatus that is disposed at an
air intake of the communication equipment, where the air intake
apparatus includes an air intake duct, where the air intake duct
has an opening below the air intake of the communication equipment
to allow an airflow to enter the air intake duct through the
opening, and a filtering module is disposed inside the air intake
duct; and the filtering module includes a substrate and grass-like
fibers, where the substrate is attached to a sidewall of the air
intake duct, roots of the grass-like fibers are fixed onto the
substrate, and tips of the grass-like fibers are suspended inside
the air intake duct of the air intake apparatus and are
transversely placed in the air intake duct along a direction of a
cross section of the air intake duct.
Inventors: |
Wang; Tao; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; Feng; Taqing; (Shenzhen, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. |
Shenzhen |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
Huawei Technologies Co.,
Ltd.
Shenzhen
CN
|
Family ID: |
44662854 |
Appl. No.: |
14/086040 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/CN2011/074701 |
May 26, 2011 |
|
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14086040 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
454/184 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 2011/0006 20130101;
F24F 7/04 20130101; F24F 2003/1653 20130101; Y02B 30/542 20130101;
B01D 46/28 20130101; F24F 3/1603 20130101; F24F 13/1426 20130101;
H05K 7/20181 20130101; Y02B 30/54 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/184 |
International
Class: |
F24F 7/04 20060101
F24F007/04 |
Claims
1. A free cooling system apparatus, applied to a communication
equipment, comprising: an air intake apparatus that is disposed at
an air intake of the communication equipment, wherein the air
intake apparatus comprises an air intake duct that is disposed
along a direction of gravity or at an acute angle against the
direction of gravity, wherein the air intake duct has an opening
below the air intake of the communication equipment to allow an
airflow to enter the air intake duct through the opening; and a
filtering module that is disposed inside the air intake duct,
wherein the filtering module comprises a substrate and grass-like
fibers, wherein the substrate is attached to a sidewall of the air
intake duct, wherein roots of the grass-like fibers are fixed onto
the substrate, and wherein tips of the grass-like fibers are
suspended inside the air intake duct of the air intake apparatus
and are transversely placed in the air intake duct along a
direction of a cross section of the air intake duct.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein surfaces of the
grass-like fibers comprise a dustproof treatment.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein nanometer materials
are disposed on the surfaces of the grass-like fibers, or wherein
the grass-like fibers are entirely made of nanometer materials.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grass-like
fibers are in a column shape or a bar shape with a length being
greater than 10 millimeters (mm) and a diameter being greater than
1 mm.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air intake
apparatus further comprises a connection duct, wherein two ends of
the connection duct are connected to the air intake duct and the
air intake of the communication equipment respectively, and wherein
an intake fan is disposed in the connection duct.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an air
exhaust apparatus, wherein the air exhaust apparatus comprises an
air exhaust duct connected to an air exhaust of the communication
equipment and an exhaust fan disposed inside the air exhaust
duct.
7. A communication equipment, comprising: an enclosure; an
equipment body disposed inside the enclosure; and a free cooling
system apparatus disposed outside the enclosure, wherein the
enclosure has an air intake and an air exhaust, wherein the free
cooling system apparatus has an air intake apparatus and a
filtering module, wherein the air intake apparatus of the free
cooling system apparatus is disposed at the air intake of the
enclosure, wherein the air intake apparatus comprises an air intake
duct that is disposed along a direction of gravity or at an acute
angle against the direction of gravity, wherein the air intake duct
has an opening below the air intake of the enclosure to allow an
airflow to enter the air intake duct through the opening, wherein
the filtering module is disposed inside the air intake duct,
wherein the filtering module comprises a substrate and grass-like
fibers, wherein the substrate is attached to a sidewall of the air
intake duct, wherein roots of the grass-like fibers are fixed onto
the substrate, and wherein tips of the grass-like fibers are
suspended inside the air intake duct and are transversely placed in
the air intake duct along a direction of a cross section of the air
intake duct.
8. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
free cooling system apparatus and the enclosure form an integrated
structure.
9. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein
surfaces of the grass-like fibers comprise a dustproof
treatment.
10. The communication equipment according to claim 9, wherein
nanometer materials are disposed on the surfaces of the grass-like
fibers, or wherein the grass-like fibers are entirely made of
nanometer materials.
11. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
grass-like fibers are in a column shape or a bar shape with a
length being greater than 10 millimeters (mm) and a diameter being
greater than 1 mm.
12. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
air intake apparatus further comprises a connection duct, wherein
two ends of the connection duct are connected to the air intake
duct and the air intake of the communication equipment
respectively, and wherein an intake fan is disposed in the
connection duct.
13. The communication equipment according to claim 7, further
comprising an air exhaust apparatus, wherein the air exhaust
apparatus comprises an air exhaust duct connected to an air exhaust
of the communication equipment and an exhaust fan disposed inside
the air exhaust duct.
14. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
grass-like fibers comprise polypropylene.
15. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
grass-like fibers comprise polyvinyl chloride.
16. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
grass-like fibers comprise polyamide.
17. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
substrate comprises a mesh cloth.
18. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
substrate comprises a woven cloth.
19. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
substrate comprises a composite fiber cloth.
20. The communication equipment according to claim 7, wherein the
roots of the grass-like fibers are fixed onto the substrate using
glue.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of International
Application No. PCT/CN2011/074701, filed on May 26, 2011, which is
hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not applicable.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0004] The present invention relates to the field of communications
technologies, and in particular, to a free cooling system apparatus
and a communication equipment.
BACKGROUND
[0005] Heat of a communication equipment deteriorates equipment
performance or even damages the equipment. To make the
communication equipment work normally, it is necessary to solve the
problem of heat dissipation of the communication equipment and
ensure that an ambient temperature in which the communication
equipment stays is within an allowed range.
[0006] There are three common heat dissipation solutions: air
conditioning, heat exchanger, and free cooling. The air conditioner
and the heat exchanger consume much energy and have a large size,
poor reliability, and poor maintainability. In the free cooling,
outdoor fresh air is used to dissipate heat of the communication
equipment directly, which makes the equipment work in a good
environment and has a significant energy saving effect; in
addition, a free cooling system apparatus has a small size, meets a
trend of product downsizing, and is highly reliable and
maintainable.
[0007] Currently, as shown in FIG. 1, an ordinary free cooling
system apparatus mainly includes a filter screen 501, a fan 502, a
labyrinth air duct 503, and a control panel 504. As driven by the
fan, an airflow is filtered by the filter screen, enters the
communication equipment through the labyrinth air duct, and finally
flows out of an air exhaust to expel heat. The control panel may be
configured to control a rotation speed of the fan and report a
fault. The ordinary free cooling system apparatus has a low
filtering efficiency, which is generally lower than 50%, and a
short maintenance cycle, which is generally 3 to 6 months.
Therefore, the reliability of the communication equipment is
reduced, and frequent maintenance makes the maintenance cost
high.
[0008] To improve the filtering efficiency, an air-ventilated film
is used to replace the filter screen in the prior art. The
air-ventilated film brings a high filtering efficiency, but the
resistance of the air-ventilated film increases along with the
increase of wind force, causing a significant air resistance
effect. In a windy and dusty area, the air-ventilated film may be
clogged with dust and need maintenance before long, which leads to
a very short maintenance cycle.
[0009] The foregoing existing free cooling system apparatus has a
short maintenance cycle, needs frequent maintenance, and has a high
maintenance cost.
SUMMARY
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention provide a free cooling
system apparatus and a communication equipment.
[0011] A free cooling system apparatus, applied to a communication
equipment, includes: an air intake apparatus that is disposed at an
air intake of the communication equipment, where the air intake
apparatus includes an air intake duct that is disposed along a
direction of gravity or at an acute angle against the direction of
gravity, where the air intake duct has an opening below the air
intake of the communication equipment to allow an airflow to enter
the air intake duct through the opening, and a filtering module is
disposed inside the air intake duct; and the filtering module
includes a substrate and grass-like fibers, where the substrate is
attached to a sidewall of the air intake duct, roots of the
grass-like fibers are fixed onto the substrate, and tips of the
grass-like fibers are suspended inside the air intake duct of the
air intake apparatus and are transversely placed in the air intake
duct along a direction of a cross section of the air intake
duct.
