Data center cooling with an air-side economizer and liquid-cooled electronics rack(s)

摘要

A cooling apparatus and method are provided for cooling an electronics rack. The cooling apparatus includes an air-cooled cooling station, which has a liquid-to-air heat exchanger and ducting for directing a cooling airflow across the heat exchanger. A cooling subsystem is associated with the electronics rack, and includes a liquid-cooled condenser facilitating immersion-cooling of electronic components of the electronics rack, a liquid-cooled structure providing conductive cooling to electronic components of the electronics rack, or an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the rack and cooling airflow passing through the electronics rack. A coolant loop couples the cooling subsystem to the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. In operation, heat is transferred via circulating coolant from the electronics rack, and rejected in the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the cooling station to the cooling airflow passing across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger. In one embodiment, the cooling airflow is outdoor air.

主权项

1. A cooling apparatus comprising:
at least one outdoor-air-cooled cooling station separate from at least one electronics rack to be cooled and disposed within a data center comprising the at least one electronics rack, each outdoor-air-cooled cooling station comprising:
a liquid-to-air heat exchanger; andducting configured to direct a cooling airflow across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger to facilitate transfer of heat within the data center from the liquid-to-air heat exchanger to the cooling airflow; a cooling airflow supply plenum and an airflow exhaust plenum, the ducting of the at least one outdoor-air-cooled cooling station being coupled to the cooling airflow supply plenum and to the airflow exhaust plenum, and the ducting receiving cooling airflow from the cooling airflow supply plenum, directing the cooling airflow across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and exhausting heated airflow from the liquid-to-air heat exchanger to the airflow exhaust plenum, wherein the cooling airflow comprises outdoor air drawn into the cooling apparatus; at least one cooling subsystem associated with at least one electronics rack, one cooling subsystem of the at least one cooling subsystem comprising at least one of a liquid-cooled condenser facilitating immersion-cooling of one or more electronic components of the at least one electronics rack, a liquid-cooled structure providing conductive cooling of one or more electronic components of the at least one electronics rack, or an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the at least one electronics rack and cooling airflow passing through the at least one electronics rack; and at least one coolant loop, one coolant loop of the at least one coolant loop coupling the one cooling subsystem of the at least one electronics rack to the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the separate, at least one outdoor-air-cooled cooling station, wherein the one coolant loop facilitates circulation of liquid coolant between the one cooling subsystem of the at least one electronics rack and the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the separate, at least one outdoor-air-cooled cooling station, and wherein heat is transferred via the circulating liquid coolant from the at least one electronics rack and rejected in the liquid-to-air heat exchanger of the at least one outdoor-air-cooled cooling station to the cooling airflow passing across the liquid-to-air heat exchanger; and a controllable air recirculation fan disposed between the airflow exhaust plenum and the cooling airflow supply plenum for selectively, actively recirculating a portion of exhausting airflow in the airflow exhaust plenum to the cooling airflow supply plenum, and a controller coupled to the controllable air recirculation fan, the controller activating recirculation of at least a portion of the exhausting heated airflow in the airflow exhaust plenum to the cooling airflow supply plenum responsive to a temperature of the outdoor air being below a set low temperature threshold.