JP2009140421A - Server rack and data center provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a server rack, capable of contributing to energy saving by surely discharging warm air used for cooling of a server out of a rack body, supplying an appropriate quantity of cold air according to the heating value of the server, and thus preventing wasteful blowing of an air conditioner without temperature unevenness within a server management room, and a data center provided with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The server rack comprises a rack body 1 having an air intake port 7 and an exhaust port 8. A plurality of server storage chambers 4 partitioned by a partition plate 3 are formed within the rack body 1, and a fan 2 capable of blowing a larger quantity of air than that in a built-in fan 6 provided by a sever 5 stored in the server storage chamber 4 is provided in the exhaust port 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a server rack capable of appropriately cooling an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) device such as a server, and a data center including the server rack. In the following description, a server is taken as an example of the heating element.

  FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a conventional server rack, and FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of a conventional data center.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the conventional server rack has a rack main body 71 partitioned by a partition plate 72 to form a plurality of server accommodation chambers 73. Each server 79 is accommodated in the server accommodation chamber 73. One side surface of the rack body 71 is opened on the entire surface, and this becomes an air inlet 74 and communicates with each server accommodation chamber 73. The other side surface of the rack body 71 is also open on the entire surface, and this serves as an exhaust port 75 and is exhausted from each server accommodation chamber 73. The floor 77 on which the rack body 71 is placed is formed in a double floor structure, and an air supply plenum 76 is formed under the floor. The floor 77 is provided with a grating 78, and the cold air from the air conditioner 81 (see FIG. 12) passes through the air supply plenum 76 and is a grating plate that is a lattice plate formed on the floor 77 near the air inlet 74 of the rack body 71. Air is supplied from 78 and flows into the air inlet 74 of the rack body 71. This inflow of cold air is performed by being sucked in by a built-in fan 80 built in the server 79.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the conventional data center has a plurality of rack rows 82 (four rows in the figure) formed by arranging a plurality of rack bodies 71 (six in the drawing) in which the servers 79 are housed in the server management room 83. ) Arranged. The gratings 78 provided on the floor 77 are all formed on the intake port 74 side of the rack body 71. When the server 79 operates and generates heat, as described above, the cold air is supplied from the air conditioner 81 through the air supply plenum 76 into the server management room 83 from the grating 78, and the server accommodation rooms 73 ( 11), the server 79 is cooled, and the warmed air is exhausted from the exhaust port 75 to the server management room 83 and returned to the air conditioner 81 again.

  However, there are a large number of users of the server 79 managed in the data center, a heat load in which any amount of heat is generated in any place in any place in the server management room 83, and in which time zone for generating heat is not determined. There are characteristics. In addition, since many wires are drawn in the air supply plenum 76 under the floor, this may hinder the flow of cold air, and sufficient cold air may not be supplied into the server management room 83. In order to prevent this, the air conditioner 81 is supplied with a large amount of air. However, if air is supplied at a high speed, the warmed exhaust is attracted and the exhaust flows around the rack body 71. (Arrow A in FIG. 11) causes exhaust (warm air) to circulate in the server accommodation chamber 73 (arrow B in FIG. 11). Therefore, a high temperature region is locally formed in the server management room 83, which may affect other rack main bodies 71 or rack rows 82.

  In order to lower the temperature of the local high temperature region, cold air having a lower temperature is supplied with a large air volume. However, in this case, there is a problem that the server 79 is not cooled too much in a portion where the server 79 does not generate heat. In combination with the above-described warm air circulation and warm air circulation, the temperature distribution in the server management room 83 becomes uneven. In this way, supplying the maximum air volume determined by the maximum load using the air conditioner 81 as the constant air volume actually means that the average heat generation load of the server is only about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption. Nevertheless, it is very wasteful of energy to always supply 100% air volume. Further, as described above, in order to prevent attraction of warm air due to high-speed air supply by supplying air with a large amount of air, the width of the outside of the intake port is widened to increase the installation area of the grating 78, It is necessary to increase the air area and slow down the supply air speed. Furthermore, it is necessary to increase the width of the outside of the exhaust port so as to slow down the wind speed of the exhaust, thereby preventing wraparound and circulation. From the above, it is necessary to provide a space for reducing the wind speed of the intake air and the exhaust air on the intake port side and the exhaust port side of the server main body 1, respectively.

  In recent years, the amount of heat generated by ICT devices has increased rapidly with the enhancement of CPU performance and integration, and the above-mentioned problems have been more noticeably highlighted. Air conditioning optimization has become an important social issue. However, under the present circumstances, since an air conditioner is added to cope with the increasing amount of heat generation, the space for installing the air conditioner and the installation place of the outdoor unit are insufficient, and it is in a state where it is not fully supported. In addition, when the outdoor units are densely installed, the cooling capacity of the air conditioner is reduced.

  Hereinafter, although there is a part which overlaps with the above, the problem which the prior art shown in FIG. 11, FIG. 12 has is listed.

  A high-temperature failure is caused by the inflow of high-temperature exhaust discharged from the rack exhaust surface (Back) to the rack intake surface (Front) by the so-called Front to Back rack row arrangement in which an air flow is formed from the exhaust surface to the intake surface.

  High temperature failure is caused by air conditioning airflow not reaching due to failure of air supply plenum, inadequate ventilation in the rack due to attraction or wraparound due to high-speed air supply.

