Abstract:
A module is provided having a foundation and a skeleton that are structural and modular in design. The skeleton can be constructed on top of the foundation. The skeleton supports an HVAC assembly. Equipment racks, such as a server racks, can be housed within the module and independently movably supported by translation assemblies. The translation assemblies are embedded within the foundation and skeleton. Any number of modules can be attached end to end to form a system of a desired length, side to side to form a system of a desired width, or vertically to form a system of desired height. The entire system, once assembled and wired, can easily be conjoined or moved to a desired destination. The air flow path within the module is selected by the operator. The system is expandable in size and capacity as the operational needs increase.

Description:
This United States utility patent application claims priority on and the benefit of provisional application 61/317,503 filed Mar. 25, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to cooling system capable efficiently cooling equipment arranged in a highly dense manner, that is modular in design, is flexible in air flow configuration, has integrated cooling components and that can be selectively used in mobile and/or stationary environments. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Cooling of electronic equipment is a major concern for proper operation of the equipment. No matter the equipment type (servers, telecommunication, medical imaging devices, acoustic components, circuits and/or otherwise), heat dissipation is a primary design and operational concern. Fortunately, many solutions are available when the equipment is used in a stand-alone environment. One solution is to rely on the ambient air to cool the equipment. Internal fans on board the equipment may provide additional convective cooling in this endeavor in existing systems. 
     However, the challenges of keeping the equipment within preferred operational temperatures increases along with the density requirements of the electronic system equipment. These challenges can relate to operating the equipment at a consistent and low temperature in order to maximize equipment life and reliability. 
     In one particular situation, there is a desire to have many servers confined within a single space. Such a space is typically called a server room on a small scale and a data center on a larger scale. There is a need to have modular server rooms and data centers that can be expanded as the user&#39;s requirements grow. There is also a need to have a server room or data center that can be transported from one location to another (from simply across a facility to all the way across international boundaries). 
     One commercially available existing system utilizes segregated in-row side by side components. While this system may be acceptable for its intended purposes, several improvements may be made. 
     For example, the density of the existing system can be improved. 
     Further, the existing system appears to operate by simply placing the components adjacent to each other. No infrastructure appears to be provided for securing the components in a desired position relative each other, either vertically, laterally or otherwise. 
     Related, no infrastructure appears to be provided in the existing system for transporting an assembled system from one location to another, or using the assembly in either a stationary or mobile environment. 
     Still further, the existing system does not structurally support and safeguard the HVAC assembly. 
     Still further yet, the existing system is neither laterally nor vertically modular, and does not contain a load bearing structural skeleton. 
     Still further yet, no infrastructure appears to be provided in the existing system for selectively drawing fresh external air when doing so will result in operational efficiencies compared to cooling recirculated air. 
     Thus, there exists a need for a high density modular cooling system and methods of operation thereof that solves these and other problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to cooling system capable of efficiently cooling equipment arranged in a highly dense manner, that is modular in design, is flexible in air flow configuration, has integrated cooling components and that can be used and easily transported in a mobile environment and/or be used in a stationary environment. 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, a module is provided having a foundation and a skeleton that are modular and structural in design. The skeleton can be constructed on top of the foundation. The skeleton supports an HVAC assembly, which includes a plenum, a heat exchanger and air movers such as fans. Translation assemblies are embedded within the foundation and skeleton. Equipment racks, such as server racks, can be housed within the module and movably supported by the translation assemblies. The translation assemblies allow the equipment racks to independently move within the module to provide access to either the front or back of the equipment racks, as desired. 
     Any number of modules can be attached end to end to form a system of a desired length, side to side to form a system of a desired width, or vertically to form a system of desired height. The entire system, once assembled and wired, can easily be conjoined and moved to a desired destination such as within a container. Alternatively, the entire system can be sheathed for use as a stand-alone structure independent of a separate container. 
     The system can also be expanded in size and capacity as the operational needs increase. In this regard, the system is operationally scalable as necessary and when necessary in that it can be expanded end to end, side to side and/or vertically after it is operational. 
