Data center coolant switch
Abstract
A data center cooling system is operated in a first mode; it has an indoor portion wherein heat is absorbed from components in the data center, and an outdoor heat exchanger portion wherein outside air is used to cool a first heat transfer fluid (e.g., water) present in at least the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the cooling system during the first mode. The first heat transfer fluid is a relatively high performance heat transfer fluid (as compared to the second fluid), and has a first heat transfer fluid freezing point. A determination is made that an appropriate time has been reached to switch from the first mode to a second mode. Based on this determination, the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the data cooling system is switched to a second heat transfer fluid, which is a relatively low performance heat transfer fluid, as compared to the first heat transfer fluid. It has a second heat transfer fluid freezing point lower than the first heat transfer fluid freezing point, and the second heat transfer fluid freezing point is sufficiently low to operate without freezing when the outdoor air temperature drops below a first predetermined relationship with the first heat transfermore »
- Inventors:
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- International Business Machines Corp., Armonk, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1222634
- Patent Number(s):
- 9151543
- Application Number:
- 13/184,239
- Assignee:
- International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F25 - REFRIGERATION OR COOLING F25B - REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F28 - HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL F28D - HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
- DOE Contract Number:
- EE0002894
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 2011 Jul 15
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
Citation Formats
Iyengar, Madhusudan K., Parida, Pritish R., and Schultz, Mark D. Data center coolant switch. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web.
Iyengar, Madhusudan K., Parida, Pritish R., & Schultz, Mark D. Data center coolant switch. United States.
Iyengar, Madhusudan K., Parida, Pritish R., and Schultz, Mark D. Tue .
"Data center coolant switch". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1222634.
@article{osti_1222634,
title = {Data center coolant switch},
author = {Iyengar, Madhusudan K. and Parida, Pritish R. and Schultz, Mark D.},
abstractNote = {A data center cooling system is operated in a first mode; it has an indoor portion wherein heat is absorbed from components in the data center, and an outdoor heat exchanger portion wherein outside air is used to cool a first heat transfer fluid (e.g., water) present in at least the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the cooling system during the first mode. The first heat transfer fluid is a relatively high performance heat transfer fluid (as compared to the second fluid), and has a first heat transfer fluid freezing point. A determination is made that an appropriate time has been reached to switch from the first mode to a second mode. Based on this determination, the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the data cooling system is switched to a second heat transfer fluid, which is a relatively low performance heat transfer fluid, as compared to the first heat transfer fluid. It has a second heat transfer fluid freezing point lower than the first heat transfer fluid freezing point, and the second heat transfer fluid freezing point is sufficiently low to operate without freezing when the outdoor air temperature drops below a first predetermined relationship with the first heat transfer fluid freezing point.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {2015},
month = {10}
}
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