US20100064610A1 - Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor - Google Patents
Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor Download PDFInfo
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- US20100064610A1 US20100064610A1 US12/233,019 US23301908A US2010064610A1 US 20100064610 A1 US20100064610 A1 US 20100064610A1 US 23301908 A US23301908 A US 23301908A US 2010064610 A1 US2010064610 A1 US 2010064610A1
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- Prior art keywords
- tile
- floor
- flow control
- control element
- air
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K7/00—Constructional details common to different types of electric apparatus
- H05K7/20—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating
- H05K7/20709—Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating for server racks or cabinets; for data centers, e.g. 19-inch computer racks
- H05K7/20718—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant
- H05K7/20745—Forced ventilation of a gaseous coolant within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F13/00—Details common to, or for air-conditioning, air-humidification, ventilation or use of air currents for screening
- F24F13/02—Ducting arrangements
- F24F13/06—Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser
- F24F13/068—Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser formed as perforated walls, ceilings or floors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
- F24F2221/00—Details or features not otherwise provided for
- F24F2221/40—HVAC with raised floors
Definitions
- Data centers also referred to as computer rooms, often comprise a raised floor that forms an enclosed space with a sub-floor over which the raised floor is constructed.
- the enclosed space can be used to route various objects, such cables, power lines, and conduit, within the data center.
- the enclosed space can further be used as a plenum that delivers cooled air to the data center that can be used to cool heat-generating equipment provided in the center.
- the vents in the raised floor may be positioned adjacent to inlets of the equipment with which air is drawn into the equipment.
- vents Although the areas of the raised floor that comprise vents normally comprise only a fraction of the total area of the raised floor, it is common to cool the entire enclosed space below the raised floor. Therefore, much of the cooled air, and the energy used to produce it, are wasted. Furthermore, because there typically is nothing within the enclosed space to route the cooled air around the objects contained within the enclosed space, the flow of cooled air to the vents can be impeded, thereby reducing cooling efficiency.
- FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.
- FIG. 2 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tile of FIG. 2 taken along section line 4 - 4 .
- FIG. 5A is a schematic top view of the tile of FIG. 1 , illustrating a first orientation of a flow control element of the tile.
- FIG. 5B is a further schematic top view of the tile of FIG. 1 , illustrating alternative orientations of a flow control element of the tile.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a data center that incorporates the tile of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.
- FIG. 8 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 9 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used.
- FIG. 11 is a front view of the tile of FIG. 10 .
- FIG. 12 is a side view of the tile of FIG. 10 .
- FIG. 13 is an end view of a data center that illustrates use of the tiles of FIGS. 7 and 10 .
- tiles used to form the raised floor comprise integral flow control elements that provide such control. Various embodiments of such tiles are disclosed below.
- FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a first embodiment of a floor tile 100 .
- the floor tile 100 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 102 , an opposed second or bottom side 104 , and multiple lateral sides 106 .
- there are four lateral sides 106 each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 100 is square.
- the tile 100 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.).
- perforations can be provided through the tile 100 from the bottom side 104 to the top side 102 such that air from a plenum below the tile can flow through the tile and into a room in which the tile is used.
- the flow control element 108 takes the form of a bristle brush comprising a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles 110 composed of a flexible and/or resilient material. Such an arrangement enables the flow control element 108 to conform to objects contained within the plenum.
- the bristles 110 comprise filaments of non-static generating polymeric material.
- the bristles 110 have lengths, and therefore the flow control element 108 has a depth, of approximately 24 inches (in.) to 36 in. such that the flow control element can extend down to a sub-floor over which a raised floor has been constructed.
- the flow control element 108 can have a length that extends from one lateral side 106 of the tile 100 to another lateral side 106 of the tile such that the flow control element is as long as the tile is wide.
- the bristles 110 of the flow control element 108 are mounted to and extend outwardly from a pivotable support member 112 that is can be pivoted about its longitudinal axis.
- the support member 112 therefore enables the bristles 110 to be transitioned from an orientation in which they are generally perpendicular to the tile 100 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) to a position in which they are generally parallel to the tile (not shown).
