US 7,046,514 B2 · Data center cooling

Abstract

A modular data center, for housing and cooling electronic equipment, includes multiple housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one cooling unit, each of the housings of the first portion having a front and a back and configured to hold the heat-producing electronic equipment such that gas is drawn into the equipment from fronts of the equipment, heated by the equipment to become heated gas, and expelled by the electronic equipment is expelled through the backs of the housings, and at least one panel coupled to a pair of the housings to bridge a gap between the pair of the housings, where the housings and the at least one panel are disposed and coupled to form a laterally-enclosed arrangement laterally enclosing a hot region and defining a top opening allowing gas to vertically exit the hot region, and where backs of the housings of the first portion are disposed adjacent to the hot region such that the heat-producing equipment, when mounted to the housings, will expel the heated gas into the hot region.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A modular data center for housing and cooling electronic equipment, the data center comprising:

a plurality of housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one cooling unit, each of the housings of the first portion having a front and a back and configured to hold the heat-producing electronic equipment such that gas is drawn into the equipment from fronts of the equipment, heated by the equipment to become heated gas, and expelled by the electronic equipment through the backs of the housings;
and
at least one panel coupled to a pair of the housings to bridge a gap between the pair of the housings;
wherein the housings and the at least one panel are disposed and coupled to form a laterally-enclosed arrangement laterally enclosing a hot region and defining a top opening allowing gas to vertically exit the hot region;
and
wherein backs of the housings of the first portion are disposed adjacent to the hot region such that the heat-producing equipment, when mounted to the housings, will expel the heated gas into the hot region.

3 more elements

A system for containing and cooling electronic equipment that produces heat during operation, the system comprising:

a plurality of housings, a first portion of the housings being configured to allow gas to pass through fronts of the housings, through interiors of the housings, and out through backs of the housings, the first portion of the housings being further configured to contain the electronic equipment in an arrangement such that the equipment will draw gas through the fronts of the housings, through the equipment thereby heating the gas to produce heated gas, and expelling the heated gas through the backs of the housings, the plurality of housings being disposed to form a substantial portion of a lateral enclosure laterally surrounding a hot region;
closure means for laterally coupling at least two of the housings to complete the lateral enclosure surrounding the hot region, the closure means and the plurality of housings providing a top opening such that the system provides substantially no upper bounds to the hot region;
and
cooling means, disposed in at least one of the housings, for cooling the heated gas to produce the relatively cool gas and to provide a relatively cool gas to fronts of the first portion of the housings;
wherein the plurality of housings are disposed such that the electronic equipment, while operating, will expel the heated gas into the hot region.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data center cooling

Life of this patent

Data center cooling

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18