Cooling computing assets in a data center using a hot stack

摘要

A data center includes a hot stack for exhausting heated air from the data center. As air flows across computing assets operating in the data center, the air absorbs heat generated by the computing assets. The temperature difference between the heated air and air outside the data center, the height of the hot stack, and the area of the hot stack causes the heated air to flow through the hot stack and outside of the data center. This air flow may be used to decrease the pressure of a portion of the data center, causing air to flow from a higher pressure portion of the data center to the depressurized portion of the data center.

主权项

1. A data center system comprising:
a plurality of computing assets included in a compartment, each computing asset having a first side oriented toward a cold aisle and having a second side oriented toward a hot aisle, the hot aisle having a lower pressure relative to the cold aisle so that incoming air having an ambient air temperature flows from the cold aisle to the hot aisle across the computing assets; an intake opening configured to receive air from outside of the data center and direct the air to the cold aisle; and a hot stack coupled to the hot aisle via an opening, the hot stack extending outside of the data center and having a height from the opening sufficient to, at a temperature difference between a temperature of air in the hot aisle and a temperature of the air outside of the data center, create a pressure difference that causes air to flow from the hot aisle through the opening and through the hot stack at a rate based at least in part on the height of the hot stack and a cross-sectional area of the hot stack.