- Such functionality facilitates shipping of the tile 100 as well as positioning of the flow control element 102 in a diagonal orientation between the perpendicular and parallel orientations.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the tile 100 taken along section line 4 - 4 in FIG. 2 .
- the support member 112 can be formed as an elongated tube that is pivotally mounted on horizontal shaft 114 .
- the horizontal shaft 114 is connected to and supported by a vertical shaft 116 that extends into the tile 100 .
- a head 118 Provided at the top end of the vertical shaft 116 is a head 118 that is received within a cavity 120 formed within the tile 100 .
- vertical shaft 116 can rotate about its longitudinal axis so as to enable rotation of the horizontal shaft 114 .
- the support member 112 and the bristles 110 that extend therefrom can likewise rotate about the vertical shaft 116 .
- the flow control element 108 can be pivoted or rotated about two separate axes.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B The rotation enabled by the vertical shaft 116 is schematically depicted in FIGS. 5A and 5B .
- the flow control element 108 is placed in a first orientation (orientation “A”) in which the flow control element is parallel or perpendicular to the lateral sides 106 of the tile 100 , depending upon which side is considered.
- FIG. 5B the flow control element 108 is shown in two alternative orientations, a first orientation (orientation “B”) in which the flow control element 108 forms acute angles with orientation “A” shown in FIG. 5A , and a second orientation (orientation “C”) in which the flow control element 108 is perpendicular to orientation “A.”
- the flow control elements 108 can be advantageously used to control airflow beneath the floor so as to increase the cooling and/or energy efficiency of the system used to cool heat-generating equipment.
- cooled air can be channeled using the flow control elements of multiple adjacent tiles 100 so that the cooled air is confined to an area in which it can be utilized and objects that can impeded airflow are avoided. An example of such channeling is described below in relation to FIG. 6 .
- FIG. 6 depicts a data center 122 in which various heat-generating equipment is used.
- Examples of such equipment include server computers, storage computers, communications equipment, and the like.
- the equipment is provided in rows 124 , which may comprise racks that support the equipment.
- Provided between the rows are aisles along which administrators or technicians may pass.
- the aisles include “cold” aisles 126 and 127 from which the equipment draws relatively cool air and “hot” aisles 128 and 129 into which the equipment exhausts relatively hot air.
- Such airflow is identified in FIG. 6 with the small block arrows.
- the data center 122 comprises such a raised floor 130 formed in part by multiple tiles 132 , at least some of which being configured like the tile 100 described above.
- the raised floor 130 is raised above a sub-floor (e.g., concrete floor) and bounds a plenum that is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. in height. Discharging air into that plenum are air conditioning units 134 and 135 that supply cooled air to the plenum.
- the air conditioning units 134 and 135 would supply cool air to the entire plenum, i.e., the entire volume of air below the raised floor 130 .
- the cooled air is channeled primarily or solely to portions of the plenum below the cold aisles 126 and 127 .
- Such channeling is possible through use of the flow control members 108 described in the foregoing.
- the flow control members 108 of adjacent tiles 100 can be aligned end-to-end with each other so as to form substantially continuous guide walls below the raised floor 130 that direct and contain the cooled air.
- FIG. 6 provides examples of such guide walls. Beginning with the cold aisle 126 , two rows 136 of tiles 100 are provided along the cold aisle so as to form parallel guide walls 138 composed of aligned flow control elements 108 .
- the guide walls 138 define a channel 140 along which cooled air (represented by the large block arrows) generated by the air conditioning unit 134 can flow. Therefore, instead of flowing throughout the entire plenum, the cooled air generated by the air conditioning unit 134 is confined to a relatively small area above which lies the cold aisle 126 .
- the cooled air generated by the air conditioning unit 134 can be routed to the inlets of the equipment and potentially away from objects beneath the raised floor 130 that could impede or otherwise interfere with the flow.
- cooled air from the air conditioning unit 135 is diagonally redirected using the flow control elements 108 of tiles 100 adjacent the air conditioning unit.
- the cooled air is then guided by a channel 142 defined by a further guide wall 144 comprised of aligned flow control elements 108 and an outer wall 146 of the data center 122 .
- FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a second embodiment of a floor tile 200 .
- the floor tile 200 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 202 , an opposed second or bottom side 204 , and multiple lateral sides 206 .