  Internal airflow (internal circulation airflow) occurs in the rack, and high-temperature exhaust flows to other ICT devices, causing a high-temperature failure.

  The heat generated by ICT devices such as servers has undefined characteristics such as location, range, quantity, and time, causing heat accumulation due to insufficient cooling of high heat generating devices, while surroundings of low heat generating devices become too cold. .

  For this reason, in order to prevent a high temperature failure, the supply air temperature is lowered and the maximum air volume determined by the maximum load is supplied with a constant air volume. However, although the average heat generation load of the ICT device is only about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption, it is very wasteful of energy to always supply 100% of the air volume. ing.

  Many air conditioners for cooling the ICT device such as a server are required, and increasing power consumption of the air conditioner and securing an air conditioner installation space have become problems. In particular, when there is a shortage of outdoor unit installation space such as a rooftop or a veranda, the outdoor units are excessively installed, causing a reduction in air conditioning function and failure.

  In the double-floor air conditioning system, when supplying cold air from an open rack to double-floor grating, it is ideal if cold air can be distributed according to the calorific value of each unit and the required air volume, but the actual situation is the distribution of heat. Heat accumulation in the indoor space due to the imbalance of the double floor grating layout (supply air volume), and high-temperature exhaust wrap around. In addition, the amount of air blown from the grating is not determined only by the opening ratio of the grating, but the pressure inside the double floor is related, and the pressure is laid in the shape of the supply plenum, such as the height and depth of the double floor, or here. It varies depending on the amount of power / communication cables and the opening area and distribution of the entire room. Since such complex elements are intertwined and the blown air volume is determined, a high level of technology is required for the design.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view of another conventional data center.

  In order to solve the above problem, this data center forms a passage (cold aisle 84) by facing the intake surface side of the rack row 82 formed by a plurality of rack main bodies 71, and doors 86 at both ends of this passage. The cold aisle 84 is formed as an independent area isolated in the server management room 83 by the wall and ceiling. As a result, the exhaust gas that has passed through the rack body 71 is prevented from entering the intake port 74 again, and only the cold air from the air conditioner 81 passes through the rack body 71.

  However, when the cold aisle 84 is isolated as described above, a passage (hot aisle 85) is formed in which the exhaust surface side of the rack row 82 faces each other. The server management room 83 has a floor layout in which the hot aisle 85 surrounds the whole. Since the manager of the data center needs to enter the server management room 83 for maintenance of the server rack, the manager passes this hot aisle 85. Therefore, it is necessary to set the hot aisle 85 to room temperature (about 28 ° C.). Then, it is necessary to set the temperature of the air supplied to the cold aisle 84 to a lower temperature (about 18 ° C.). Further, since the cool air is supplied to the server that does not generate heat, the above-described problem of uneven temperature in the server management room 83 has not been solved. As the temperature unevenness occurs, these temperatures are mixed in the hot aisle 85, and the average temperature of the hot aisle 85 is about 21 ° C. As a result, the return air temperature to the air conditioner also becomes lower, and the efficiency of the air conditioning function is improved by raising the return air temperature of the air conditioner, the outside air cooling, free cooling (the cooling effect by the cooling tower without using the refrigerator) This will not contribute to energy saving due to an extended use period of cold air generated by using cold water formed in (1).

  Moreover, since isolating the cold aisle 84 supplies air from the air supply plenum 76 using a double floor, the problems of the air supply plenum have not been solved. That is, since a large number of wires are drawn in the air supply plenum 76 under the floor, this may hinder the flow of cold air, and sufficient cold air may not be supplied into the server management room 83. In order to prevent this, the air conditioner 81 is supplied with a large amount of air. However, if air is supplied at a high speed, the warmed exhaust is attracted and the exhaust flows around the rack body 71. (Arrow A in FIG. 11) causes exhaust (warm air) to circulate in the server accommodation chamber 73 (arrow B in FIG. 11). Therefore, a high temperature region is locally formed in the server management room 83, which may affect other rack main bodies 71 or rack rows 82. In such a situation, it is ideal that the cool air can be supplied according to the heat generation amount and the necessary air flow for each server rack, but for the above-mentioned reason, this is not possible.

  Further, the amount of air blown from the grating 78 is not determined only by the opening ratio of the grating to the floor surface, but is related to the pressure inside the double floor, and the pressure is the shape of the air supply plenum 76 such as the height and depth of the double floor. Alternatively, it varies depending on the amount of power / communication cables laid here and the arrangement of gratings in the entire server management room 83. Since such complex elements are intertwined and the amount of blown air is determined, high-level technology is required for designing when supplying air with a double floor, which is troublesome and cumbersome.

  Hereinafter, although there is a part which overlaps with the above, the problem which the prior art shown in FIG. 13 has is listed.

  There are some ideas to ensure the ventilation in the rack, but the maximum air volume determined by the maximum load of the ICT device in the rack is supplied with a constant air volume. However, although the average heat generation load of the ICT device is only about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption, it is very wasteful of energy to always supply 100% of the air volume. ing.

  By isolating the cold aisle with the wall and ceiling, the floor layout is such that the hot aisle surrounds the whole, and the hot aisle has to be at room temperature (about 28 ° C) to enter and exit normal maintenance. Is inevitably set to a lower temperature (about 18 ° C.). Therefore, the cold aisle becomes very cold. Further, the exhaust temperature of the ICT device in the rack is high when the exhaust temperature is high, and the exhaust temperature is low when the heat is not generated or low, and as a result, the entire hot aisle generates temperature irregularities such as heat accumulation and excessive cooling. This is the same as in the prior art (FIG. 12).

