Climate Control System for Data Center

摘要

Optimized conditioning of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centers containing sensible heat generating equipment is achieved by indirect air-side economizing. In this process, the conditioned primary air stream is recirculated through a plate-type cross-flow heat exchanger, in which the cross-flow consists of a completely segregated cooler secondary ambient air stream. The air-to-air cross-flow heat exchanger comprises a series of parallel square or rectangular plates, which define a series of orthogonally alternating air passageways. This cross-flow design effectively prevents the mixing or blending of the primary and secondary air streams and thus avoids the efficiency losses and process airstream cross-contamination due to leakage, which is inherent in wheel type heat exchangers. The unique modular tunnel design of the cross-flow plate heat exchanger arrangement offers unit scalability and adjustability for various capacities and space demands. Real-time sensing of thermal demands and variable capacity control, coupled with on-demand mechanical cooling and humidification provisions, facilitate continuous operational optimization in all demands and ambient conditions.

主权项

1. A climate control system for a heat-generating data center space, comprising:
an air-to-air cross-flow heat exchanger, comprising a series of parallel square or rectangular heat exchange plates, which define a series of orthogonally alternating air passageways, consisting of multiple primary airflow passageways and multiple secondary airflow passageways, wherein the primary airflow passageways are orthogonal to and segregated from the secondary airflow passageways; a primary recirculating air stream, which is circulated and recirculated through the data center space, wherein the primary recirculating air stream comprises a conditioned supply air stream, which enters the data center space at a controlled supply air temperature, and a heated return air stream, which exits the data center space at a return air temperature, which exceeds the supply air temperature; a secondary outside air stream, which is drawn from an ambient, wherein the secondary outside air stream comprises an intake air stream, which is drawn from the ambient into the climate control system at an intake air temperature that is lower than the return air temperature by an intake temperature decrement, and an exhaust air stream, which is exhausted back into the ambient at an exhaust temperature, which exceeds the intake air temperature; wherein the return air stream at the return air temperature is circulated from the data center space into and through the primary airflow passageways of the heat exchanger and is recirculated, as the supply air stream at the supply air temperature, back to the data center space, while concurrently the intake air stream at the intake air temperature is drawn from the ambient into and through the secondary airflow passageways of the heat exchanger and is exhausted, as the exhaust airstream at the exhaust air temperature, back into the ambient; and wherein heat from the return air stream is transferred at a primary heat exchange rate through the heat exchange plates of the heat exchanger to the intake air stream, thereby cooling the primary recirculating air stream to the supply air temperature, at which temperature the primary recirculating air stream is recirculated back to the data center space as the supply air stream, and thereby heating the secondary outside air stream to the exhaust air temperature, at which temperature the outside air stream is exhausted back into the ambient as the exhaust air stream.