- there are four lateral sides 206 each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 200 is square.
- the tile 200 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.).
- Extending through the tile 200 are multiple perforations 208 that enable airflow through the tile, for example from the bottom side 204 to the top side 206 .
- the perforations 208 are depicted as round holes, it is noted that the perforations can have other shapes or orientations.
- the flow control element 210 takes the form of an air scoop that directs air up toward the bottom side 204 of the tile 200 and, therefore, toward the perforations 208 .
- the flow control element 210 has a three-dimensional curvature extending from a distal tip 212 to a base 214 that is connected to the bottom side 204 of the tile 200 .
- the distance between the tip 212 and the base 214 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in.
- FIGS. 10-12 illustrate a third embodiment of a floor tile 300 .
- the floor tile 300 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first or top side 302 , an opposed second or bottom side 304 , and multiple lateral sides 306 .
- there are four lateral sides 306 each having the same approximate length such that the floor tile 300 is square.
- the tile 300 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.).
- Extending from the bottom side 304 of the tile 300 is an integrated flow control element 308 .
- the flow control element 308 takes the form of airflow diverter that laterally diverts cooled air generated by an air conditioning unit.
- the flow control element 308 has a generally symmetric, curved shape. In some embodiments, that shape can take the form of an inverted bell curve shape having a distal tip 310 and a base 312 at which the flow control element 308 connects to the tile 300 . In some embodiments, the distance between the tip 310 and the base 312 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in.
- the flow control elements 308 of adjacent tiles 300 can be aligned end-to-end so as to form a substantially continuous wall.
- FIG. 13 depicts a data center 400 that incorporates both tile 200 and tile 300 .
- the data center 400 includes a raised floor 402 that is supported above a sub-floor 404 so as to define a plenum 406 into which cooled air can be directed.
- the raised floor 402 supports rows 408 and 410 of heat-generating equipment. To the outside of each row 408 , 410 are cold aisles 412 and 414 . Between the rows 408 , 410 is a hot aisle 416 . Therefore, the equipment in the rows 408 , 410 are configured to draw in relatively cool air from the cold aisles 412 , 414 and exhaust relatively hot air into the hot aisle 416 .
- a central diverter 418 is positioned below the hot aisle 416 within the plenum 406 such that cool air will not be delivered to the space below the hot aisle.
- cable trays 420 can be mounted to the central diverter 418 , if desired.
- the raised floor 402 includes multiple tiles 200 and multiple tiles 300 . Rows of tiles 300 are aligned with each other along the rows 408 , 410 so as to help channel the cooled air toward the flow control elements 210 of individual tiles 200 , which are positioned at selected locations along the cold aisles 412 , 414 . Such selected locations can be locations adjacent the equipment that generates the greatest amount of heat in the data center 400 . Therefore, the cool air from an air conditioning unit (not shown) can diverted out toward the cold aisles 414 and scooped up by the flow control elements 210 so as to be directed through the perforations 208 (see FIG. 7 ) provided in the tiles 200 to the hottest heat-generating equipment. Accordingly, the cooled air can be routed to the equipment that needs the cooled air the most.
Abstract
In one embodiment, a floor tile includes a body having a top side, a bottom side, and multiple lateral sides, and an integrated flow control element extending down from the bottom side, the flow control element being configured to control the flow of air below the floor tile.
Description
- Data centers, also referred to as computer rooms, often comprise a raised floor that forms an enclosed space with a sub-floor over which the raised floor is constructed. The enclosed space can be used to route various objects, such cables, power lines, and conduit, within the data center. When the raised floor is vented, the enclosed space can further be used as a plenum that delivers cooled air to the data center that can be used to cool heat-generating equipment provided in the center. In such a case, the vents in the raised floor may be positioned adjacent to inlets of the equipment with which air is drawn into the equipment.
- Although the areas of the raised floor that comprise vents normally comprise only a fraction of the total area of the raised floor, it is common to cool the entire enclosed space below the raised floor. Therefore, much of the cooled air, and the energy used to produce it, are wasted. Furthermore, because there typically is nothing within the enclosed space to route the cooled air around the objects contained within the enclosed space, the flow of cooled air to the vents can be impeded, thereby reducing cooling efficiency.
