(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In its continuing efforts to support its various hosted services, Google (www.google.com) has revealed in a patent application an innovative rack cooling design that features an adjustable piping system, and “air wands” that provide small amounts of cold air to components within a server tray.
Already building its own servers and switches, Google is now taking steps to customize the racks that hold them, according to a report from Data Center Knowledge. The latest rack design shows a rack with cool air entering the top from two vertical standpipes that branch off into air wands, which are long, thin pipes perforated with vents that release cold air. The air wands can be moved to cool specific components, or be bent aside to allow equipment to be removed from the rack.
The Google system allows for outside air to provide free cooling for ambient air, and a refrigerated cooling sub-system provides cooler air if needed. Data Center Knowledge noted that, while Google operates a chiller-free data center in Belgium, year-round free cooling is limited only to cooler regions, its global ambitions may lead it to build data centers in hotter regions.
While free cooling may not always be possible, using air conditioning in the most efficient ways is the next best option. This directed cool air approach is a natural progression for data center designs, which have largely shifted in the past few years from simple air conditioned rooms to containerized racks.
