US20110185758A1 - Cooling system for electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooling system for an electronic apparatus, includes: a casing in which the electronic apparatus is housed; an evaporator which is disposed at a rear surface side of the casing, and cools heat released from the electronic apparatus by a refrigerant; a slide mechanism which connects the casing and the evaporator to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the casing; at least any one of a cooling tower which is provided at a higher place than the evaporator and condenses the refrigerant by cooling of external air and sprinkled water, and a heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant by using chilled water; a circulation line which moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and at least one of the cooling tower and the heat exchanger; and a piping which connects the circulation line and the evaporator, and is extendable and contractible in response to movement of the evaporator.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The presently disclosed subject matter relates to a cooling system for an electronic apparatus, and particularly relates to a cooling system for an electronic apparatus for efficiently cooling an electronic apparatus such as a computer or a server which is required to perform a precise operation and generates a large amount of heat from itself.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• In recent years, with improvement of the information processing technique and development of the Internet environments, the information processing amount which is required has been increased, and data processing centers for processing various kinds of information in large volume have been attracting attention as a business. In, for example, the server room of the data processing center, a large number of electronic apparatuses such as a computer and a server are installed in a concentrated state, and are continuously operated day and night. In general, a rack-mount method is mainstream for installation of the electronic apparatuses in server rooms. A rack-mount method is the method in which the racks housing electronic apparatuses by dividing the apparatuses according to functional units are stacked on a cabinet. A number of the cabinets (server racks) are aligned and disposed on the floor of a server room. The electronic apparatuses which process information are rapidly improved in processing speed and throughput and the amount of heat generation from the electronic apparatuses is steadily increasing.
• In such circumstances, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-081439 proposes the art for efficiently cooling an electronic apparatus. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-081439 discloses a cooling unit (evaporator) which is a steam compression heat exchange system for promoting cooling of a server rack, and includes an evaporator coil at an outlet door which is hinge-mounted to an air outlet side of the server rack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Incidentally, the cooling unit in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-081439 is hinge-fixed to the server rack. Therefore, machining is required for the server rack. Further, it is necessary to prepare an exclusive cooling unit adapted to the shape of the server rack.
• Further, in the hinge-fixed cooling unit, the cooling unit is sometimes in contact with the adjacent server rack at the time of opening and closing of the cooling unit, and the movable range of the cooling unit may be limited.
• The presently disclosed subject matter is made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a cooling system for an electronic apparatus which can efficiently cool an electronic apparatus such as a computer or a server which is required to perform a precise operation and generates a large amount of heat from itself, with a cooling unit (evaporator) which can be easily installed.
• In order to attain the above-described object, a first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides a cooling system for an electronic apparatus, including: a casing in which the electronic apparatus is housed; an evaporator which is disposed at a rear surface side of the casing, and cools heat released from the electronic apparatus by a refrigerant; a slide mechanism which connects the casing and the evaporator to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the casing; at least any one of a cooling tower which is provided at a higher place than the evaporator and condenses the refrigerant by cooling of external air and sprinkled water, and a heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant by using chilled water; a circulation line which moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and at least one of the cooling tower and the heat exchanger; and a piping which connects the circulation line and the evaporator, and is extendable and contractible in response to movement of the evaporator.
• According to the presently disclosed subject matter, the high-temperature heat which is generated (discharged) from an electronic apparatus (usually having a fan which takes in air of the apparatus room and discharges the air) is directly subjected to heat exchange with the refrigerant which flows in the evaporator while the heat is in the high-temperature state, and evaporation of the refrigerant is promoted, whereby the transport power for transporting the evaporated refrigerant gas to the cooling tower installed at a higher place than the evaporator or the heat exchanger. Furthermore, the refrigerant gas evaporated in the evaporator has a high temperature, and thereby, the cooling capacity to condense the evaporated refrigerant gas to make the refrigerant gas a refrigerant liquid can be made small. The refrigerant liquid which is cooled and condensed flows down to the evaporator located below the cooling tower, and thereby, the circulation line in which the refrigerant naturally circulates between the evaporator and the cooling tower is constructed.