- The disclosed apparatuses can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale.
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FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a first embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used. -
FIG. 2 is a front view of the tile ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a side view of the tile ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the tile ofFIG. 2 taken along section line 4-4. -
FIG. 5A is a schematic top view of the tile ofFIG. 1 , illustrating a first orientation of a flow control element of the tile. -
FIG. 5B is a further schematic top view of the tile ofFIG. 1 , illustrating alternative orientations of a flow control element of the tile. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of a data center that incorporates the tile ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used. -
FIG. 8 is a front view of the tile ofFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 9 is a side view of the tile ofFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a tile configured to route airflow beneath a raised floor in which the tile is used. -
FIG. 11 is a front view of the tile ofFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 12 is a side view of the tile ofFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 13 is an end view of a data center that illustrates use of the tiles ofFIGS. 7 and 10 . - As described above, current cooling of data center equipment using a raised floor can be inefficient due to either or both of using energy to cool air that is not actually used to cool the equipment and failure to route the cooled air around objects that can impede airflow. As described in the following, however, greater efficiency can be achieved by controlling the airflow beneath the raised floor. In some embodiments, tiles used to form the raised floor comprise integral flow control elements that provide such control. Various embodiments of such tiles are disclosed below.
- Referring now in more detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the views,
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a first embodiment of afloor tile 100. As indicated in those figures, thefloor tile 100 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first ortop side 102, an opposed second orbottom side 104, and multiplelateral sides 106. In this embodiment, there are fourlateral sides 106, each having the same approximate length such that thefloor tile 100 is square. Notably, however, thetile 100 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). In some embodiments, perforations (not shown) can be provided through thetile 100 from thebottom side 104 to thetop side 102 such that air from a plenum below the tile can flow through the tile and into a room in which the tile is used. - Extending from the
bottom side 104 of thetile 100 is an integratedflow control element 108. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-3 , theflow control element 108 takes the form of a bristle brush comprising a multiplicity of closely-packedbristles 110 composed of a flexible and/or resilient material. Such an arrangement enables theflow control element 108 to conform to objects contained within the plenum. By way of example, thebristles 110 comprise filaments of non-static generating polymeric material. In some embodiments, thebristles 110 have lengths, and therefore theflow control element 108 has a depth, of approximately 24 inches (in.) to 36 in. such that the flow control element can extend down to a sub-floor over which a raised floor has been constructed. As indicated most clearly inFIG. 3 , theflow control element 108 can have a length that extends from onelateral side 106 of thetile 100 to anotherlateral side 106 of the tile such that the flow control element is as long as the tile is wide. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3 , thebristles 110 of theflow control element 108 are mounted to and extend outwardly from apivotable support member 112 that is can be pivoted about its longitudinal axis. Thesupport member 112 therefore enables thebristles 110 to be transitioned from an orientation in which they are generally perpendicular to the tile 100 (as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 ) to a position in which they are generally parallel to the tile (not shown). Such functionality facilitates shipping of thetile 100 as well as positioning of theflow control element 102 in a diagonal orientation between the perpendicular and parallel orientations. -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of thetile 100 taken along section line 4-4 inFIG. 2 . As indicated inFIG. 4 , thesupport member 112 can be formed as an elongated tube that is pivotally mounted onhorizontal shaft 114. As is further indicated inFIG. 4 , thehorizontal shaft 114 is connected to and supported by avertical shaft 116 that extends into thetile 100. Provided at the top end of thevertical shaft 116 is ahead 118 that is received within acavity 120 formed within thetile 100. With that arrangement,vertical shaft 116 can rotate about its longitudinal axis so as to enable rotation of thehorizontal shaft 114. Through such rotation, thesupport member 112 and thebristles 110 that extend therefrom can likewise rotate about thevertical shaft 116. Accordingly, theflow control element 108 can be pivoted or rotated about two separate axes. - The rotation enabled by the
