Cold Row Encapsulation for Server Farm Cooling System

Abstract

An apparatus includes an enclosure defining an interior space and includes a server-rack port configured to engage one or more of racks such that one or more servers installed in each rack are contiguous to the interior space. The enclosure is inside of a room and each server includes a fan that draws air from the interior space into the server and expels the air outside of the enclosure into the room. The apparatus also includes a mixing chamber that is contiguous to the enclosure. The mixing chamber includes a set of one or more dampers that are contiguous to natural air outside of the room and that are opened up when a temperature outside reaches a threshold value.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A data center comprising:
 a plurality of cold row encapsulation structures situated on a floor of the data center, wherein each of the cold row encapsulation structures has a plurality of server racks;   a mixing chamber located above the plurality of cold row encapsulation structures; and   an enclosure connecting the plurality of cold row encapsulation structures to the mixing chamber, wherein the mixing chamber is configured to facilitate a supply of air via the enclosure to the plurality of cold row encapsulation structures.   
     
     
         2 . The data center of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a ceiling;   a plurality of ceiling fans integrated within the ceiling, wherein one of the ceiling fans is located on one side of the mixing chamber and another one of the ceiling fans is located on another set of the mixing chamber, wherein the ceiling fans are configured to exhaust hot air emitted from a plurality of servers within the server racks.   
     
     
         3 . The data center of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a ceiling;   a plurality of ceiling dampers integrated within the ceiling, wherein the ceiling dampers are located on top of the mixing chamber, wherein the ceiling dampers are configured to open to allow entry of air from outside the data center into the mixing chamber, wherein the ceiling dampers are configured to close to prevent the entry of air.   
     
     
         6 . The data center of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of wall dampers, wherein one of the wall dampers is integrated in a sidewall of the mixing chamber and another one of the wall dampers is integrated in another sidewall of the mixing chamber, wherein the wall dampers are configured to open to allow passage of air from outside the mixing chamber into the mixing chamber.   
     
     
         7 . The data center of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing chamber includes a cooling coil, wherein the cooling coil is configured to cool air emitted by servers within the server racks or air from outside the data center to output cool air, wherein the air supplied by the enclosure is the cool air. 
     
     
         8 . The data center of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of stability control units connected to a bottom surface of each of the cold row encapsulation structures to withstand seismic movements. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the server racks includes a plurality of servers that emit hot air, wherein the mixing chamber is configured to receive the hot air and cool the hot air to output cool air, wherein the air supplied by the enclosure is the cool air to cool the servers. 
     
     
         10 . A system comprising:
 a first cold row encapsulation structure, wherein the first cold row encapsulation structure has a first extended portion and a first plurality of server rack ports;   a second cold row encapsulation structure, wherein the second cold row encapsulation structure has a second extended portion and a second plurality of server rack ports;   a mixing chamber;   an enclosure located above the first and second cold row encapsulation structures and coupled to the first and second extended portions, wherein the enclosure is coupled to the mixing chamber, wherein the mixing chamber is located above the enclosure, wherein the first extended portion extends from the first plurality of server rack ports to the mixing chamber, wherein the second extended portion extends from the second plurality of server rack ports to the mixing chamber, wherein the mixing chamber is configured to cool air to transfer the cool air via the enclosure to the first and second extended portions.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the server rack ports of the first plurality face each other and define a space therebetween, wherein the server rack ports of the second plurality face each other and define a space therebetween. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the enclosure is configured to direct the cool air to cool servers stored within a first plurality of server racks and to cool servers stored within a second plurality of server racks, wherein the first plurality of server rack ports is configured to receive the first plurality of server racks, and wherein the second plurality of server rack ports is configured to receive the second plurality of server racks. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the mixing chamber is configured to allow entry of the air from outside the mixing chamber to within the mixing chamber to output the cool air. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the mixing chamber includes a cooling coil, wherein the cooling coil is configured to cool air emitted by servers to output the cool air, wherein the servers are received by server racks, wherein the server racks are configured to be received by the server rack ports of the first and second plurality. 
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 receiving air within a mixing chamber;   cooling, by the mixing chamber, the air to output cool air; and   supplying the cool air via an enclosure to a plurality of cold row encapsulation structures, wherein the enclosure is located above the encapsulation structures and the mixing chamber is located above the enclosure, wherein each of the cold row encapsulation structures has a plurality of server racks, wherein the server racks store a plurality of servers, wherein the cool air cools the servers.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the servers output hot air into a space inside a data center, wherein said receiving the air comprises receiving the hot air from the space via a plurality of wall dampers of the mixing chamber. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said receiving the air comprises receiving the air from outside a data center via a plurality of ceiling dampers of the data center. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said cooling the air is performed by a plurality of cooling coils within the mixing chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 exhausting hot air output from the servers, wherein said exhausting is performed by a plurality of exhaust fans of a ceiling of a data center.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each of the cold row encapsulation structures has a plurality of rack ports and an extended portion, wherein the extended portions extends from the rack ports to the enclosure, wherein the enclosure is connected to the extended portions of the cold row encapsulation structures.