• By constructing the natural circulation line like this, the power cost for transporting the refrigerant is not required. The cooling tower is used, which cools the refrigerant with external air and sprinkled water at the cooling side of the circulation line, the heat source load for cooling can be significantly reduced, and the running cost for cooling the refrigerant can be significantly reduced.
• Further, the evaporator slides in the longitudinal direction relatively to the casing, and therefore, does not interfere with the adjacent server rack. Therefore, the space for carrying-in, wiring, maintenance and the like of the electronic apparatus can be ensured at the rear surface side of the casing. Further, the evaporator is not directly mounted to the casing, and therefore, a special evaporator does not have to be prepared in accordance with the shape of each casing.
• In order to attain the aforementioned object, a second aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides a cooling system for an electronic apparatus, including: a casing in which the electronic apparatus is housed; an evaporator which is disposed at a rear surface side of the casing, and cools heat released from the electronic apparatus by a refrigerant; a slide mechanism which connects the casing and the evaporator to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the casing; a cooling tower which is provided at a higher place than the evaporator and condenses the refrigerant by cooling of external air and sprinkled water; a heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant by using chilled water; a circulation line which moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and the cooling tower; a parallel line which is a channel of the refrigerant, is connected to the circulation line, and is provided so that the heat exchanger and the cooling tower have a parallel relation; a parallelizing control mechanism which controls a refrigerant amount of the refrigerant which is passed to the parallel line from the circulation line; and a piping which connects the circulation line and the evaporator and is extendable and contractible in response to movement of the evaporator.
• According to the presently disclosed subject matter, as the device which cools the refrigerant, the heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant is connected in parallel to the circulation line to be configured to have a parallel relation with the cooling tower, in addition to the cooling tower, and the refrigerant amount which is passed to the heat exchanger is controlled with the paralleling control mechanism. Thereby, the cooling tower and the heat exchanger can be efficiently used so that the running cost can be minimized in accordance with the cooling load necessary for condensing the refrigerant gas evaporated in the evaporator.
• A third aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides the cooling system for an electronic apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the evaporator includes a fan. According to the presently disclosed subject matter, the efficiency of the evaporator can be enhanced by providing the fan in the evaporator.
• A fourth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides the cooling system according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the slide mechanism is fixed to the casing by a clamp. According to the presently disclosed subject matter, the slide mechanism is fixed to the casing by the clamp, and thereby, the slide mechanism can be fixed to the casing without working the casing. More specifically, the slide mechanism can be fixed to the casing with the electronic apparatus operated. Accordingly, the evaporator can be mounted to the casing with the electronic apparatus operated.
• A fifth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides the cooling system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the evaporator includes a caster adjustable in height at a bottom part of the evaporator. According to the presently disclosed subject matter, by the caster provided at the bottom part of the evaporator, the evaporator can be easily moved in the longitudinal direction with respect to the casing. Further, the caster includes the height adjusting function, and therefore, the evaporator can be disposed to correspond to the height of the opening portion of the casing.
• A sixth aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides the cooling system for an electronic apparatus according to any one of the first to the fifth aspects, further including: a stopper which fixes positions of the evaporator and the casing. According to the presently disclosed subject matter, the state in which the evaporator is closely attached to the casing can be kept by the stopper. Thereby, the heat generated from the electronic apparatus can be efficiently cooled with the evaporator.
• When the electronic apparatus is carried in, carried out and the like, the evaporator is usually moved to separate from the casing. By fixing the position of the evaporator in this position by the stopper, an accident that the evaporator moves at the time of operation and hurts the operator can be prevented.