vertical shaft 116 is schematically depicted inFIGS. 5A and 5B . Beginning withFIG. 5A , theflow control element 108 is placed in a first orientation (orientation “A”) in which the flow control element is parallel or perpendicular to thelateral sides 106 of thetile 100, depending upon which side is considered. InFIG. 5B , however, theflow control element 108 is shown in two alternative orientations, a first orientation (orientation “B”) in which theflow control element 108 forms acute angles with orientation “A” shown inFIG. 5A , and a second orientation (orientation “C”) in which theflow control element 108 is perpendicular to orientation “A.” - When the above-described
tile 100 is used in a raised floor, theflow control elements 108 can be advantageously used to control airflow beneath the floor so as to increase the cooling and/or energy efficiency of the system used to cool heat-generating equipment. In particular, cooled air can be channeled using the flow control elements of multipleadjacent tiles 100 so that the cooled air is confined to an area in which it can be utilized and objects that can impeded airflow are avoided. An example of such channeling is described below in relation toFIG. 6 . -
FIG. 6 depicts adata center 122 in which various heat-generating equipment is used. Examples of such equipment include server computers, storage computers, communications equipment, and the like. The equipment is provided inrows 124, which may comprise racks that support the equipment. Provided between the rows are aisles along which administrators or technicians may pass. In the illustrated embodiment, the aisles include “cold”aisles aisles FIG. 6 with the small block arrows. - In order to best cool the equipment, it is desirable to deliver cool, for example air-conditioned, air to the
cold aisles data center 122 comprises such a raisedfloor 130 formed in part bymultiple tiles 132, at least some of which being configured like thetile 100 described above. By way of example, the raisedfloor 130 is raised above a sub-floor (e.g., concrete floor) and bounds a plenum that is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. in height. Discharging air into that plenum areair conditioning units 134 and 135 that supply cooled air to the plenum. In conventional systems, theair conditioning units 134 and 135 would supply cool air to the entire plenum, i.e., the entire volume of air below the raisedfloor 130. In thedata center 122 shown inFIG. 6 , however, the cooled air is channeled primarily or solely to portions of the plenum below thecold aisles flow control members 108 described in the foregoing. Specifically, theflow control members 108 ofadjacent tiles 100 can be aligned end-to-end with each other so as to form substantially continuous guide walls below the raisedfloor 130 that direct and contain the cooled air. -
FIG. 6 provides examples of such guide walls. Beginning with thecold aisle 126, tworows 136 oftiles 100 are provided along the cold aisle so as to formparallel guide walls 138 composed of alignedflow control elements 108. Theguide walls 138 define achannel 140 along which cooled air (represented by the large block arrows) generated by theair conditioning unit 134 can flow. Therefore, instead of flowing throughout the entire plenum, the cooled air generated by theair conditioning unit 134 is confined to a relatively small area above which lies thecold aisle 126. Assuming at least some of the tiles within thecold aisle 126 comprise vents, the cooled air generated by theair conditioning unit 134 can be routed to the inlets of the equipment and potentially away from objects beneath the raisedfloor 130 that could impede or otherwise interfere with the flow. Turning next to thecold aisle 127, cooled air from the air conditioning unit 135 is diagonally redirected using theflow control elements 108 oftiles 100 adjacent the air conditioning unit. The cooled air is then guided by achannel 142 defined by a further guide wall 144 comprised of alignedflow control elements 108 and anouter wall 146 of thedata center 122. -
FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a second embodiment of afloor tile 200. As indicated in those figures, thefloor tile 200 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first ortop side 202, an opposed second orbottom side 204, and multiplelateral sides 206. In this embodiment, there are fourlateral sides 206, each having the same approximate length such that thefloor tile 200 is square. Notably, however, thetile 200 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). Extending through thetile 200 aremultiple perforations 208 that enable airflow through the tile, for example from thebottom side 204 to thetop side 206. Although theperforations 208 are depicted as round holes, it is noted that the perforations can have other shapes or orientations. - Extending from the
bottom side 204 of thetile 200 is an integratedflow control element 210. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 7-9 , theflow control element 210 takes the form of an air scoop that directs air up toward thebottom side 204 of thetile 200 and, therefore, toward theperforations 208. By way of example, theflow control element 210 has a three-dimensional curvature extending from adistal tip 212 to a base 214 that is connected to thebottom side 204 of thetile 200. In some embodiments, the distance between thetip 212 and thebase 214 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. -
