초록 ▼

Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating simulation of heated airflow exhaust of an electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks. The apparatus includes a thermal simulator, which includes an air-moving device and a fluid-to-air heat exchanger. The air-moving device

Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating simulation of heated airflow exhaust of an electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks. The apparatus includes a thermal simulator, which includes an air-moving device and a fluid-to-air heat exchanger. The air-moving device establishes airflow from an air inlet to air outlet side of the thermal simulator tailored to correlate to heated airflow exhaust of the electronics subsystem, rack or row of racks being simulated. The fluid-to-air heat exchanger heats airflow through the thermal simulator, with temperature of airflow exhausting from the simulator being tailored to correlate to temperature of the heated airflow exhaust of the electronics subsystem, rack or row of racks being simulated. The apparatus further includes a fluid distribution apparatus, which includes a fluid distribution unit disposed separate from the fluid simulator and providing hot fluid to the fluid-to-air heat exchanger of the thermal simulator.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one thermal simulator, each thermal simulator simulating heated airflow exhaust of a respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks, and each thermal simulator comprising: at least one air-moving device for est

What is claimed is: 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one thermal simulator, each thermal simulator simulating heated airflow exhaust of a respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks, and each thermal simulator comprising: at least one air-moving device for establishing airflow from an air inlet side to an air outlet side of the thermal simulator, wherein established airflow exhausting from the thermal simulator is tailored to correlate to heated airflow exhaust of the respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks being simulated; and at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger, the at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger heating airflow through the thermal simulator, wherein temperature of established airflow exhausting from the air outlet side of the thermal simulator is tailored to correlate to a temperature of the heated airflow exhaust of the respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks being simulated; and a fluid distribution apparatus comprising at least one fluid distribution unit disposed separate from the at least one thermal simulator, the at least one fluid distribution unit providing hot fluid to the at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger of the at least one thermal simulator. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one air-moving device of each thermal simulator further establishes an inlet airflow into the thermal simulator correlated to an inlet airflow to the respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks being simulated. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one thermal simulator comprises at least one row thermal simulator, each row thermal simulator simulating heated airflow exhaust from multiple electronics racks disposed in a row, and each row thermal simulator further comprising a housing comprising at least one vertical partition, the at least one vertical partition defining different airflow columns through the housing, each airflow column being related in size to a size of a respective electronics rack of the multiple electronics racks in the row being simulated, and each row thermal simulator comprising: at least one air-moving device disposed within the housing, the at least one air-moving device establishing airflow from an air inlet side to an air outlet side of the housing, wherein established airflow exhausting from the airflow columns is tailored to correlate to heated airflow exhaust from the row of multiple electronics racks being simulated; and at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger associated with the housing, the at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger heating airflow through each airflow column, wherein temperature of airflow exhausted from the air outlet side of the airflow columns is tailored to correlate to a temperature of heated airflow exhaust from the row of multiple electronics racks being simulated. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one thermal simulator further comprises at least one airflow impedance filter configured to tailor an airflow impedance from the air inlet side to the air outlet side of the at least one thermal simulator to correlate to an airflow impedance through the respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks being simulated. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one thermal simulator is configured to simulate heated airflow exhaust from a respective electronics rack, and wherein each thermal simulator further comprises a rack frame sized to a respective electronics rack being simulated, and the at least one fluid-to-air heat exchanger of each thermal simulator is mounted to the rack frame thereof at the air inlet side or the air outlet side. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each thermal simulator further comprises at least one airflow partitioning plate disposed within the rack frame dividing the rack frame into multiple subsections, each subsection of the multiple subsections corresponding in size to a size of a respective electronics subsystem of the electronics rack being simulated. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each thermal simulator comprises multiple horizontally-oriented, airflow partitioning plates, an inlet door hingedly mounted along one edge to the rack frame at the air inlet side, and an outlet door hingedly mounted along one edge to the rack frame at the air outlet side, and wherein the multiple horizontally-oriented, airflow partitioning plates isolate airflow through at least one subsection of the multiple subsections from airflow through at least one other subsection of the multiple subsections. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one airflow partitioning plate of the multiple horizontally-oriented, airflow partitioning plates extends into at least one of the inlet door or the outlet door to facilitate isolation of airflow through the at least one subsection of the multiple subsections from airflow through the at least one other subsection of the multiple subsections. 9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein each thermal simulator comprises multiple air-moving devices, and wherein each air-moving device of the multiple air-moving devices is disposed to facilitate establishing airflow through a respective subsection of the multiple subsections. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one thermal simulator further comprises at least one flow profile plate, the at least one flow profile plate fluidically tailoring airflow exhausting from the at least one thermal simulator to fluidically simulate an airflow exhaust pattern of the respective electronics subsystem, electronics rack or row of electronics racks being simulated. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one flow profile plate comprises multiple openings, at least two openings of the multiple openings being at least one of differently configured or differently sized. 12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising multiple thermal simulators for simulating heated airflow exhaust from multiple respective electronics racks, and wherein the at least one fluid distribution unit comprises a hot fluid distribution unit disposed separate from the multiple thermal simulators, the hot fluid distribution unit providing hot fluid in parallel to the multiple thermal simulators, and wherein the hot fluid distribution unit comprises a fluid heater facilitating providing of the hot fluid to the multiple thermal simulators. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the hot fluid distribution unit comprises a redundant pumping assembly, a variable frequency drive device controlling the redundant pumping assembly, and hence fluid flow rate through the hot fluid distribution unit, a fluid reservoir, and the fluid heater, wherein the fluid heater comprises at least one electrical resistance coil for heating fluid being pumped from the hot fluid distribution unit. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising multiple thermal simulators simulating heated airflow exhaust from multiple electronics racks, and wherein the fluid distribution apparatus comprises at least one fluid supply header and at least one fluid return header, and wherein the at least one fluid distribution unit comprises a hybrid, dual-function fluid distribution unit, the hybrid, dual-function fluid distribution unit comprising a heating mode and a cooling mode, and wherein the hybrid, dual-function fluid distribution unit further comprises a hot fluid distribution sub-unit, a coolant distribution sub-unit, and multiple bypass valves for facilitating switching fluid between the hot fluid distribution sub-unit and the coolant distribution sub-unit, wherein when in the heating mode, the hot fluid distribution sub-unit provides hot fluid via the at least one fluid supply header and the at least one fluid return header to multiple thermal simulators for simulating heated airflow exhaust of multiple electronics racks, and when in the cooling mode, the coolant distribution sub-unit provides coolant via the at least one fluid supply header and the at least one fluid return header to multiple electronics racks for facilitating cooling thereof. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the hybrid, dual-function fluid distribution unit further comprises a pump assembly and a fluid reservoir, wherein the pump assembly and the fluid reservoir are shared by the hot fluid distribution sub-unit and the coolant distribution sub-unit.