Patent ID: 8825451

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for modeling cooling performance, the method comprising: receiving, by a computer, input data from a storage device, the input data including data related to physical structures within at least one equipment rack, wherein the physical structures provide resistance to airflow within the at least one equipment rack; selecting, based on the data related to physical structures, at least one first equation of a plurality of predetermined equations that describe pressure values in a plurality of spaces within the at least one equipment rack; determining pressure values in identified spaces of the plurality of spaces by solving the at least one first equation using the input data; determining airflow values between identified spaces by calculating a difference between the pressure values; storing, on the storage device, the airflow values as equipment rack airflow values within the at least one equipment rack; (A) determining a temperature value at an outlet of the at least one equipment rack based on the equipment rack airflow values and a temperature value at an inlet of the at least one equipment rack; (B) executing a room cooling performance model using the equipment rack airflow values and the temperature value at the outlet; (C) receiving, from the room cooling performance model, an updated temperature value at the inlet of the at least one equipment rack; (D) storing, on the storage device, the updated temperature value as the temperature value at the inlet; (E) determining whether a difference between the updated temperature value and a previous temperature value at the inlet is greater than a threshold; and (F) repeating acts (A) through (E) until the difference is not greater than the threshold.