US 12,713,564 B2Granted

Heat removal systems and methods

OwnerDale LeFebvre, Kenneth Choiinventors

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Abstract

As air inside a building (e.g., a data center or any building that generates heat) becomes heated, it rises and is received or captured by a heat containment and then expelled from the building. The hot air is not recycled, recirculated, or re-cooled. Hot air being expelled from the building creates a pressure differential in which the pressure at the hot side of the building (where the heat containment is located) is lower than the cool side of the building. To this end, a chilling unit is installed at an opening of a building to supply cooled air at a constant rate. The chilling unit does not have an internal controller. Rather, an air conditioning (AC) unit of the building acts as an external controller. The AC unit is be set to maintain a target temperature and only runs when the temperature inside the building is above the target temperature.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for removing heat from and cooling air in a building, the system comprising:

a modular chilling unit separate from the building for supplying cooled air to the building at a constant rate, the building having a heat containment for capturing or receiving hot air inside the building, the building further having an exhaust structure comprising one or more vents associated with one or more vent fans for expelling the hot air from the building, the chilling unit comprising:
a housing having an intake end and an exhaust end in communication with the heat containment, wherein the intake end is not in communication with hot air downstream of the heat containment;
at least one chilling element disposed between the intake end and the exhaust end to lower the temperature of the ambient air;
and
at least one fan positioned in the housing and set to operate at a constant speed to draw ambient air from the intake end of the housing, cool the ambient air by directing air through the at least one chilling element, and direct the cooled air to an opening of the building;
wherein the system is operated to create a desired pressure differential by selectively operating the one or more vent fans to expel the hot air from the building such that an air pressure at a hot side of the building is lower than an air pressure at a cool side of the building, wherein the desired pressure differential draws the cooled air supplied by the chilling unit through the opening of the building from the hot side of the building to the cool side of the building;
and
wherein the building has an air conditioning unit that is set to maintain a target temperature and, responsive to a temperature in the building rising above the target temperature and with the chilling unit supplying the cooled air to the building at the constant rate, the air conditioning unit is operable to run until the temperature in the building drops down at or below the target temperature.

5 more elements

A method for removing heat from and cooling air in a building, the method comprising:

positioning an exhaust end of a modular chilling unit in an opening of the building, the modular chilling unit separate from the building, the chilling unit having:
a housing having an intake end and the exhaust end in communication with a heat containment, wherein the intake end is not in communication with hot air downstream of the heat containment;
at least one chilling element disposed between the intake end and the exhaust end to lower the temperature of the ambient air;
and
at least one fan positioned in the housing and set to operate at a constant speed to draw ambient air from the intake end of the housing, cool the ambient air by directing air through the at least one chilling element, and direct the cooled air to the opening of the building;
capturing or receiving hot air inside the building through the heat containment inside the building;
setting an air conditioning unit inside the building to maintain a target temperature;
and
expelling the hot air from the building through an exhaust structure of the building, the exhaust structure comprising one or more vents associated with one or more vent fans;
operating the exhaust structure to create a desired pressure differential by selectively operating the one or more vent fans to expel the hot air from the building such that an air pressure at a hot side of the building is lower than an air pressure at a cool side of the building, wherein the desired pressure differential draws the cooled air supplied by the chilling unit through the opening of the building from the hot side of the building to the cool side of the building;
and
wherein, responsive to a temperature in the building rising above the target temperature and with the chilling unit supplying the cooled air to the building at a constant rate, the air conditioning unit is operable to run until the temperature in the building drops down at or below the target temperature.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/303,429Filed 19 Apr 2023 · continuation
Priority: 30 Dec 2014
Published: US 2023/0255001 A110 Aug 2023
Granted: 18 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H05K 7/20745
Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant: within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
H05K 7/20827
Liquid cooling with phase change: within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. air conditioning devices
H05K 7/20836
For server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks: thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
F24F 1/0035
Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units: characterised by introduction of outside air to the room

Family

Application62/098,176Us provisional application · filed 30 Dec 2014
Application14/984,149Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Dec 2015
Application15/678,961Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Aug 2017
US 9,769,960 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Sep 2017
Application16/230,799Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Dec 2018
US 10,212,855 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Feb 2019
Application16/850,869Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Apr 2020
US 10,667,436 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 May 2020
US 2023/0255001 A1Pre-grant publication · published 10 Aug 2023
US 11,659,693 B2Parent of this continuation
Application16/850,869Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application16/230,799Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0192542 A1Published application
US 2017/0347497 A1Published application
US 2019/0141859 A1Published application
US 2020/0245510 A1Published application
US 12,713,564 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.