[0012] A communication equipment includes: an enclosure, an
equipment body disposed inside the enclosure, and the free cooling
system apparatus described above disposed outside the enclosure,
where the enclosure has an air intake and an air exhaust, and an
air intake apparatus of the free cooling system apparatus is
disposed at the air intake.
[0013] In the free cooling system apparatus provided in the
embodiments of the present invention, an air intake duct is
disposed along a direction of gravity approximately, an opening
used to allow entry of an airflow is below an air intake of a
communication equipment, grass-like fibers disposed in a filtering
module in the air intake duct are suspended in the air intake duct
and transversely placed in the air intake duct along a direction of
a cross section, and can swing freely as actuated by an incoming
airflow. In this way, when an airflow enters the air intake duct
from bottom to top, dust and impurities in the airflow are
obstructed and filtered by the grass-like fibers layer by layer.
The filtered dust and impurities subside naturally due to the swing
of the grass-like fibers and finally fall down through the opening
of the air intake duct. In this way, the free cooling system
apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present invention has
an automatic dust suppression function, and can be maintenance-free
or prolong the maintenance cycle, thereby reducing the maintenance
cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a free cooling
system apparatus in the prior art;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a free cooling system
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a filtering module
according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a free cooling system
apparatus according to another embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Embodiments of the present invention provide a free cooling
system apparatus. The apparatus has an automatic dust suppression
function, and can be maintenance-free or prolong the maintenance
cycle, thereby reducing the maintenance cost. The embodiments of
the present invention further provide a communication equipment
that uses the free cooling system apparatus. Detailed descriptions
are provided below.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present invention
provides a free cooling system apparatus, which is installed on a
communication equipment 100 for dissipating heat of the
communication equipment 100. Generally, the communication equipment
100 has at least one air intake 111 and at least one air exhaust
112. The free cooling system apparatus provided in this embodiment
includes at least one air intake apparatus 200 that is disposed at
an air intake 111 of the communication equipment 100. An outside
natural wind (or called an airflow) passes through the air intake
apparatus 200 with dust being filtered out, enters the
communication equipment 100 from the air intake 111, and then
carries interior heat of the communication equipment 100 and flows
out of the air exhaust 112, to achieve a heat dissipation function.
For the flow direction of the airflow, refer to directions
indicated by arrows in the accompanying drawing.
[0020] The air intake apparatus 200 includes an air intake duct 210
that is disposed along a direction of gravity or at an acute angle
against the direction of gravity, where the air intake duct 210 has
an opening 211 below the air intake 111 of the communication
equipment 100 to allow an airflow to enter the air intake duct 210
through the opening 211, and a filtering module 220 is disposed
inside the air intake duct 210. Because the opening 211 is located
below the air intake 211, an outside airflow enters the opening 211
and flows from bottom to top along the air intake duct 210, and is
filtered by the filtering module 220 and then arrives at the air
intake 111 of the communication equipment 100. The air intake duct
210 may be disposed vertically along the direction of gravity, that
is, perpendicular to the horizon; and may also be disposed at an
acute angle against the direction of gravity, which is preferably
an angle of less than 30 degrees.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the filtering module 220 includes a
substrate 221 and grass-like fibers 222, where the substrate 221 is
attached to a sidewall of the air intake duct 210, roots of the
grass-like fibers 222 are fixed onto the substrate 221, and tips of
the grass-like fibers 222 are suspended inside the air intake duct
210 of the air intake apparatus 200 and are transversely placed in
the air intake duct 210 along a direction of a cross section of the
air intake duct 210. The filtering module 220 is similar to a
fabricated lawn, and it may be deemed that a fabricated lawn is
affixed to the sidewall of the air intake duct 210, where the tips
of the grass-like fibers 222 reach an opposite sidewall to
completely cover the entire cross section of the air intake duct
210.