  In addition, when the ICT device has an average heat generation load (about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption), the average temperature of the entire hot aisle is about 21 ° C. As a result, the return air temperature to the air conditioner is also low. As a result, the efficiency of the air conditioning function is improved by increasing the return air temperature of the air conditioner, and it does not contribute to the energy saving due to the longer usage period of the outside air cooling and free cooling.

  Furthermore, since the hot aisle surrounds the whole and the cold aisle is isolated by the walls and ceiling, the cold aisle is separated and becomes like a small island. There is no choice but to use a heavy bed, which is no different from the conventional air supply system (FIG. 12).

  As described above, it is said that the prior art shown in FIG. 13 is currently at the forefront. However, even in this system, it can be said that the potential problems as a system that has been held before are hardly solved. .

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling system and a cooling structure. However, this cooling structure does not solve the problem that the exhaust gas circulates outside the rack or the exhaust gas circulates inside the rack.

JP 2006-301758 A

  The present invention takes the above-described conventional technology into consideration, and reliably exhausts the warm air used for cooling the server to the outside of the rack body and supplies an appropriate amount of cool air according to the heat generation amount of the server. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a server rack and a data center including the server rack that can contribute to energy saving by preventing unnecessary air blowing of the air conditioner without causing temperature unevenness in the server management room.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a rack body having an intake port and an exhaust port, and a plurality of server housing chambers partitioned by a partition plate are formed in the rack body, The exhaust port is provided with a fan capable of blowing a larger air volume than a built-in fan included in the server housed in the server storage room, and is provided with a temperature detection device in the vicinity of the fan, and the fan is connected to the temperature detection device. Provided is a server rack characterized in that the air volume can be adjusted according to the heat generation amount of the server according to the measurement result.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that a shielding plate for blocking air flow is provided between an inner wall of the server accommodation chamber on the inlet side and a server accommodated in the server accommodation chamber. It is said.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the server storage chamber communicates with only the server storage chambers adjacent in the vertical or horizontal direction within the rack body, and the intake port communicates only with the start server storage chamber, The mouth is characterized in that it communicates only with the terminal server chamber.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a server management room in which a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack bodies are arranged are arranged, and a server management room or another adjacent room for cooling the inside of the rack body. The exhaust air outlet of the rack body is in direct communication with an exhaust plenum formed on the back of the ceiling of the server management room, and the exhaust plenum is an air inlet of the air conditioner. The data center provided with the server rack according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air outlet from the air conditioner is directly connected to the server management room.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a server management room in which a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack main bodies are arranged are arranged, and a server management room or another adjacent room for cooling the inside of the rack main body. A data center including an air conditioner, wherein an exhaust area surrounded by a surface of the rack body on the exhaust port side is formed in the server management room, and the exhaust area is a ceiling of the server management room The exhaust plenum directly communicates with the exhaust plenum formed on the back, the exhaust plenum directly communicates with the air intake of the air conditioner, and the air outlet from the air conditioner is disposed in the server management room other than the exhaust area. The data center provided with the server rack in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by these is provided.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a server management room having a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack bodies are arranged, and a server management room or a separate room adjacent to the rack body to cool the rack body are provided. A data center including an air conditioner, wherein an exhaust area surrounded by the exhaust port side surface of the rack body is formed in the server management room, and an air supply of the air conditioner is formed in the exhaust area 5. A data center having a server rack according to claim 1, wherein a port is provided, and a blower port from the air conditioner is disposed in the server management room other than the exhaust area. provide.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the rack body is provided with a fan having a larger air volume than the built-in fan of the server, the warm air is forcibly exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a hot region from being locally formed in the rack main body without circulating the warm exhaust in the server housing chamber. In addition, in order to prevent the attraction of warm air due to high-speed air supply, as described above, the width of the outside of the intake port is widened to increase the installation area of the grating. There is no need to increase the area and slow down the air supply speed. Furthermore, it is not necessary to increase the width of the outside of the exhaust port to slow the exhaust air speed and prevent wraparound and circulation. From the above, it is not necessary to provide a space for reducing the wind speed of the intake air and the exhaust air on the intake port side and the exhaust port side of the server main body, and the space efficiency is high. Further, since the air volume of the fan can be adjusted according to the heat generation amount of the server while measuring the temperature of the warm air exhausted, the cool air can be appropriately supplied into the rack body. That is, variable air volume control is possible according to the heat generation load of the server. Therefore, there is no temperature unevenness in the server management room, and it is possible to construct an energy saving system with high air conditioning efficiency by preventing unnecessary air supply. In addition, the parameter | index regarding air-conditioning efficiency is mentioned later.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the shielding plate for blocking the air flow is provided between the inner wall of the server accommodation chamber on the inlet side and the server accommodated in the server accommodation chamber, Always pass through the server. Therefore, the air conditioning efficiency can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the server storage chamber communicates with the adjacent server storage chamber within the rack body, the intake port communicates only with the start server storage chamber, and the exhaust port communicates with the terminal server storage. Since it communicates only with the chamber, the server storage chambers are continuously arranged in series from the intake port to the exhaust port. Therefore, even if there is a server that is not in operation, the cold air is used to cool the server that passes through it and always generates heat. Thereby, air-conditioning efficiency increases.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the exhaust port of the rack body directly communicates with the exhaust plenum formed in the back of the ceiling of the server management room, and the exhaust plenum directly communicates with the air intake port of the air conditioner, the exhaust is surely performed. The air passes through the exhaust plenum and is sucked into the air conditioner. For this reason, the exhaust does not go around the rack body and is supplied again from the intake port. In addition, since the cold aisle is a traffic area for managers and others, the cold aisle temperature can be set to near room temperature (about 25 ° C) and the return air temperature to the air conditioner is high (about 35 ° C). ), The efficiency of the air conditioning function can be improved. Moreover, free cooling can be used effectively in an air conditioner using outside air cooling or cold water, which is an energy saving operation method of the air conditioner. In addition, the hot aisle and cold aisle are clearly zoned (compartment), and coupled with the air volume control of the fan, the cold aisle has no load, so a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used. This is also preferable in terms of cost.

