Abstract:
An exemplary container data center includes a container, servers received in the container; and a ventilating system for cooling the servers. The ventilating system includes a filter, an exhaust pipe and a blower. The filter includes a chamber and filtering fluid received in the chamber for dissolving dust in ambient air. The chamber defines an air inlet for entering the ambient air and an air outlet. The exhaust pipe has one end coupled to the air outlet of the filter and another end communicating an interior of the container. The blower drives the ambient air out of the filter to flow along the exhaust pipe to the container to cool the servers.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to container data centers, and more particularly to a container data center having a ventilating system for dissipating heat thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Generally, a plurality of servers is densely arranged in a standard container to form a container date center. Each of the servers typically includes at least a power supply device, a motherboard, a hard disk drive, and an optical disk drive, all of which can generate considerable heat during operation of the server. Generally, cooling fans are provided to draw cooling air from the ambient to dissipate the heat of the servers. However, the ambient cooling air typically carries dust, which may adversely affect the safe operation of the servers. 
     What is needed, therefore, is a solution which can overcome the limitations described. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is essentially a schematic, cross-sectional view of a container data center in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is essentially a schematic, cross-sectional view of a container data center in accordance with a second embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is essentially a schematic, cross-sectional view of a container data center in accordance with a third embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a container data center in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is shown. The container data center includes a container  10 , a plurality of servers (not shown) mounted in the container  10 , and a ventilating system  20  for dissipating heat of the servers. 
     The ventilating system  20  includes a filter  30 , an inlet pipe  50 , an exhaust pipe  70  and a fan (or blower)  90 . The fan  90  is adapted for driving ambient cooling air through the filter  30  to the container  10 , during which process the ambient cooling air is purified. In this embodiment, the fan  90  is fixed on the container  10 . An inlet of the fan  90  is coupled to an outlet of the exhaust pipe  70 , and an outlet of the fan  90  is coupled to the container  10 . In alternative embodiments, the fan  90  can be arranged at an inlet of the inlet pipe  50 . In such state, the inlet of the fan  90  faces the ambient while the outlet of the fan  90  is coupled to the inlet pipe  50 . 
     The filter  30  includes a chamber  40  receiving filtering fluid  34  therein. The filtering fluid  34  is used to dissolve the dust in the ambient cooling air. In this embodiment, preferably, the filtering fluid  34  is pure water. 
     The chamber  40  defines an air inlet  420  and an air outlet  422  in a top side  42  thereof, for respectively connecting the inlet pipe  50  and the exhaust pipe  70 . The air inlet  420  and the air outlet  422  are located adjacent to two opposite sides (left side  44  and right side  46  in  FIG. 1 ) of the chamber  40 , respectively. 
     A protrusion  49  extends down from a central portion of the top side  42  of the chamber  40  towards a bottom side  48  of the chamber  40 . The protrusion  49  is higher than the bottom side  48  of the chamber  40 . An inlet channel  41  is formed between the protrusion  49  and the left side  44  of the chamber  40 , and an outlet channel  43  is formed between the protrusion  49  and the right side  46  of the chamber  40 . The inlet channel  41  is aligned with the air inlet  420  of the chamber  40 , and the outlet channel  43  is aligned with the air outlet  422  of the chamber  40 . 
     A fluid inlet  440  is defined in a lateral side of the chamber  40  for injecting clean filtering fluid  34 . In this embodiment, the fluid inlet  440  is formed in the left side  44  of the chamber  40 , and is lower than the protrusion  49 . Alternatively, the fluid inlet  440  can be higher than or at the same level as a bottom of the protrusion  49 . A fluid outlet  460  is defined in one lateral side of the chamber  40  for exhausting polluted filtering fluid  34 . In this embodiment, the fluid outlet  460  is formed in the right side  46  of the chamber  40 , and is adjacent to the bottom side  48  of the chamber  40 . In alternative embodiments, the fluid outlet  460  can be formed at the bottom side  48  of the chamber  40 . 
     A plurality of baffles  47  is formed in the outlet channel  43  of the chamber  40 , for further obstructing the dust in the ambient cooling air. The baffles  47  can be plastic or steel, and can be integrally formed with the chamber  40  as one monolithic piece. In this embodiment, the baffles  47  extend obliquely down from the right side  46  of the chamber  40  and from a side of the protrusion  49  facing the outlet channel  43 , in an alternate manner. The baffles  47  overlap partly in a center of the outlet channel  43 . 