[0022] The principle of the filtering apparatus in this embodiment
is similar to aquatic grasses filtering river water. Multiple
clusters of grass-like fibers 222 arranged evenly or unevenly are
fixed onto the substrate 221. When an airflow passes through a
grass-like fiber clump formed by the multiple clusters of
grass-like fibers 222, dust and impurities carried in the airflow
are obstructed and filtered out by the grass-like fibers 222 which
swing with the wind. Because the opening 211 of the air intake duct
210 is below the air intake 111 and the airflow flows from bottom
to top, the obstructed dust and impurities constantly subside
naturally due to constant swing of the grass-like fibers 222 with
the wind, and finally fall down from the opening 211 of the air
intake duct 210. In this way, the free cooling system apparatus in
this embodiment has an automatic dust suppression function, and is
not only free from clogging with dust but also does not need
periodical manual maintenance for dust removal, and can be
maintenance-free or prolong the maintenance cycle, thereby reducing
the maintenance cost.
[0023] In addition, the filtering apparatus mainly formed of
grass-like fibers provided in the embodiment of the present
invention is a stereoscopic structure, and provides a certain
filtering depth from bottom to top, which may be regarded as
stereoscopic filtering. By contrast, a filter screen or an
air-ventilated film in the prior art is constructed of only one
layer, and may be called planar filtering. The stereoscopic
filtering in this embodiment has higher filtering efficiency than
that of the planar filtering, and is free from clogging with
dust.
[0024] In addition, the filtering apparatus provided in the
embodiment of the present invention is of a structure with a sound
absorption effect, and can reduce noise.
[0025] The following describes the filtering module 220 in further
detail.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, in the filtering module 220, the
substrate 221 may be made of various materials such as a mesh cloth
or woven cloth or composite fiber cloth, where multiple woven holes
are distributed evenly or unevenly on the substrate. Several
grass-like fibers 222 gather into one cluster, and each cluster of
grass-like fibers 222 is fixed in one woven hole. Roots of a
cluster of grass-like fibers 222 may be fixed into one woven hole
with glue. The grass-like fibers 222 may be grass leaf-like fibers
made of various materials such as fibers of polypropylene,
polyvinyl chloride or polyamide. The length of the grass-like
fibers 222 is preferably not smaller than the width of the air
intake duct 210, so that when the roots of the grass-like fibers
222 are fixed to a sidewall of the air intake duct 210 through the
substrate 221, the tips of the grass-like fibers 222 can reach the
opposite sidewall to obstruct the entire air intake duct. The
filtering module 220 features a large dust-tolerant rate and a low
resistance coefficient.
[0027] The filtering module 220 may include only one substrate 221
onto which multiple clusters of grass-like fibers 222 are fixed,
where the substrate 221 is fixed to only one sidewall of the air
intake duct 210; or may include multiple substrates 221 onto which
multiple clusters of grass-like fibers 222 are fixed, where the
substrates 221 are fixed to multiple sidewalls of the air intake
duct 210 separately, so as to better obstruct the air intake duct
220 and improve the filtering efficiency.
[0028] In this embodiment, the materials of the substrate 221 and
the grass-like fibers 222 in the filtering module 220 are not
limited, and the sizes of the substrate 221 and the grass-like
fibers 222 are not limited, as long as the sizes fit the air intake
duct 220. For example, the substrate 221 may be in a rectangle with
a length being about 400 millimeters (mm) and a width being about
450 mm; the grass-like fibers 222 may be in a column shape or a bar
shape or other shapes with a length being not less than 10 mm and a
diameter being not less than 1 mm. In an implementation manner, the
length of the grass-like fibers 222 may be 50 mm; in this case, the
thickness of the filtering module 220 is slightly greater than 50
mm.