  According to the invention of claim 5, an exhaust area surrounded by a surface on the exhaust outlet side of the rack body is formed in the server management room, and the exhaust area includes an exhaust plenum formed on the ceiling of the server management room. Since the exhaust plenum communicates directly with the air intake of the air conditioner, the exhaust from the rack body surely passes through the exhaust region (hot aisle) and is taken into the air conditioner. For this reason, the exhaust does not go around the rack body and is supplied again from the intake port. In addition, since the cold aisle becomes a traffic area for managers and others, the cold aisle temperature can be set to near room temperature (about 25 ° C) and the return air temperature to the air conditioner is high (about 35 ° C). Therefore, the efficiency of the air conditioning function can be improved. Moreover, free cooling can be used effectively in an air conditioner using outside air cooling or cold water, which is an energy saving operation method of the air conditioner. In addition, the hot aisle and cold aisle are clearly zoned (compartment), and coupled with the air volume control of the fan, the cold aisle has no load, so a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used. This is also preferable in terms of cost.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, an exhaust area surrounded by the surface on the exhaust outlet side of the rack body is formed in the server management room, and the air conditioner is disposed in the exhaust area. Surely passes through the exhaust area (hot aisle) and is returned to the air conditioner. For this reason, the exhaust does not go around the rack body and is supplied again from the intake port. In addition, since the cold aisle is a traffic area for managers and others, the cold aisle temperature can be set to near room temperature (about 25 ° C) and the return air temperature to the air conditioner is high (about 35 ° C). ), The efficiency of the air conditioning function can be improved. Moreover, free cooling can be used effectively in an air conditioner using outside air cooling or cold water, which is an energy saving operation method of the air conditioner. In addition, the hot aisle and cold aisle are clearly zoned (compartment), and coupled with the air volume control of the fan, the cold aisle has no load, so a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used. This is also preferable in terms of cost.

  The present invention comprises a rack main body having an intake port and an exhaust port, and a plurality of server storage chambers partitioned by a partition plate are formed in the rack main body, and are accommodated in the server storage chamber at the exhaust port. It has a fan that can blow a larger air volume than the built-in fan of the server, and exhausts the warm air used to cool the server to the outside of the rack body to supply an appropriate amount of cold air according to the heat generated by the server. Therefore, a server rack that can contribute to energy saving by preventing useless operation of the air conditioner without causing temperature unevenness in the server management room, and a data center including the server rack. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is considered that “optimization of data center” = “efficiency of air conditioning”, and in order to exert the maximum cooling effect by using the minimum air conditioning, It is a system that clearly zoning (partitioning) “high-temperature air by exhaust heat” and “low-temperature air blown from air conditioning”, processing heat generation with as little airflow as possible, and returning it to the air conditioner at a high temperature. High-efficiency, energy-saving and cost-effective comprehensive high efficiency (variable air volume) air conditioning system can be realized.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a server rack according to the present invention.

  As illustrated, the server rack according to the first embodiment includes a rack body 1 and a fan 2 provided in the rack body 1. The rack body 1 is placed on the floor 11. The inside of the rack body 1 is partitioned by a partition plate 3 to form a plurality of server accommodation chambers 4. A server 5 is placed in the server storage chamber 4. Each server 5 has a built-in fan 6. One side surface of the rack body 1 is opened, and an air inlet 7 is formed. The other side surface of the rack body 1 is also opened, and an exhaust port 8 is formed. The fan 2 is attached to the exhaust port 8. This attachment may be performed by any method. A plurality of fans 2 are attached to one exhaust port 8 (only one is shown in the figure). Of these, at least one is preferably attached as a spare. This is because by providing a spare fan, it is possible to cope with a failure of another fan. Reference numeral 24 denotes a backflow prevention damper for preventing the backflow of warm air through a fan that is stationary due to a failure or the like.

  The server rack shown in the first embodiment is arranged such that the partition plates 3 are horizontally parallel to each other, and each server accommodation chamber 4 communicates with the intake port 7 and the exhaust port 8. Cold air for cooling the server 5 placed in the server storage chamber 4 flows from the intake port 7, cools the server 5, and is exhausted from the exhaust port 8. This cold air flow is formed by the fan 2 provided in the exhaust port 8. The warm air after the server is cooled by the fan 2 is forcibly exhausted to the outside of the rack body 1. Therefore, the warm air is attracted by the intake air and does not flow back and circulate in the server housing chamber 4, and it is possible to prevent a high temperature region from being locally formed in the rack body 1. The fan 2 may be provided in each server storage chamber 4, or the plurality of server storage chambers 4 are made independent by the partition plate 3 so as to be one unit, thereby forming a plurality of units (three units in the figure). A fan 2 may be attached for each unit.

