Free cooling in high humidity environments
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPeter George Ross, Osvaldo P. Morales
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A data center includes heat producing components and an air handling system that provides reduced relative humidity air to cool the heat producing components. The air handling system includes a thermal storage unit that removes thermal energy from incoming air under a given set of ambient air conditions and releases thermal energy into incoming air under another set of ambient air conditions. Under the given set of ambient air conditions, the thermal storage unit cools the incoming air and causes water vapor to condense out of the incoming air. Under the other set of ambient air conditions, the thermal storage unit releases thermal energy into the incoming air, thus heating the incoming air.
Claims20
A data center comprising:
- heat producing components;
- and
- an air handling system configured to provide temperature and humidity conditioned air to the heat producing components to cool the heat producing components, wherein the air handling system comprises:
- a thermal storage unit;
- and
- an air moving device configured to direct air, from an external environment external to the data center, across the thermal storage unit and toward the heat producing components,
- wherein the thermal storage unit is configured to:
- under a given set of ambient air conditions for the air in the external environment, remove thermal energy from the air as the air passes across the thermal storage unit;
- and
- under another set of ambient air conditions for the air in the external environment, release thermal energy, previously removed from air passing across the thermal storage unit, into the air as the air passes across the thermal storage unit such that a capacity of the thermal storage unit to remove thermal energy is recharged.
An air handling system, comprising:
- a thermal storage unit configured to:
- remove, under a given set of air conditions, thermal energy from air passing across the thermal storage unit and
- release, under another set of air conditions, the thermal energy, into air passing across the thermal storage unit;
- an air moving device configured to direct air across the thermal storage unit;
- and
- a control system configured to control air flow through the air handling system such that an air flow comprising air that has passed across the thermal storage unit is maintained below a temperature threshold and a humidity threshold under:
- the given set of air conditions and while the thermal storage unit is removing thermal energy from the air passing across the thermal storage unit;
- and
- the other set of air conditions and while the thermal storage unit is releasing thermal energy into the air passing across the thermal storage unit.
A method comprising:
- directing air from an external environment, across a thermal storage unit of an air handling system, wherein the thermal storage unit is configured to:
- under a given set of ambient air conditions for the air in the external environment, remove thermal energy from the air as the air passes across the thermal storage unit;
- and
- under another set of ambient air conditions for the air in the external environment, release thermal energy, previously removed from air passing across the thermal storage unit, into the air as the air passes across the thermal storage unit,
- wherein the air handling system reduces the relative humidity of the air under the given set of ambient air conditions and under the other set of ambient air conditions;
- and
- directing the air with the reduced relative humidity toward a thermal load to cool the thermal load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.