초록 ▼

A modular data center, for housing and cooling electronic equipment, includes multiple housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one cooling unit, each of the housings of the first

A modular data center, for housing and cooling electronic equipment, includes multiple housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one cooling unit, each of the housings of the first portion having a front and a back and configured to hold the heat-producing electronic equipment such that gas is drawn into the equipment from fronts of the equipment, heated by the equipment to become heated gas, and expelled by the electronic equipment is expelled through the backs of the housings, and at least one panel coupled to a pair of the housings to bridge a gap between the pair of the housings, where the housings and the at least one panel are disposed and coupled to form a laterally-enclosed arrangement laterally enclosing a hot region and defining a top opening allowing gas to vertically exit the hot region, and where backs of the housings of the first portion are disposed adjacent to the hot region such that the heat-producing equipment, when mounted to the housings, will expel the heated gas into the hot region.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A modular data center for housing and cooling electronic equipment, the data center comprising: a plurality of housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one

What is claimed is: 1. A modular data center for housing and cooling electronic equipment, the data center comprising: a plurality of housings, a first portion of the housings configured to hold heat-producing electronic equipment and a second portion of the housings configured to hold at least one cooling unit, each of the housings of the first portion having a front and a back and configured to hold the heat-producing electronic equipment such that gas is drawn into the equipment from fronts of the equipment, heated by the equipment to become heated gas, and expelled by the electronic equipment through the backs of the housings; and at least one panel coupled to a pair of the housings to bridge a gap between the pair of the housings; wherein the housings and the at least one panel are disposed and coupled to form a laterally-enclosed arrangement laterally enclosing a hot region and defining a top opening allowing gas to vertically exit the hot region; and wherein backs of the housings of the first portion are disposed adjacent to the hot region such that the heat-producing equipment, when mounted to the housings, will expel the heated gas into the hot region. 2. The data center of claim 1 further comprising the at least one cooling unit, the at least one cooling unit being configured to draw heated gas from the hot region into the at least one cooling unit, cool the heated gas to become relatively cool gas, and to expel the heated gas from the at least one cooling unit to a cool region that is separated from the hot region the housings. 3. The data center of claim 2 wherein the at least one cooling unit is configured to direct the cool gas toward fronts of the first portion of the housings. 4. The data center of claim 3 wherein the at least one cooling unit is configured to direct the cool gas toward bottom portions of the fronts of the first portion of the housings. 5. The data center of claim 2 wherein the at least one cooling unit is configured to cool the gas to, and expel the gas at, approximately 72째 F. 6. The data center of claim 2 further comprising an uninterruptible power supply coupled to the at least one cooling unit and configured to provide backup power to the at least one cooling unit. 7. The data center of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel is a door configured to be opened to provide access to the hot region and to be closed to inhibit hot gas from the hot region exiting the data center laterally from the hot region through the gap. 8. The data center of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel is at least approximately a height of a shortest one of the first and second portions of the housings. 9. The data center of claim 1 wherein the plurality of housings are disposed in two parallel rows, and wherein the at least one panel includes two doors disposed at opposite ends of the rows and coupling the two rows to each other at the respective ends. 10. A system for containing and cooling electronic equipment that produces heat during operation, the system comprising: a plurality of housings, a first portion of the housings being configured to allow gas to pass through fronts of the housings, through interiors of the housings, and out through backs of the housings, the first portion of the housings being further configured to contain the electronic equipment in an arrangement such that the equipment will draw gas through the fronts of the housings, through the equipment thereby heating the gas to produce heated gas, and expelling the heated gas through the backs of the housings, the plurality of housings being disposed to form a substantial portion of a lateral enclosure laterally surrounding a hot region; closure means for laterally coupling at least two of the housings to complete the lateral enclosure surrounding the hot region, the closure means and the plurality of housings providing a top opening such that the system provides substantially no upper bounds to the hot region; and cooling means, disposed in at least one of the housings, for cooling the heated gas to produce the relatively cool gas and to provide a relatively cool gas to fronts of the first portion of the housings; wherein the plurality of housings are disposed such that the electronic equipment, while operating, will expel the heated gas into the hot region. 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the cooling means is configured to direct the relatively cool gas toward bottom portions of the fronts of the first portion of the housings. 12. The system of claim 10 wherein the cooling means is configured to cool the heated gas to approximately 72째 F. to produce the relatively cool gas. 13. The system of claim 10 wherein the closure means includes at least one thermally-insulated door configured to be opened to provide access to the hot region and closed to inhibit the heated gas from laterally exiting the hot region between the housings to which the closure means is coupled. 14. The system of claim 10 wherein the housings are disposed in two parallel rows, and wherein the closure means includes two doors disposed at opposite ends of the rows and coupling the two rows to each other at the respective ends. 15. The system of claim 10 further comprising an uninterruptible power supply coupled to the cooling means and configured to provide backup power to the cooling means. 16. A method of operating and cooling rack-mounted electronic equipment, the method comprising: powering the rack-mounted electronic equipment to draw gas into housings containing the equipment through fronts of the housings, heat the gas to produce heated gas, and expel the heated gas into a hot region; inhibiting the heated gas from laterally exiting the hot region, except into a cooling mechanism, using the housings containing the equipment and at least one panel coupled to at least two of the housings while allowing the heated gas to upwardly exit the hot region substantially unimpeded at least until the gas rises above tops of the housings; drawing in at least some of the heated gas from the hot region into the cooling mechanism and cooling the drawn-in gas to produce cool gas; and providing the cool gas to fronts of the housings. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the inhibiting includes injecting more heated gas into the hot region and impeding lateral flow of the heated gas with at least one barrier coupled between a gap between a pair of the housings. 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the providing includes directing the cool gas toward bottoms of the fronts of the housings.