  The exhaust port 8 is provided with a temperature detection device 9. The fan 2 is adjusted in air volume according to the amount of heat generated by the server 5 based on the measurement result of the temperature detection device 9. As a result, the air volume of the fan 2 can be adjusted while measuring the temperature of the warm air exhausted, so that an appropriate amount of cold air can be supplied according to the amount of heat generated by the server 5. That is, by performing inverter control of the fan 2 so that the exhaust temperature becomes a set temperature (for example, about 35 ° C.), the air volume is automatically increased at a high load according to the heat generation state of the server 5, and at a low load. The variable air volume control according to the heat generation load of the server 5 that reduces the air volume is possible. Therefore, there is no temperature unevenness in the data center, and it is possible to construct an energy saving system with high air conditioning efficiency by preventing unnecessary air supply. In particular, since the actual heat generation load of the actual server 5 is about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption, the air conditioner can be operated in accordance with this, and a very high air conditioning efficiency can be realized.

  Between the server 5 and the inner wall of the server housing chamber 4 on the inlet 7 side, a shielding plate 10 for blocking the air flow is provided. That is, only the server 5 is exposed on the inlet 7 side of the server storage chamber 4. Therefore, the cool air always passes through the server 5. Therefore, the air conditioning efficiency of the server 5 can be increased.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of another server rack according to the present invention.

  As shown in the drawing, the server rack of the second embodiment has a structure in which one exhaust port 8 is formed in the upper portion of the rack body 1 and each server storage chamber 4 is communicated with the exhaust port 8. In this way, if the exhaust ports 8 from the respective server storage chambers 4 are collected at one place, the number of fans 2 installed can be reduced. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 3 is a sectional view of still another server rack according to the present invention.

  As illustrated, in the server rack of the third embodiment, the exhaust port 8 is formed toward the upper side of the server body 1, and is sealed and communicated with the ceiling 12. The exhaust is returned to the air conditioner through the exhaust plenum 13 which is the back of the ceiling. With such a configuration, the exhaust gas is not released into the room and is always returned to the air conditioner, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the exhaust gas from entering the rack body and being sucked again. Other configurations, operations, and effects are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 4 is a sectional view of still another server rack according to the present invention.

  As illustrated, the server rack of the fourth embodiment is formed by the partition plate 3 so that the server accommodation chamber 4 communicates only with the server accommodation chamber 4 adjacent in the vertical direction. That is, the air flow path is formed to meander in the rack body 1. Only the server housing chamber 4 at the end (starting end) communicates with the intake port 7, and only the server housing chamber 4 at the other end (terminal) communicates with the exhaust port 8. Accordingly, the plurality of server housing chambers 4 are continuously arranged in series from the air inlet 7 to the air outlet 8. As a result, even if there is a server 5 that is not operating, the cold air passes through the server 5 and is used to cool the server 5 that always generates heat. Thereby, air-conditioning efficiency increases. Note that one unit may be formed by the start end, the end, and the server accommodation chamber 4 between them, and a plurality of units may be provided in the rack body 1 (three units in the figure). Although not shown in the figure, the shielding plate 10 used in Examples 1 to 3 can also be used.

  FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of still another server rack according to the present invention.

  The figure shows only one unit as seen from the inlet 7 side. In the case of a vertical server 5 such as a blade server, the server 5 is placed in a vertical position on a table 23 in each server accommodation room 4. The table 23 has a lattice shape, and air can be circulated. In this case, if the partition plate 3 is formed so as to be engaged in a comb-like shape in the vertical direction and the server housing chamber 4 is formed, the air flow is formed to meander in the rack body 1. That is, the server storage chamber 4 communicates only with the server storage chamber 4 adjacent in the left-right direction. Therefore, the cold air flowing in from the intake port 7 passes through all the server storage chambers 4 and is exhausted from the exhaust port 8. Therefore, as in the fourth embodiment, even if there is a server 5 that is not in operation, the cool air is used to cool the server 5 that passes through it and always generates heat. Thereby, air-conditioning efficiency can be improved. In the figure, the fan 2 is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a sectional view of still another server rack according to the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the server rack of the sixth embodiment is a combination of the third and fourth embodiments, in which cold air meanders in the rack body 1 and the exhaust port 8 communicates with the ceiling 12. Is. With this configuration, the exhaust is not released into the room and is always returned to the air conditioner, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the exhaust from going around the rack body and being sucked again. Even if there is a server 5 that is not present, the cool air is used to cool the server 5 that is surely generating heat by passing through it, and the air conditioning efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, although there is a part which overlaps with the above, the effect of the server rack which concerns on this invention shown in Example 1- Example 6 is listed.

  By providing rack structural contrivance and variable air volume control function, the temperature and air flow in the rack can be controlled, and heat generation can be performed reliably with the minimum air volume according to the heat generation in the rack. Energy saving system with high air conditioning efficiency can be constructed.

  By attaching multiple exhaust fans (one is a spare) to the top or back of the rack and controlling the inverter so that the suction temperature becomes the set temperature (about 35 ° C), It is possible to automatically increase the air volume when the load is high, and decrease the air volume when the load is low, thereby constructing an energy saving system with high air conditioning efficiency.

