Thermal Management Cabinet for Electronic Equipment

Abstract

A thermal management cabinet for electronic equipment such as servers, having an opening in the top and bottom of the cabinet. The cabinet extends between a raised access floor of a building carrying cooled air and a drop ceiling for venting heated air. The bottom opening of the cabinet is alignable with an opening in the access floor such that cool air can pass into the cabinet and can flow through the electronic component storage area to the top opening, which is alignable with an opening in the drop ceiling. The cabinet interior is separated into temperature zones comprising at least a cold zone supplied with air from the access floor and a hot zone for venting through the top opening. At least one baffle creates the temperature zones such that air is directed to flow from the cold zone through the electronic component storage area to the hot zone.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a non-provisional application of provisional application Ser. No. 61 / 119,980 filed Dec. 4, 2008.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present application relates to thermal management cabinets for electronic equipment, and particularly to a cabinet system designed to aid in cooling servers and other computing equipment.BACKGROUND[0003]Data centers typically involve a large number of rack-mounted servers that are housed together in cabinets. Cooling of such server racks and cabinets is a major problem, particularly as processors typically produce large amounts of heat. It has been found that for every 1 watt of power used for Information Technology, 0.5 to 2 watts of power are used for cooling the electronic components, and thus the need for cooling uses a very high percentage of the total IT power consumption. The power dissipation of high-performance CPU processors is predicted to exceed 150 W in the near future. The high-density packi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a thermal management cabinet for electronic equipment that has a sealed enclosure for electronic equipment. The cabinet has openings at the top and bottom, and it is designed to extend between a raised access floor and a drop ceiling in a building. The interior of the cabinet can be separated into temperature zones, with a baffle creating a barrier to direct airflow. The baffle can be a flexible material that allows cables to pass through while providing a heat transfer barrier. The cabinet can also have a duct for connection to a drop ceiling, doors, and a removable panel for airflow management. The technical effects of the invention include improved thermal management for electronic equipment and protection from heat damage."

Problems solved by technology

Cooling of such server racks and cabinets is a major problem, particularly as processors typically produce large amounts of heat.

It has been found that for every 1 watt of power used for Information Technology, 0.5 to 2 watts of power are used for cooling the electronic components, and thus the need for cooling uses a very high percentage of the total IT power consumption.

However, such solutions suffer from drawbacks associated with the power supply needed to power the fans, as well as reliability of such fans.

This can lead to “hot spots” in the server room, however, much of the hot air can also mix with the cool air circulating in the room.

Images