     According to a further advantage of the present invention, the skeleton both supports and safeguards the HVAC assemblies. In this regard, the width of the HVAC assembly can, in one embodiment, be equal to or less than twice as wide as the width of the skeleton vertical members. The HVAC assemblies are nested between the cross members of adjacent modules, wherein longitudinal arrangement of modules results in the HVAC assemblies being securely located within the overall assembly without risk of being crushed or damaged in other ways. 
     According to a further advantage of the present invention, the translation assemblies provide access for maneuverability, serviceability and/or electronic component replacement. Specifically, and without limitation, a full depth server can be replaced within the present invention. Also, the location of the components within the module can be precisely situated for optimum heat dissipation and segregation from liquids. 
     According to another advantage of the present invention, the structure can be made of a variety of materials selected for strength, weight and economic reasons. Two such materials are steel and aluminum. 
     According to another advantage of the present invention, each module is designed for individual or modularly linked uses. When a linked assembly is desired, the selected number of modules, each with individual foundation and skeleton, are simply connected together with bolts or other types of removable fasteners in an end to end longitudinal arrangement, in a side to side lateral arrangement, and/or in a vertically stacked arrangement. 
     According to a still further advantage of an embodiment of the present invention, the equipment can be installed before walls or insulating devices are put in place. The electronic equipment can be assembled and wired when the foundation is outside of a container. A fork lift or other transport device such as an overhead lift can then be used to move the full assembly into a container after assembly is accomplished. Examples of the many possible containers are, without limitation, HI-Cube ISO containers, standard shipping containers, rail cars, on site drop over covers and preexisting shelters. Still further, the present invention can be fitted with sheathing, such as insulated wall panels, for stand-alone applications independent of an external container without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. 
     According to a still further advantage yet of the present invention, the equipment housed within the equipment racks is segregated from the cooling elements. This can be accomplished by running the piping under floor sections and by utilizing floor sections with openings there through. This advantageously allows for any liquid that may be present to fall through the openings and be collected remote from the equipment. Thus, there is a decreased risk of liquid coming into contact with the electronics. 
     According to still further advantage yet of one embodiment of the present invention, three thermally distinct aisles can be provided within each module. This advantageously allows workers to have access to both sides of the equipment even when the equipment is located inside a container. Further, the operator can select the desired air flow pattern which results in either two hot aisles and a combined cold aisle, or alternatively two cold aisles with a combined hot aisle. 
     According to a still further advantage yet of the present invention, the equipment may optionally be loaded and serviced from either side of the equipment racks, respectively. In this regard, access to the equipment housed within the equipment racks can be provided either external of or internal of the module. 
     According to a still further advantage of the present invention, several modes of operation can be utilized. For example, the air can be re-circulated, cooled (examples such as direct cooling and direct expansion), humidified, or simply drawn and filtered from the environment and passed through the system and/or a combination or mixture thereof, as desired. In one operational embodiment where a combination of these modes is desired, a real time feedback control can be used to sense environmental conditions and make electro-mechanical adjustments to the system to achieve necessary and desired heat dissipation. 
     Other advantages, benefits, and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the invention and studying the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred module of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an end view of the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is close up perspective view showing a lower portion of the equipment rack relative the foundation and skeleton. 
         FIG. 6  is a close up underneath perspective view showing a portion of a preferred translation assembly. 
         FIG. 7  is perspective view showing an assembly having two linked modules and a utility module. 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention showing several linked modules and a utility module, each of which are external of a container. 
         FIG. 9  is a top view showing several longitudinally linked modules. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of an assembly having both vertically stacked and longitudinally linked modules. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of several linked modules showing an air flow recirculation pattern within the module. 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of several linked modules showing an air flow pattern with a fresh air intake and an exhaust. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing modules clad with sheathing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While the invention will be described in connection with one or more preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 1-4 , it is seen that a preferred embodiment is illustrated. The modular system module  10  preferably has a foundation  20 , a skeleton  50 , and an HVAC assembly  100 . 