  In addition, problems such as high-temperature exhaust flowing to other ICT devices due to internal air flow (internal circulation air flow) that tends to occur in the rack and causing high-temperature failure are forced by the exhaust fan as described above. It is solved by controlling the airflow.

  7A is a plan view of a data center according to the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  Example 7 is a data center to which the server rack of Example 3 or Example 6 is applied. The data center has a server management room 14 that accommodates a large number of server racks and in which a plurality (seven in the figure) of air conditioners 15 are arranged. The figure shows a server management room 14 in which six rack bodies 1 form a rack row 16 and four rack rows 16 are arranged. The exhaust port 8 of the rack body 1 directly communicates with the exhaust plenum 13 on the back of the ceiling, and the exhaust plenum 13 directly communicates with the intake port 17 of the air conditioner 15. Thereby, all the passages in the server management room 14 become an area (cold aisle 18) filled with the cold air from the air conditioner 15. As the air conditioner 15, various types such as a cold water type and an air-cooled direct expansion type can be used. According to such a configuration, the high temperature air region (exhaust plenum 13) due to exhaust heat and the low temperature air region (cold aisle 18) blown out from the air conditioner 15 are clearly zoned (comparted). Since the area is partitioned and no high temperature air is discharged to the cold aisle 18, the temperature of the cold aisle 18 becomes uniform, the temperature is easily controlled, and no excessive cooling or heat accumulation occurs.

  Further, the exhaust gas reliably passes through the exhaust plenum 13 and is returned to the air conditioner 15. For this reason, the exhaust does not go around the rack body 1 and is sucked again from the intake port 7.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 becomes a traffic area for managers and the like, the temperature setting of the cold aisle 18 can be set to room temperature (about 25 ° C.), and the temperature setting of the exhaust plenum 13 can be set to the environment of the ICT device in the rack. A temperature (for example, 35 ° C.) slightly lower (in consideration of safety) than the upper limit temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) of the conditions can be set. Therefore, since it can drive | operate in the state where the return air temperature to the air conditioner 15 is high, the operating efficiency of the air conditioner 15 can be improved.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 surrounds the entire floor layout, it is possible to supply cold air without using a double floor, so that a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used, which is preferable in terms of cost. . As described above, the number of installed air conditioners 15 can be reduced by increasing the air conditioning efficiency. Therefore, the problem of the installation space of the outdoor unit can be solved, the freedom of construction planning is increased, and the effectiveness of the space is also increased. If the air inlet of the air conditioner 15 is provided in the exhaust plenum 13 and the air outlet from the air conditioner 15 is provided in the cold aisle 18, the main body of the air conditioner 15 is provided in a separate room other than the server management room 14. It may be.

  Since a number of energy saving methods as described above can be employed, the running cost can be reduced and the environmental load can be reduced.

  8A is a plan view of another data center according to the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

  In the eighth embodiment, a region (hot aisle 19) filled with exhaust gas is formed by facing the exhaust port 8 side of the server rack (two hot aisles 19 in the figure). The hot aisle 19 is surrounded by a wall continuously formed from the ceiling, and a part of the wall is formed by the rack body 1 and the door 20. The hot aisle 19 directly communicates with the exhaust plenum 13 on the back of the ceiling, and the exhaust plenum 13 directly communicates with the air inlet 17 of the air conditioner 15. Thereby, all the passages in the server management room 14 become an area (cold aisle 18) filled with the cold air from the air conditioner 15. Therefore, each region is partitioned so as to clearly zone the high-temperature air region (hot aisle 19) due to exhaust heat and the low-temperature air region (cold aisle 18) blown from the air conditioner 15, Since no air is discharged to the cold aisle 18, the temperature of the cold aisle 18 becomes uniform, and in the hot aisle 19, the temperature becomes uniform and the temperature control is performed in combination with the variable air volume control. It's easy and doesn't get too cold or hot.

  Even with such a configuration, as in the seventh embodiment, the exhaust from the rack body 1 reliably passes through the hot aisle 19 and is returned to the air conditioner 15. Therefore, the same effect as that of Example 7 can be obtained. That is, the exhaust air does not go around the rack body 1 and is sucked again from the air inlet 7.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 becomes a traffic area for managers and the like, the temperature setting of the cold aisle 18 can be set to room temperature (about 25 ° C.), and the temperature setting of the hot aisle 19 can be set to the environment of the ICT device in the rack. A temperature (for example, 35 ° C.) slightly lower (in consideration of safety) than the upper limit temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) of the conditions can be set. Therefore, since it can drive | operate in the state where the return air temperature to the air conditioner 15 is high, the operating efficiency of the air conditioner 15 can be improved.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 surrounds the entire floor layout, it is possible to supply cold air without using a double floor, so that a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used, which is preferable in terms of cost. . As described above, the number of installed air conditioners 15 can be reduced by increasing the air conditioning efficiency. Therefore, the problem of the installation space of the outdoor unit can be solved, the freedom of construction planning is increased, and the effectiveness of the space is also increased. If the air inlet of the air conditioner 15 is disposed in the exhaust plenum 13 (hot aisle 19) and the air outlet from the air conditioner 15 is disposed in the cold aisle 18, the main body of the air conditioner 15 is other than the server management room 14. It may be provided in a separate room.

  Since a number of energy saving methods as described above can be employed, the running cost can be reduced and the environmental load can be reduced.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view of still another data center according to the present invention.

