Endothermic Reaction Apparatus for Removing Excess Heat in a Datacenter

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention generally provide for a system that removes excess thermal energy from a datacenter. In one embodiment, the system includes a holding container with highly thermally conductive surfaces installed in the warmest area(s) of the datacenter. Two substances are released into the holding container and are mixed creating a liquid solution and causing an endothermic reaction. The resulting reaction transfers thermal energy from the datacenter air to the new solution. The liquid solution is then pumped out of the datacenter, where it can be passed through an evaporation chamber, which separates the liquid solution into its two original substances.

1 . A datacenter system comprising:
 a cooling solution further comprising a first substance and a second substance, wherein the combination of the first substance and the second substance create an endothermic reaction;   a holding container configured to circulate the cooling solution; and   a separation unit coupled to the holding container configured to separate the cooling solution into the first substance and the second substance, the separation unit comprising an evaporation chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , wherein the evaporation chamber causes the first substance to evaporate, leaving the second substance in the evaporation chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The datacenter system of  claim 2 , wherein the first substance is water. 
     
     
         4 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , wherein the holding container is designed to maximize surface area. 
     
     
         5 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , wherein the holding container is composed of a thermally conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper and aluminum. 
     
     
         6 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , wherein the holding container is configured to ( 1 ) receive the first substance and the second substance, ( 2 ) mix the first substance and the second substance to create the cooling solution, and ( 3 ) circulate the cooling solution to the separation unit. 
     
     
         7 . The datacenter system of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a computer:
 wherein the computer is coupled to one or more CRAC units cooling a datacenter including the datacenter system; 
 wherein the computer is coupled to one or more pumps configured to circulate the cooling solution; and 
 wherein the computer is configured to control cooling solution circulation via the one or more pumps based on CRAC status data received from the one or more CRAC units. 
   
     
     
         8 . The datacenter system of  claim 7 , wherein the computer is further configured to initiate cooling solution circulation if the CRAC status data indicates that CRAC usage is above a predefined threshold. 
     
     
         9 . The datacenter system of  claim 7 , wherein the computer is further configured to initiate cooling solution circulation if CRAC status data indicates that at least one of the one or more CRAC units has failed. 
     
     
         10 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of temperature sensors;
 wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are configured to collect temperature data from a datacenter including the datacenter system; and 
   a flow controller coupled to the plurality of temperature sensors and to one or more holding containers;
 wherein the flow controller is configured to receive temperature data from the plurality of temperatures sensors; and 
 wherein the flow controller is configured to direct the flow of the first substance and the second substance to the one or more holding containers based on the received temperature data. 
   
     
     
         11 . The data center system of  claim 10 , wherein the flow controller is configured to increase the flow of the first substance and the second substance to holding containers located in warmer areas of the data center. 
     
     
         12 . The datacenter system of  claim 1 , wherein the holding container is a detachable modular unit. 
     
     
         13 . The datacenter system of  claim 12 , wherein the holding container is configured to connect to a plurality of holding container receiving points located throughout a datacenter that includes the datacenter system. 
     
     
         14 . The datacenter system of  claim 13 , wherein the separation unit is a modular unit and is detachably coupled to the holding container via a solution transport system. 
     
     
         15 . The datacenter system of  claim 14 , further comprising a computer configured to receive temperature data about the datacenter and to recommend the holding container receiving points for connecting one or more of the holding containers based on identified high temperature areas in the datacenter. 
     
     
         16 . A datacenter system comprising:
 a holding container;
 wherein the holding container is composed of a thermally conductive material selected from a group consisting of copper and aluminum; 
 wherein the holding container is configured to circulate a cooling solution, the cooling solution being composed of a combination of at least two substances, a first substance and a second substance, that create an endothermic reaction when mixed; and 
   a separation unit coupled to the holding container;
 wherein the separation unit is configured to separate the cooling solution into the first substance and the second substance by evaporation of the first substance; and 
 wherein the separation unit ( 1 ) receives the cooling solution from the holding container, ( 2 ) separates the cooling solution into the first substance and the second substance by evaporation of the first substance, and ( 3 ) re-circulates the unevaporated second substance to the holding container. 
   
     
     
         17 . The datacenter system of  claim 16 , wherein the first substance is water. 
     
     
         18 . A datacenter system comprising:
 a cooling solution further comprising a first substance and a second substance, wherein the combination of the first substance and the second substance create an endothermic reaction;   a holding container configured to circulate the cooling solution;   a separation unit coupled to the holding container configured to separate the cooling solution into the first substance and the second substance by evaporation of the first substance; and   a computer;
 wherein the computer is coupled to one or more CRAC units cooling a datacenter including the datacenter system; 
 wherein the computer is coupled to one or more pumps configured to circulate the cooling solution; 
 wherein the computer is configured to control cooling solution circulation via the one or more pumps based on CRAC status data received from the one or more CRAC units; and 
 wherein the computer is further configured to initiate cooling solution circulation upon identifying from the CRAC status data a CRAC unit failure or a CRAC unit fault. 
   
     
     
         19 . The datacenter system of  claim 18 , wherein the first substance is water.