FIGS. 10-12 illustrate a third embodiment of afloor tile 300. As indicated in those figures, thefloor tile 300 has a generally rectilinear body that includes a first ortop side 302, an opposed second orbottom side 304, and multiplelateral sides 306. In this embodiment, there are fourlateral sides 306, each having the same approximate length such that thefloor tile 300 is square. Notably, however, thetile 300 can be rectangular or of another shape (e.g., trapezoidal, rounded, etc.). Extending from thebottom side 304 of thetile 300 is an integratedflow control element 308. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 10-12 , theflow control element 308 takes the form of airflow diverter that laterally diverts cooled air generated by an air conditioning unit. Theflow control element 308 has a generally symmetric, curved shape. In some embodiments, that shape can take the form of an inverted bell curve shape having adistal tip 310 and a base 312 at which theflow control element 308 connects to thetile 300. In some embodiments, the distance between thetip 310 and thebase 312 is approximately 24 in. to 36 in. As with theflow control elements 108 described above, theflow control elements 308 ofadjacent tiles 300 can be aligned end-to-end so as to form a substantially continuous wall. -
FIG. 13 depicts adata center 400 that incorporates bothtile 200 andtile 300. As indicated inFIG. 13 , thedata center 400 includes a raisedfloor 402 that is supported above asub-floor 404 so as to define aplenum 406 into which cooled air can be directed. The raisedfloor 402 supportsrows row cold aisles rows hot aisle 416. Therefore, the equipment in therows cold aisles hot aisle 416. To ensure that cooled air from theplenum 406 reaches thecold aisles central diverter 418 is positioned below thehot aisle 416 within theplenum 406 such that cool air will not be delivered to the space below the hot aisle. As indicated inFIG. 13 ,cable trays 420 can be mounted to thecentral diverter 418, if desired. - The raised
floor 402 includesmultiple tiles 200 andmultiple tiles 300. Rows oftiles 300 are aligned with each other along therows flow control elements 210 ofindividual tiles 200, which are positioned at selected locations along thecold aisles data center 400. Therefore, the cool air from an air conditioning unit (not shown) can diverted out toward thecold aisles 414 and scooped up by theflow control elements 210 so as to be directed through the perforations 208 (seeFIG. 7 ) provided in thetiles 200 to the hottest heat-generating equipment. Accordingly, the cooled air can be routed to the equipment that needs the cooled air the most.
Claims (21)
1. A floor tile comprising:
a body having a topside, a bottom side, and multiple lateral sides; and
an integrated flow control element extending down from the bottom side, the flow control element being configured to control the flow of air below the floor tile.
2. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the tile body comprises a plurality of perforations through which air can flow.
3. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the flow control element comprises a bristle brush including a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles.
4. The floor tile of claim 3 , wherein the bristles are composed of a flexible material.
5. The floor tile of claim 3 , wherein the bristles comprise filaments of non-static generating polymeric material.
6. The floor tile of claim 3 , wherein the bristles are mounted on a pivotable support member that can be pivoted relative to its longitudinal axis to change the orientation of the bristles relative to the tile body.
7. The floor tile of claim 6 , wherein the pivotable support member is supported from the tile body by a rotatable shaft about which the pivotable support member can rotate, such that the flow control element can be pivoted or rotated about two separate axes.
8. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the flow control element has a depth of approximately 24 inches to 36 inches and is adapted to extend down to a sub-floor over which a raised floor in which the floor tile is provided.
9. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the flow control element has a length that extends from one lateral side of the tile to another lateral side of the tile such that the flow control element is as long as the tile is wide.
10. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the flow control element comprises an air scoop that directs air up toward the bottom side of the tile body.
11. The floor tile of claim 10 , wherein air scoop has a three-dimensional curvature extending from a distal tip to a base that connects to the bottom side of the tile body.
12. The floor tile of claim 11 , wherein the distance between the tip and the base is approximately 24 inches to 36 inches.
13. The floor tile of claim 1 , wherein the flow control element comprises an air diverter that laterally diverts air.
14. The floor tile of claim 13 , wherein air diverter has a bell curve shape extending from a distal tip to a base that connects to the bottom side of the tile body.
