Cooling apparatus

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided cooling apparatus. The cooling apparatus comprises an outlet for supplying chilled liquid, an inlet for receiving return chilled liquid, a free cooling system for providing first cooling to the return chilled liquid, a chiller unit for further cooling the first cooled return liquid to a predetermined temperature, a pressure difference sensor for measuring the pressure difference between the chilled liquid supplied at the outlet and the return liquid received at the inlet, and a flow control module for maintaining a predetermined pressure difference between the liquid supplied at the outlet and the return liquid received at the inlet.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A cooling apparatus to process a chilled liquid, comprising:
 an outlet to provide a chilled liquid supply;   an inlet to receive a chilled liquid return;   a heat exchanger to cool the chilled liquid return by free cooling;   a mechanical chiller comprising a refrigeration loop to further cool the chilled liquid return to a predetermined temperature, wherein the heat exchanger and the mechanical chiller to utilize a circuit of free cooling fluid as a cooling medium; and   a flow control module to facilitate maintaining a predetermined pressure difference between the chilled liquid supply and the chilled liquid return.   
     
     
         12 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , comprising:
 a first pressure sensor to measure pressure of the chilled water supply; and   a second pressure sensor to measure pressure of the chilled water return, wherein a control logic to determine the differential pressure between the chilled water supply and the chilled water return, and the control logic to control the flow control module to maintain the predetermined pressure difference.   
     
     
         13 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the flow control module comprises a variable speed pump. 
     
     
         14 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein a control logic to control the flow control module to maintain the predetermined pressure difference by controlling speed of the variable speed pump via a variable frequency drive. 
     
     
         15 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the flow control module to facilitate maintaining the predetermined pressure difference to avoid pump cavitation and to maintain pressure below design pressure. 
     
     
         16 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the flow control module comprises a pump, wherein the free cooling fluid comprises cooling tower water, and wherein the heat exchanger to be a component of a free cooling system comprising a cooling tower and to cool the chilled liquid return by non-mechanical chilling via the cooling tower water. 
     
     
         17 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the mechanical chiller comprising the refrigeration loop comprises an evaporator, a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion device, and wherein the condenser utilizes the free cooling fluid as the cooling medium. 
     
     
         18 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 11 , comprising a control logic to control operation of the mechanical chiller to provide the chilled liquid supply at the predetermined temperature, and wherein to control operation of the mechanical chiller comprises to control speed of the compressor. 
     
     
         19 . A cooling apparatus to process a chilled liquid, comprising:
 a container housing;   an outlet to provide a chilled liquid supply;   an inlet to receive a chilled liquid return;   a heat exchanger to cool the chilled liquid return;   a chiller to further cool the chilled liquid return to a predetermined temperature, wherein the heat exchanger and the chiller to utilize cooling tower water as a cooling medium; and   a flow control module to maintain a predetermined pressure difference between the chilled liquid supply and the chilled liquid return   
     
     
         20 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the container housing comprises a transportable container, wherein the cooling module to supply chilled liquid in a data center, and wherein the flow control module comprises a pump. 
     
     
         21 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 20 , comprising a pressurization module to facilitate maintaining the chilled liquid above atmospheric pressure to substantially prevent cavitation within the pump, and wherein the chiller to further cool the chilled liquid return comprises the chiller to further cool the chilled liquid return in response to a temperature of the chilled liquid return discharging from the heat exchanger being above a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         22 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the cooling apparatus to supply chilled liquid to internal cooling equipment of a containerized data center module, wherein the chiller comprises a mechanical chiller including a refrigeration loop having a condenser, and wherein the cooling tower water as a cooling medium for the chiller to be utilized by the condenser. 
     
     
         23 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a plate heat exchanger. 
     
     
         24 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the cooling apparatus to supply a variable amount of chilled liquid at a substantially constant supply temperature. 
     
     
         25 . The cooling apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the cooling apparatus to supply a variable amount of chilled liquid at a substantially constant return temperature. 
     
     
         26 . A method of processing a chilled liquid for a data center via a cooling module, comprising:
 supplying a chilled liquid supply to the data center via an outlet of the cooling module, the cooling module comprising a heat exchanger and a chiller;   receiving a chilled liquid return from the data center via an inlet of the cooling module;   cooling the chilled liquid return via the heat exchanger;   cooling further the chilled liquid return to a predetermined temperature via the chiller, the chiller comprising a condenser;   flowing a stream of a free cooling medium through the heat exchanger and the condenser; and   pumping the chilled liquid to circulate the chilled liquid through cooling equipment of the data center and to maintain a predetermined pressure difference between the chilled liquid supply and the chilled liquid return.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , comprising:
 measuring supply pressure of the chilled liquid supply and measuring return pressure of the chilled liquid return; and   determining via control logic a pressure differential between the chilled liquid supply and the chilled liquid return, wherein maintaining the predetermined pressure difference comprises the control logic controlling a flow control module, the flow control modules comprising a pump, and wherein pumping the chilled liquid comprises pumping the chilled liquid via the pump.   
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the cooling module comprises a container housing and the pump, wherein the cooling equipment comprises internal cooling equipment of data center modules in the data center, and wherein supplying the chilled liquid supply comprises supplying the chilled liquid supply to the internal cooling equipment of the data center modules. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the free cooling medium comprises cooling tower water, and wherein the chiller employs a refrigeration loop. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the free cooling medium comprises cooling tower water, wherein flowing the stream of the cooling tower water comprises supplying from a cooling tower the stream to the heat exchanger and condenser, and returning the stream to the cooling tower, and wherein the chiller comprises a compressor, an evaporator, and an expansion valve.