     When the container date center is in use, the inlet pipe  50  is connected to the air inlet  420  of the chamber  40 , and the exhaust pipe  70  is connected to the air outlet  422  of the chamber  40 . The fan  90  is disposed with the inlet thereof coupled to the exhaust pipe  70  and the outlet thereof coupled to the container  10 . The filtering fluid  34  is injected into the chamber  40  through the fluid inlet  440 . An amount of the filtering fluid  34  injected into the chamber  40  should be controlled with a liquid level thereof lower than the protrusion  49 . Thus a gap  45  is formed between the protrusion  49  and the filtering fluid  34  for flowing of the cooling air from the inlet channel  41  to the outlet channel  43 . 
     During operation of the servers, heat is generated. The fan  90  operates to drive the ambient cooling air through the ventilating system  20  to the container  10  to cool the servers. After the cooling air enters the chamber  40  of the ventilating system  20  via the air inlet  420 , the cooling air flows down along the inlet channel  41  towards the filtering fluid  34 , during which process a portion of the dust in the cooling air falls into the filtering fluid  34 . When the cooling air arrives at the liquid level of the filtering fluid  34 , the cooling air turns to flow along the gap  45  to the outlet channel  43 . During flowing of the cooling air along the gap  45 , the cooling air touches the liquid level, and thus a majority of the dust in the cooling air falls into the filtering fluid  34 . 
     When the cooling air flows up along the outlet channel  43  to exhaust from the filter  34 , the cooling air flows tortuously in the outlet channel  43  under the guidance of the baffles  47 , and thus almost all of remaining dust in the cooling air falls into the filtering fluid  34 . Thus, the cooling air exhausting from the filter  30  is purified. In addition, the filtering fluid  34  is prevented from being sucked out from the filter  30  by the baffles  47  arranged in the outlet channel  43  of the filter  30 . Accordingly, a humidity of the cooling air exhausting from the filter  30  is minimal. Accordingly, the safety of the servers which are cooled by the purified cooling air is enhanced. In testing, the filter  30  has demonstrated that it can remove more than 99.9% of dust with a particle size not less than 0.3 μm. 
     In the above-described embodiment, only one filter  30  is utilized. It should be understood that plural filters can be connected in series to purify the ambient cooling air. In addition, after the ventilating system  20  has worked for a period of time, the filtering fluid  34  of the filter  30  becomes polluted to a threshold level by the dust of the ambient cooling air, and can be exhausted through the fluid outlet  460 . Thereupon clean filtering fluid  34  is injected to continue purifying the ambient cooling air. 
       FIG. 2  shows a container data center in accordance with a second embodiment. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is a shape of a protrusion  49   a  of a chamber  40   a  of a filter  30   a  of the container data center of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the protrusion  49   a  expands downwards, i.e., expands along a direction away from a top side  42  of the container  10 . Thus, an inlet channel  41   a  of the filter  30   a  converges downwards, and an outlet channel  43   a  of the filter  30   a  diverges upwards. When the cooling air flows down along the inlet channel  41   a , a speed of the cooling air gradually increases due to the converged inlet channel  41   a , and thus more of the dust can fall into the filtering fluid  34 . When the cooling air flows up along the outlet channel  43   a , the speed of the cooling air gradually decreases due to the diverged outlet channel  43   a , and this helps avoid dust and the filtering fluid  34  escaping from the filter  30   a.    
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a container data center according to a third embodiment is shown. Unlike in the second embodiment, an end surface  490  of a protrusion  49   b  of a chamber  40   b  of a filter  30   b  of the container data center of the third embodiment is uneven. When the cooling air flows along a gap  45   b  between the protrusion  49   b  and the filtering fluid  34 , due to the uneven end surface  490  of the protrusion  49   b , irregular and violent movements of particles of the cooling air are more pronounced, and there are more irregular and violent movements of the particles of the cooling air. Accordingly, more dust can fall into the filtering fluid  34 , which can further purify the cooling air. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of certain embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.