[0029] In an embodiment, in order to make the dust and impurities
filtered out by the filtering module 220 better subside naturally
to prolong the maintenance cycle, dustproof treatment (also known
as dust-resistance treatment) may be performed on the grass-like
fibers 222, to make the grass-like fibers 222 dust-free. For
example, a layer of nanometer materials may be disposed on surfaces
of the grass-like fibers 222, or the grass-like fibers 222 are
entirely made of nanometer materials, so as to achieve a better
dust-resistance effect.
[0030] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the air intake
apparatus 200 further includes a connection duct 230; one end of
the connection duct 230 is connected to the air intake duct 210,
and the other end is connected to the air intake 111 of the
communication equipment 100; an intake fan 240 is disposed in the
connection duct 230. Under the effect of the intake fan 240,
outside air may pass through the air intake duct 210 and the
connection duct 230 successively, and flows into the communication
equipment 100. The connection duct 230 may be a straight duct, or
may be a bent duct. By using the connection duct 230, the air
intake apparatus 200 may have a noise reduction effect.
[0031] In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, to speed up an airflow
and improve a heat dissipation effect, the free cooling system
apparatus may further include one air exhaust apparatus 300. The
air exhaust apparatus 300 includes an air exhaust duct 310
connected to an air exhaust 112 of the communication equipment 100,
and an exhaust fan 320 disposed inside the air exhaust duct 310.
Under the effect of the exhaust fan 320, air inside the
communication equipment 100 may be expelled more quickly, thereby
carrying away the interior heat of the communication equipment 100
more quickly.
[0032] The intake fan 240 and the exhaust fan 320 may be powered by
an external power supply, or may be powered by using a power supply
inside the communication equipment 100. A control panel 400
including control buttons of the intake fan 240 and the exhaust fan
320 may be fixed inside or outside the communication equipment, for
operation by management and maintenance personnel.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, locations for assembling the
air intake apparatus 200 and the air exhaust apparatus 300 on the
communication equipment depend on locations of the air intake 111
and the air exhaust 112, and the air intake apparatus 200 and the
air exhaust apparatus 300 may be disposed on the same side of the
communication equipment, and may also be disposed on opposite
sides, or disposed in other manners. The air exhaust apparatus 300
may be disposed inside the communication equipment 100, and may
also be disposed outside the communication equipment 100.
[0034] In conclusion, the free cooling system apparatus provided in
the embodiment of the present invention uses a filtering module
which is mainly formed of grass-like fibers and features a large
dust-tolerant rate and a low resistance coefficient, and with an
air intake duct that is disposed along a direction of gravity and
has an opening at a lower end, the free cooling system apparatus
has a very high filtering efficiency, and brings an effect of
automatic dust suppression, which can be maintenance-free or
prolong the maintenance cycle, thereby reducing the maintenance
cost. If dustproof treatment is performed on the grass-like fibers,
the effect of automatic dust suppression will be better.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 4, an embodiment of the present invention
further provides a communication equipment 100, including: an
enclosure 110, an equipment body 120 disposed inside the enclosure,
and the free cooling system apparatus described in the preceding
embodiment disposed outside the enclosure 110, where the enclosure
has an air intake 111 and an air exhaust 112, and an air intake
apparatus 200 of the free cooling system apparatus is disposed at
the air intake 111.
[0036] Specifically, the communication equipment 100 may be a
communication cabinet. The free cooling system apparatus may be
separated from the communication cabinet, and connected to an
enclosure of the communication cabinet in a manner of screw
connection or the like. The free cooling system apparatus and the
enclosure of the communication cabinet may also form an integrated
structure.
[0037] The communication equipment may be a communication equipment
of another type such as an outdoor cabinet, an outdoor equipment
room, or an outdoor mini-shelter.
[0038] It should be noted that the free cooling system apparatus in
the embodiment of the present invention is applicable to not only
the communication equipment, but also any equipment that needs heat
dissipation.
[0039] The free cooling system apparatus and the communication
equipment provided in the embodiments of the present invention are
introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used for
illustration of the principles and implementation manners of the
present invention. The description of the foregoing examples is
merely used to help understand the method and core ideas of the
present invention, and shall not be construed as a limitation to
the present invention.
* * * * *