  In the ninth embodiment, a region (hot aisle 19) filled with exhaust is formed with the exhaust port 8 side of the server rack facing each other, and an air conditioner 15 is disposed in the hot aisle 19. Walls 22 and doors 20 are provided at positions other than the rack. Cold air from the air conditioner 15 is supplied through a duct 21 disposed along the ceiling. Thereby, the server management room 14 can be designed without forming the exhaust plenum 13 as in the seventh and eighth embodiments. Also in this example, each region is partitioned so that the region of hot air due to exhaust heat (hot aisle 19) and the region of cold air blown out from the air conditioner 15 (cold aisle 18) are clearly zoned. Therefore, the temperature of the cold aisle 18 becomes uniform because the high temperature air is not released to the cold aisle 18, and in the hot aisle 19, the temperature becomes uniform in combination with the variable air volume control. It is easy to control the temperature, so it doesn't get too cold or accumulate heat.

  Even with such a configuration, as in the seventh embodiment, the exhaust from the rack body 1 reliably passes through the hot aisle 19 and is returned to the air conditioner 15. Therefore, the same effect as that of Example 7 can be obtained. That is, the exhaust air does not go around the rack body 1 and is sucked again from the air inlet 7.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 becomes a traffic area for managers and the like, the temperature setting of the cold aisle 18 can be set to room temperature (about 25 ° C.), and the temperature setting of the hot aisle 19 can be set to the environment of the ICT device in the rack. A temperature (for example, 35 ° C.) slightly lower (in consideration of safety) than the upper limit temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) of the conditions can be set. Therefore, since it can drive | operate in the state where the return air temperature to the air conditioner 15 is high, the operating efficiency of the air conditioner 15 can be improved.

  Further, since the cold aisle 18 surrounds the entire floor layout, it is possible to supply cold air without using a double floor, so that a general inexpensive air conditioner can be used, which is preferable in terms of cost. . As described above, the number of installed air conditioners 15 can be reduced by increasing the air conditioning efficiency. Therefore, the problem of the installation space of the outdoor unit can be solved, the freedom of construction planning is increased, and the effectiveness of the space is also increased. If the air inlet of the air conditioner 15 is provided in the hot aisle 19 and the air outlet from the air conditioner 15 is provided in the cold aisle 18, the main body of the air conditioner 15 is provided in a separate room other than the server management room 14. It may be.

  Since a number of energy saving methods as described above can be employed, the running cost can be reduced and the environmental load can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, although there is a part which overlaps with the above, the effect of the data center which concerns on this invention shown in Example 7-9 is listed.

  By adopting the racks of the first to sixth embodiments, a variable air volume air conditioning system with high air conditioning efficiency can be constructed, resulting in energy saving.

  Since all heat generation processing can be performed in the rack with a small air volume, high temperature exhaust is discharged directly into the ceiling or completely isolated hot aisle, so that "high temperature air due to exhaust heat" and "low temperature air blown from the air conditioning" Can be clearly zoned (comparted) and is not released into the hot air region (cold aisle), so the region temperature is uniform. Therefore, there is no over-cooling or heat accumulation due to airflow or wraparound as in the prior art, and there is no high-temperature failure of ICT devices such as servers. The ICT device installation environment and the indoor environment are improved.

  Since no hot air is released into the cold aisle, there is little heat load on the cold aisle and the region temperature is always uniform. Therefore, the conventional complicated and troublesome simulation such as temperature and airflow distribution becomes unnecessary.

  The floor layout is such that the cold aisle surrounds the whole without releasing any high-temperature air into the cold aisle, eliminating the need for an air-conditioning system that uses an expensive floor blow-out type air conditioner that has been used in the past. In addition, it is possible to air-condition even with a direct blowing method of general air conditioning (general simple air conditioning). In addition, the construction cost is reduced, for example, a double floor for air conditioning becomes unnecessary.

  Since all heat generation processing is performed in the rack, the passage width required for airflow design on the front and back of the rack is not required as in the past, and only the passage width necessary for rack maintenance is required. The installation area can be reduced by about 15% to 20%, and the construction cost can be reduced.

  The heat generation load is not released at all into the cold aisle, but returns to the air conditioner via the ceiling or hot aisle, so all loads become the return side load of the air conditioner, and the air conditioner coil inlet side becomes hot (about 35 ° C). Therefore, the performance of the air conditioner is improved by about 20% to 30%. Furthermore, if it is an air conditioner using cold water, cold water going temperature can be made high (for example, 20 degreeC-23 degreeC), and the efficiency of a refrigerator can be improved about 20%-30%. In addition, the use period of outside air cooling and free cooling becomes longer, the amount of heat used becomes larger, and in the case of a heat storage system, the use temperature difference can be increased to about 3 to 5 times the normal, and thus large energy saving and energy saving. It is possible to construct a system that is costly.

  In addition, air-conditioning systems that use cold water have the problem of narrowing the outdoor unit installation space, which is a problem with conventional air-cooled direct expansion air-conditioner systems that do not use water. There is no problem such as exhaustion of machine space, the freedom of construction planning is increased, and the effectiveness of the space is also increased.

  The above-mentioned numerous energy saving methods can be adopted, and the running cost reduction and the environmental load reduction effect are enormous.

  FIG. 10 is a calculation formula for an index for evaluating the air conditioning efficiency.