15. The floor tile of claim 14 , wherein the distance between the tip and the base is approximately 24 inches to 36 inches.
16. A data center comprising:
a sub-floor; and
a raised floor constructed above the sub-floor so as to define a plenum between the sub-floor and the raised floor, the raised floor comprising a plurality of floor tiles, at least one floor tile comprising an integrated flow control element that extends down from the at least one floor tile toward the sub-floor, the flow control element being configured to control airflow within the plenum.
17. The data center of claim 16 , wherein the flow control element comprises a bristle brush including a multiplicity of closely-packed bristles.
18. The data center of claim 17 , wherein the flow control element is pivotable or rotatable about two separate axes.
19. The data center of claim 16 , wherein the flow control element comprises an air scoop that directs air up toward a bottom side of the at least one tile.
20. The data center of claim 16 , wherein the flow control element comprises an air diverter that laterally diverts air.
21. The data center of claim 16 , wherein the raised floor comprises multiple tiles comprising integrated flow control elements, the multiple tiles being aligned in a row with their flow control elements being aligned end-to-end to form a substantially continuous wall within the plenum.
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US12/233,019 US20100064610A1 (en) | 2008-09-18 | 2008-09-18 | Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor |
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US12/233,019 US20100064610A1 (en) | 2008-09-18 | 2008-09-18 | Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor |
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US20100064610A1 true US20100064610A1 (en) | 2010-03-18 |
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US12/233,019 Abandoned US20100064610A1 (en) | 2008-09-18 | 2008-09-18 | Apparatuses For Controlling Airflow Beneath A Raised Floor |
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Cited By (9)
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US8233274B2 (en) | 2010-07-21 | 2012-07-31 | International Business Machines Corporation | Computer chassis cooling sidecar |
US8626346B2 (en) | 2010-08-06 | 2014-01-07 | International Business Machines Corporation | Dynamically adjustable floor tile for a data center |
US8683762B2 (en) | 2012-04-04 | 2014-04-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Data center flooring arrangements |
US8812275B2 (en) | 2010-09-18 | 2014-08-19 | International Business Machines Corporation | Modeling movement of air under a floor of a data center |
US8845403B2 (en) | 2010-05-18 | 2014-09-30 | International Business Machines Corporation | Individually cooling one or more computers in a rack of computers in a data center |
US8947880B2 (en) | 2010-08-06 | 2015-02-03 | Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Ptd. Ltd. | Hot or cold aisle computer chassis |
US9907210B2 (en) | 2015-06-25 | 2018-02-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Active perforation for advanced server cooling |
US10028401B2 (en) | 2015-12-18 | 2018-07-17 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Sidewall-accessible dense storage rack |
US10136563B2 (en) | 2015-06-25 | 2018-11-20 | International Business Machines Corporation | Active perforation for advanced server cooling |
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Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8845403B2 (en) | 2010-05-18 | 2014-09-30 | International Business Machines Corporation | Individually cooling one or more computers in a rack of computers in a data center |
US8233274B2 (en) | 2010-07-21 | 2012-07-31 | International Business Machines Corporation | Computer chassis cooling sidecar |
US8879247B2 (en) | 2010-07-21 | 2014-11-04 | International Business Machines Corporation | Computer chassis cooling sidecar |
US8626346B2 (en) | 2010-08-06 | 2014-01-07 | International Business Machines Corporation | Dynamically adjustable floor tile for a data center |
US8947880B2 (en) | 2010-08-06 | 2015-02-03 | Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Ptd. Ltd. | Hot or cold aisle computer chassis |
US8812275B2 (en) | 2010-09-18 | 2014-08-19 | International Business Machines Corporation | Modeling movement of air under a floor of a data center |
US8683762B2 (en) | 2012-04-04 | 2014-04-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Data center flooring arrangements |
US9907210B2 (en) | 2015-06-25 | 2018-02-27 | International Business Machines Corporation | Active perforation for advanced server cooling |
US10136563B2 (en) | 2015-06-25 | 2018-11-20 | International Business Machines Corporation | Active perforation for advanced server cooling |
US10028401B2 (en) | 2015-12-18 | 2018-07-17 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc | Sidewall-accessible dense storage rack |
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