Adjustable ducts for cooling computing devices
AssigneeCore Scientific, Inc.
InventorLawrence Kom
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable cooling duct for improved facility (e.g., data center) cooling is disclosed. In one embodiment, the cooling duct comprises a cylindrical flexible membrane (e.g., fabric) having a first annular end and a second annular end, and a cincture mechanism connected around the perimeter of the cylindrical flexible membrane between the first annular end and the second annular end. The cincture mechanism may be motorized and that may be controlled by a management computer based on pressure sensor readings. The cincture mechanisms may be automated for coordinated control of multiple ducts in parallel by the management computer based on environmental sensor readings to improve facility cooling.
Claims19
A cooling duct comprising:
- a tube comprising a cylindrical flexible membrane having a first annular end and a second annular end;
- a cincture mechanism connected around a perimeter of the cylindrical flexible membrane between the first annular end and the second annular end, wherein the cincture mechanism is configured to reduce the diameter of the cylindrical flexible membrane upon tightening;
- an air pressure sensor configured to read the air pressure in or near the tube;
- and
- a controller configured to tighten the cincture mechanism in response to detecting an air pressure below a predetermined threshold and loosen the cincture mechanism in response to detecting an air pressure above a predetermine threshold.
A method for cooling computing devices in a data center, the method comprising:
- exhausting air from the computing devices into a hot aisle;
- venting the hot aisle through a first flexible exhaust tube;
- sensing air pressure in or near the first flexible exhaust tube;
- and
- automatically adjusting the diameter of the first flexible exhaust tube based on the sensed air pressure.
A data center comprising:
- a plurality of computing devices in the data center, wherein the computing devices pull cool air from a cold aisle inside the data center and exhaust hot air into a hot aisle in the data center,
- a plurality of flexible cylindrical fabric air ducts extending from outside the data center to the hot aisle;
- and
- a plurality of cincture devices, wherein each of the cincture devices are wrapped around a circumference of one of the cylindrical fabric air ducts;
- one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure in or near each of the cylindrical fabric air ducts;
- and
- wherein the one or more pressure sensors are network-enabled, wherein the data center further comprises a management computer connected to the one or more pressure sensors via a network and configured to read pressure values from the pressure sensors and activate the cincture devices in response to pressure values outside a predetermined range.
A cooling duct comprising:
- a tube comprising a cylindrical flexible membrane having a first annular end and a second annular end;
- a cincture mechanism connected around a perimeter of the cylindrical flexible membrane between the first annular end and the second annular end, wherein the cincture mechanism is configured to reduce the diameter of the cylindrical flexible membrane upon tightening;
- wherein the cincture mechanism further comprises a sensor sensing a circumference of the tube at the cincture mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.