  In recent years, the amount of heat generated by ICT devices has increased rapidly with the enhancement of CPU performance and integration, and the power density of data centers is said to have increased more than five times over the past decade. Along with this, the increase in air-conditioning running cost for cooling the ICT equipment is greatly highlighted, and “data center optimization” is regarded as “social responsibility” that a company should fulfill. Therefore, in the present invention, “data center optimization” = “air conditioning efficiency improvement” is considered, and as an index for evaluating the energy efficiency of the data center, how much air blown by the air conditioner is useful for heat generation processing of the ICT device. “Air conditioning efficiency”, a value that evaluates whether

As shown in (A), the air conditioning efficiency is calculated by adding the calculated air volume necessary for processing the heat generated by the ICT device and the calculated air volume required for processing other loads, and dividing by the actual air conditioner air volume. Expressed by value. Note that 0.33 is the specific heat of air (W / m ³ ° C). The higher the air-conditioning efficiency, the more heat generated is processed with a small air volume, and the air is returned to the air conditioner at a high temperature. About 85% of data centers around the world are expected to have an air conditioning efficiency of about 15% to 20% when the ICT equipment has an average heat load (about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption).

  Further, as shown in (B), the reciprocal of the air conditioning efficiency is defined as “air conditioning magnification”, and the larger the value, the more the air blown by the air conditioner is not useful in the heat generation processing of the ICT device, and the smaller the value, the smaller the value. It represents that the ventilation by the air conditioner is useful for the heat generation processing of the ICT device. The air conditioning efficiency is 100% = the air conditioning magnification is 1.

  In the server rack according to the present invention and the data center including the server rack, it is possible to increase the air conditioning efficiency to about 80% at the time of the average heat generation load of the ICT device (about 30% to 40% of the rated power consumption).

It is sectional drawing of the server rack which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of another server rack which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of another server rack which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing of another server rack which concerns on this invention. It is a partial cross section figure of another server rack concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing of another server rack which concerns on this invention. (A) of the data center which concerns on this invention is a top view, (B) is AA sectional drawing of (A). (A) of another data center which concerns on this invention is a top view, (B) is BB sectional drawing of (A). It is a top view of another data center concerning the present invention. It is a calculation formula about the parameter | index which evaluates air-conditioning efficiency. It is sectional drawing of the conventional server rack. It is a schematic plan view of the conventional data center. It is a schematic plan view of another conventional data center.

Explanation of symbols

1: rack main body, 2: fan, 3: partition plate, 4: server accommodation room, 5: server, 6: built-in fan, 7: air inlet, 8: air outlet, 9: temperature detector, 10: shielding plate, 11: floor, 12: ceiling, 13: exhaust plenum, 14: server management room, 15: air conditioner, 16: rack row, 17: air inlet, 18: cold aisle, 19: hot aisle, 20: door, 21: Duct, 22: Wall, 23: Stand, 24: Backflow prevention damper, 71: Rack body, 72: Partition plate, 73: Server accommodation room, 74: Inlet, 75: Exhaust, 76: Supply plenum, 77: Floor, 78: Grating, 79: Server, 80: Built-in fan, 81: Air conditioner, 82: Rack row, 83: Server management room, 84: Cold aisle, 85: Hot aisle, 86: Door

Claims (6)

Consists of a rack body having an intake port and an exhaust port,
In the rack body, a plurality of server storage rooms partitioned by a partition plate are formed,
The exhaust port is provided with a fan capable of blowing a larger air volume than a built-in fan included in a server accommodated in the server accommodation room,
Providing a temperature detector close to the fan,
The server rack, wherein the fan is capable of adjusting an air volume according to a heat generation amount of the server based on a measurement result of the temperature detection device.   The shielding plate for interrupting | blocking the distribution | circulation of air is provided between the inner wall by the side of the said inlet port of the said server storage chamber, and the server accommodated in the said server storage chamber. Server rack.   The server storage chamber communicates with only the server storage chamber adjacent in the vertical or horizontal direction in the rack body, the intake port communicates only with the start server storage chamber, and the exhaust port includes the terminal server storage. The server rack according to claim 1, wherein the server rack communicates only with the room. A server management room in which a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack bodies are arranged are arranged;
In order to cool the inside of the rack body, a data center including an air conditioner disposed in a server management room or an adjacent separate room,
The exhaust port of the rack body is in direct communication with an exhaust plenum that is a sealed space formed in the ceiling of the server management room.
The server rack according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the exhaust plenum directly communicates with an air inlet of the air conditioner, and an air outlet from the air conditioner is disposed in the server management room. Data center equipped with. A server management room in which a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack bodies are arranged are arranged;
In order to cool the inside of the rack body, a data center including an air conditioner disposed in a server management room or an adjacent separate room,
In the server management room, an exhaust area surrounded by the exhaust port side surface of the rack body is formed,
The exhaust area communicates directly with an exhaust plenum which is a sealed space formed in the ceiling of the server management room.
The exhaust plenum directly communicates with the air intake of the air conditioner, and the air outlet from the air conditioner is disposed in the server management room other than the exhaust area. A data center equipped with the server rack described in 1. A server management room in which a plurality of rack rows in which a plurality of the rack bodies are arranged are arranged;
In order to cool the inside of the rack body, a data center including an air conditioner disposed in a server management room or an adjacent separate room,
In the server management room, an exhaust area surrounded by the exhaust port side surface of the rack body is formed,
The air supply port of the air conditioner is provided in the exhaust area, and the air outlet from the air conditioner is disposed in the server management room other than the exhaust area. A data center equipped with the server rack described in 1.

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