     The foundation  20  can be made of aluminum, steel or any other strong material without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. Foundation  20  has end  21  and end  22 , side  23  and side  24 , top  25  and bottom  26 . Joists  30  perpendicularly span between sides  23  and  24 . A transport assembly, such as fork pockets  31  and  32 , is provided. It is appreciated that other types of transport assemblies may be used without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. Piping  37  preferably spans longitudinally through the foundation  20 , and are preferably centrally aligned between sides  23  and  24 . Two sets of piping are provided, one set for each of the two HVAC assemblies within each module. It is understood that the piping  37  could be located at other locations without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. 
     It is appreciated that a fork lift can be used to load and/or unload a module  10  or series of linked modules from a container or location, or to vertically stack modules or series of linked modules. It is further appreciated that the bottom  26  of the foundation  20  can aid in sliding of the module relative the floor or container bottom. Also, bolts or other fasteners may be used to secure the foundation to the floor or container bottom. 
     Keeping with  FIGS. 1-4 , and also looking at  FIGS. 5 and 6 , it is seen that a floor  40  is provided. It is understood that the floor  40  can have holes there through. The holes allow any moisture, liquid, dirt or other relatively small item to pass through the holes to move to a location remote from the equipment. 
     It is also seen that a skeleton  50  is provided. Skeleton  50  is preferably comprised of several uprights  51 , each having a top  52  and a bottom  53 , sides  54  and  55 , and a front  56  and a back  57 . The uprights  51  are preferably generally parallel to each other and perpendicular to the joists  30 . Cross members  61  are also provided. The cross members  61  each have ends  62  and  63 , respectively, and are preferably generally parallel to each other and perpendicular to the uprights  51 . Hangers  65  can be provided and supported by the cross members  61 . 
     The foundation  20  and skeleton  50  combine to form robust structures. It is specifically noteworthy that the skeleton uprights  51  are load bearing structural members. 
     A translation assembly  70  is also provided, and is best seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  6 . The translation assembly  70  is preferably comprised of two upper shafts  71  and  72 , and two lower shafts  73  and  74 . Each of the shafts  71 ,  72 ,  73  and  74  are preferably stationary shafts, and are fixed with respect to the skeleton  50  and foundation  20 , respectively. Each of the shafts are parallel to each other, and are preferably parallel to the cross members  61  of the skeleton. Several carriers  80  are also provided. The carriers  80  move relative the shafts, and support equipment racks (which are described below). Each equipment rack is preferably supported by carriers at four points and is independently movable. It is appreciated that the carriers  80  can be manually operable, or alternatively operable under the mechanical driving force of actuators or motors. It is appreciated that there are many ways to affect movement of the carriers relative the shafts without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. 
     An HVAC assembly  100  is further provided, and is best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  5 . One preferred HVAC assembly  100  has a plenum  110 , a heat exchanger  120  and air movers such as fans  130 . Plenum  110  has a top  111  and a bottom  112 , ends  113  and  114 , and sides  115  and  116 . The plenum  110  houses the heat exchanger  120  and also collects any condensate material. While a plurality of fans  130  are provided at the ends  113  and  114  of the plenum  110 , respectively, it is understood that any suitable type of air mover may be utilized without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. The fans  130  are selectably operable to direct a flow of air in either of a first direction or a second direction across the heat exchanger  120  parallel to plenum sides  115  and  116 . This is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by having two banks of fans  130 , one on each end  113  and  114  of the plenum  110 , respectively. 
     Turning now back to  FIGS. 1-3 , it is seen that equipment racks  140  and  150  are provided. Equipment rack  140  has a front  141  and a rear  142 , and equipment rack  150  has a front  151  and a rear  152 . One type of rack is a server rack. However, it is appreciated that other types of racks for other types of equipment needing to be cooled can be used without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. It is appreciated that while an equipment rack is illustrated, it is not intended to be limiting in any way. Any cabinet or other structure may be utilized without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. It is further appreciated that the broad aspects of the present invention are applicable even in embodiments without a traditional rack. 
