Patent ID: 8636565
Filing Date: 2014-01-28
Classification: A62C,G06F,H05K

Abstract:
1. A method for cooling electronic equipment, comprising: flowing cooling air from a human-occupiable workspace into a computer rack and across a plurality of computer units supported by the computer rack and into a common warm air plenum located at a first end of the computer units, each computer unit being serviceable through a normally open front end; controlling, by a first control system, a flow of the cooling air across the plurality of computer units with a plurality of circulation fans that are supported respectively by a plurality of trays that support the plurality of computer units, the plurality of circulation fans controlled to maintain a set temperature rise across the plurality of computer units; flowing air from the common warm air plenum, through one or more cooling units that are external to the computer rack, and into the human-occupiable workspace adjacent the normally open front end of the computer units that is open to the human-occupiable workspace during operation of the one or more cooling units to receive the flow of cooling air from the human-occupiable workspace; and controlling, by a second control system, a flow rate of air out of the common warm air plenum with the one or more cooling units to maintain a predetermined pressure differential of approximately zero between the human-occupiable workspace and the common warm air plenum, wherein the second control system controls the flow rate of air out of the warm air plenum independently of the first control system.