Cooling Servers in a Data Center Using Prevailing Winds
AssigneeFacebook, Inc.
InventorScott Wiley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A data center includes a wind collecting structure that directs prevailing winds external to the data center into an interior of the wind collecting structure. The wind collecting structure includes vents around its perimeter configured to selectively open on a side of the wind collecting structure receiving prevailing wind, pressurizing the intake air. The pressurized air flows from the wind collecting structure through a compartment of the data center including computing assets. The air is directed across the computing assets to extract heat from the computing assets during operation.
Claims18
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 air flows from the cold aisle to the hot aisle across the computing assets;
- a wind collecting structure having a plurality of inlets positioned along a perimeter of the wind collecting structure and facing multiple directions, each inlet configured to receive air from external to the wind collecting structure and direct the air to an interior of the wind collecting structure, the wind collecting structure fluidly coupled to the compartment and configured so that upon receiving air via one or more inlets a pressure in the wind collecting structure is higher than a pressure in the compartment so air flows from the wind collecting structure to the compartment;
- and
- an exhaust system coupled to the compartment and configured to extract air from the hot aisle.
A method comprising
- operating a plurality of computing assets arranged so a first side of the computing assets are oriented toward a cold aisle of a compartment and a second side of the computing assets are oriented toward a hot aisle of the compartment;
- collecting air external to a data center including the compartment from inlets along a perimeter of an wind collecting structure and configured to direct air external to the data center to an interior of the wind collecting structure;
- pressurizing the wind collecting structure relative to the compartment so air flows from the wind collecting structure to the compartment;
- and
- directing air from the cold aisle of the compartment across the computing assets and to the hot aisle of the compartment.
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 air flows from the cold aisle to the hot aisle across the computing assets;
- a wind collecting structure having a plurality of inlets positioned along a perimeter of the wind collecting structure and facing multiple directions, an inlet configured to open when an air flow contacts an exterior surface of the inlet and direct the air flow to an interior of the wind collecting structure, the wind collecting structure fluidly coupled to the compartment and configured so that upon receiving air via one or more inlets a pressure in the wind collecting structure is higher than a pressure in the compartment so air flows from the wind collecting structure to the compartment;
- an exhaust system coupled to the compartment and configured to extract air from the hot aisle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.