Systems and methods for cooling computer data centers

Abstract

A data center cooling system is provided to maintain data center temperatures without introducing detrimental conditions into the data center. The computer data center cooling system has a cooling tower that controllably provides cooling water at a temperature in a particular range. The cooling water is then pumped through a series of filtration, treatment, monitoring and separation subsystems to reliably clean the cooling water of particles and treat the cooling water to reduce the harmful effects of corrosion and scaling. Further control subsystems utilize PID loop controllers to maintain the temperature to the air-handler unit cooling coils to within one (1) degree Fahrenheit of a set point that is determined by the computer data center air conditions. The cooling system utilizes either a primary loop or a combination of primary/secondary loops to achieve the highest system efficiency.

1 . An open-loop cooling system that provides cooling water for use in cooling environmentally sensitive volumes of air, the open-loop cooling system comprising:
 an evaporative heat exchanger that mixes cooling water with air having a low wet bulb temperature to cool the cooling water;   a temperature control subsystem, connected to the evaporative heat exchanger, that controls the temperature of the cooling water circulating in the open-loop cooling system, the temperature control subsystem comprising:
 a temperature monitor that measures the temperature of the cooling water exiting the evaporative heat exchanger; and 
 a mechanical cooler that provides supplementary mechanical cooling to the cooling water if the temperature monitor indicates the temperature of the cooling water is higher than a desired cooling temperature; and 
   at least one air-handler unit that facilitates the transfer of heat from the environmentally sensitive volume of air to the cooling water.   
     
     
         2 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the environmentally sensitive volume is a data center. 
     
     
         3 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the evaporative heat exchanger is a cooling tower. 
     
     
         4 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mechanical cooler comprises:
 a chiller, that provides the supplementary mechanical cooling to the cooling water; and   a condenser, wherein the condenser is configured to use cooling water exiting the evaporative heat exchanger as inlet water to cool the mechanical cooler condenser, thereby utilizing the cooling occurring in the evaporative heat exchanger.   
     
     
         5 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , wherein the desired cooling temperature of the cooling water is determined by the wet bulb temperature of air in the data center. 
     
     
         6 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a chemical treatment and monitoring subsystem. 
     
     
         7 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 3 , wherein the air utilized in the cooling tower is atmospheric air with a low wet bulb temperature. 
     
     
         8 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 7 , wherein following the cooling of the cooling water, the atmospheric air is exhausted to an ambient atmosphere, thereby using the ambient atmosphere as a heat sink of the open-loop cooling system. 
     
     
         9 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a mixing element that heats the cooling water if the temperature control subsystem indicates the temperature of the cooling water is cooler than the desired cooling temperature. 
     
     
         10 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 9 , wherein the mixing element is a three-way valve that mixes warmer cooling water returning from the air-handler with cooler cooling water from the cooling tower. 
     
     
         11 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an air removal subsystem having a piping configuration, wherein the air-handler supply piping stems from a bottom or a side of a system pump outlet piping section, such that air is not directed to the air-handler unit. 
     
     
         12 . An open-loop cooling system for use in cooling a data center, comprising:
 at least one air-handler unit configured to facilitate the transfer of heat from air in the data center to cooling water that circulates through a cooling water system, the cooling water system comprising:
 a cooling tower connected to the air-handler unit, wherein the cooling tower allows cooling water to mix with air having a low wet bulb temperature; and 
 a temperature control subsystem, connected to the cooling tower and the air-handler unit, that controls the temperature of the cooling water circulating in the cooling water system, the temperature control subsystem comprising:
 a temperature monitor that measures the temperature of the cooling water exiting the cooling tower; 
 a mechanical cooler that provides supplementary mechanical cooling to the cooling water if the temperature control subsystem indicates the temperature of the cooling water is higher than the desired cooling temperature; and 
 a mixing element that heats the cooling water if the temperature control subsystem indicates the temperature of the cooling water is cooler than the desired cooling temperature. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the desired cooling temperature of the cooling water is determined by the wet bulb temperature of air in the data center. 
     
     
         14 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 11 , further comprising a chemical treatment and monitoring subsystem. 
     
     
         15 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 11 , wherein the air utilized in the cooling tower is atmospheric air with a low wet bulb temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The open-loop cooling system recited in  claim 12 , wherein following the cooling of the cooling water, the atmospheric air is exhausted to an ambient atmosphere, thereby using the ambient atmosphere as a heat sink of the open-loop cooling system. 
     
     
         17 . A method for data center cooling using an open-loop evaporative system that facilitates the production of cooling water at a desired cooling temperature, the method comprising:
 mixing heated cooling water with air having a low wet bulb temperature in a cooling tower, thereby utilizing the latent heat of vaporization to cool the cooling water;   circulating at least a portion of the cooling water through a temperature control subsystem, wherein the temperature control subsystem measures the temperature of the cooling water;   comparing the temperature measured in the temperature control subsystem to the desired cooling water temperature;   altering the temperature of the cooling water in the temperature control subsystem if the cooling water temperature is different from the desired cooling temperature;   circulating the cooling water through one or more cooling coils of an air-handler unit, wherein air from the data center is forced across the cooling coil such that the air from the data center transfers its heat to the cooling water; and   returning the heated cooling water to the cooling tower.   
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising determining the desired temperature from the wet bulb temperature of air in the data center. 
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 utilizing atmospheric air having a low wet bulb temperature in the cooling tower; and   exhausting the atmospheric air after cooling the cooling water occurs back to the ambient atmosphere.   
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 19 , further comprising monitoring the chemical composition of the cooling water.