     Looking now at  FIG. 11 , it is seen that three distinct aisles  160 ,  161  and  162  are provided, and are separated by the equipment racks  140  and  150 . Depending on the flow of air, there can be either two hot aisles with a combined cold aisle, or two cold aisles with a combined hot aisle. Specifically in  FIG. 11 , it is seen that an embodiment with two hot aisles  160  and  162  and one cold aisle  161  is illustrated. Yet, it is appreciated that the flow could be reversed resulting in two cold aisles and one hot aisle without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. It is further appreciated that the operator determines the air flow pattern and hence the configuration of the hot and cold aisles. Internal fans on board the equipment being cooled may aid in creating the air flow path. Or, as an alternative, the payload equipment internal on board fans may be disabled and the air flow path can be created by the banks of fans  130  of the HVAC assemblies  100 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 12 , it is seen that several linked modules  210 , each with a fresh air intake  211  and an exhaust  212  are provided. In this embodiment, the fresh air enters through the intake  211 , passes through a filter, passes through the HVAC assembly  100  (which may or may not be operational depending on the environmental conditions of the air drawn through the air intake  211 ), enters the cold aisle  161 , passes through the equipment rack  140 , enters the hot aisle  160 , and then exits through exhaust  212 . The air can be moved across the equipment housed within the equipment racks by either an exhaust fan on the module, fans on board the equipment housed in the equipment racks, or a combination of both. Environmental conditions can be used to the advantage of the operator when the ambient environmental air temperature is less than the air temperature after the air passes through the equipment held in the equipment rack. In this regard, the fresh air intake may be preferred when ambient environmental air is cooler than the otherwise recirculated air, and therefore requires less cooling (compared to the recirculated air) to achieve the desired cold aisle temperature. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , it is seen that modules can be aligned end to end to form a modular structure of a desired length. In  FIG. 7 , two modules  10  and  10 A are linked to a utility module. In  FIG. 8 , several modules are linked end to end in a configuration that can be selectively moved into a container  180  preferably after the linked modules are populated, wired and operational. 
     Turning to  FIG. 9 , it is seen that the HVAC assemblies  100  are positioned between equipment racks of adjacent modules and are protected from being crushed and otherwise damaged. The HVAC assemblies  100  fit between and are thus encapsulated by the cross members  61  of adjacent modules allowing for the modules to be longitudinally linked without crushing the HVAC assemblies. In this regard, the distance between the sides  115  and  116  of the plenum  120  of the HVAC assembly  100  is equal to the distance between cross members  61  of adjacent modules. The distance between the sides  115  and  116  of the plenum  120  is also equal to the combined width of two adjacent and joined skeleton uprights  51 . 
     Looking now at  FIG. 10 , it is seen how modules can be vertically stacked. In this regard, the modules  10 B and  10 C can be secured on top of modules  10  and  10 A. The skeleton uprights are load bearing members, which allow the modules to be stacked without crushing or otherwise damaging the contents within the modules. It is appreciated that this is just one alternative configuration possible due to the modular aspects of the present invention. 
     Looking now to  FIG. 13 , it is seen that walls, panels or sheathing  170  can be provided. The walls can contain insulation or material with other desirable attributes, namely noise reduction, protection from the elements and structural enhancement among others. The sheathing can be solid or can comprise dampers that can be selectively opened or closed to change between recirculation and fresh air operation. The sheathing can also have louvers for directing air flow. The sheathing can be attached to and supported by the skeleton  50 . One preferred method of removably attaching the sheathing is with bolts. Sheathing can be used when the module  10  is intended for use as a stand-alone structure, as well as when the modules are scaled and housed in a container in order to act as a skin to maintain desired air flow characteristics. 
     It is appreciated that the equipment racks positioned in a highly dense manner. In one preferred embodiment, the equipment racks have a width of about 19 inches in order to accommodate a standard server width of up to approximately 17.7 inches, and the HVAC assemblies have a width of about 6 inches. This results in a ratio of equipment rack width to HVAC assembly width of greater that 3 to 1. Of course, it is understood that a greater or smaller ratio may be used without departing from the broad aspects of the present invention. 
     Thus it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the invention, a high density modular cooling system and methods of operation thereof that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages as set forth above. While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.