• A seventh aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter provides the cooling system for an electronic apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further including: a frame body which is mounted to an outer periphery of the evaporator and adjusts a size with the casing. According to the presently disclosed subject matter, by mounting the frame body to the outer periphery of the evaporator, the difference in size from the casing can be adjusted. Accordingly, one evaporator can be mounted to a plurality of casings differing in size.
• According to the presently disclosed subject matter, a cooling system for an electronic apparatus can be provided, which can efficiently cool an electronic apparatus such as a computer or a server, which is required to perform a precise operation and generates a large amount of heat from itself, with an evaporator which can be easily installed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a conceptual view explaining an embodiment of a cooling system for an electronic apparatus of the presently disclosed subject matter;
• FIG. 2 is an explanatory view explaining one mode of a server rack and an evaporator according to the presently disclosed subject matter;
• FIG. 3 is a view illustrating one mode for fixing positions of the evaporator and the server rack;
• FIG. 4 is a view illustrating another mode for fixing the positions of the evaporator and the server rack;
• FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory views illustrating mounting states of the evaporator, the server rack and piping; and
• FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating the evaporator, a frame body and the server rack.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter will be described in accordance with the attached drawings. The presently disclosed subject matter will be described according to the following preferred embodiment, but the presently disclosed subject matter can be modified by a number of methods without departing from the range of the presently disclosed subject matter, and embodiments other than the present embodiment can be used. Accordingly, all modifications in the range of the presently disclosed subject matter are included in claims.
• Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a cooling system for an electronic apparatus according to the presently disclosed subject matter will be described in detail in accordance with the attached drawings. As one example of the electronic apparatus, an example of the server placed in a server room will be described.
• FIG. 1 is a conceptual view illustrating acooling system10 for an electronic apparatus of the embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. As illustrated inFIG. 1, aserver room14 is provided in abuilding12. On the back side of afloor surface20, anunderfloor chamber22 is formed. On thefloor surface20, a plurality of air outlets (not illustrated) are disposed, and cold air from an air-conditioner (not illustrated) is blown off to theserver room14 from thefloor surface20 through theunderfloor chamber22. The air outlets are preferably disposed near a server rack (casing)26. Thereby, the cold air which is blown out is supplied to an electronic apparatus (not illustrated) which is housed in theserver rack26. Accordingly, the electronic apparatus is efficiently cooled by cold air.
• As illustrated inFIG. 1, anevaporator34 is disposed at a rear surface side of theserver rack26. Theevaporator34 and theserver rack26 are connected by aslide mechanism50. By theslide mechanism50, theevaporator34 becomes movable in the longitudinal direction with respect to theserver rack26. Theevaporator34 includes acaster52 on the bottom surface. Theevaporator34 can be easily moved by thecaster52.
• Theevaporator34 includes a coolingcoil36 therein. A refrigerant liquid flowing in the coolingcoil36 is evaporated by high-temperature air generated from the electronic apparatus housed in theserver rack26, and thereby, deprives the surroundings of heat of vaporization to be gasified. Thereby, the electronic apparatus and the high-temperature air discharged from the electronic apparatus are cooled.
• Acooling tower38 is installed on the roof of thebuilding12. Acirculation line40 in which a refrigerant naturally circulates is formed between the coolingtower38 and theevaporator34. Thecooling tower38 includes therein spiral piping41 in which the refrigerant flows, and awater sprinkling pipe42 which is located above thespiral piping41 and sprinkles water to thespiral piping41. Thecooling tower38 includes afan44 above thewater sprinkling pipe42. Thefan44 takes in external air from an opening in the side surface of thecooling tower38, and discharge the external air from an opening on a top surface. A counter current is formed by the sprinkled water and the external air taken in. Thereby, the external air is cooled to be lower than the temperature of the external air when it is taken in.
• The coolingcoil36 and thespiral piping41 are connected by return piping46 (refrigerant gas piping) for returning the refrigerant gas which is gasified in theevaporator34 to thecooling tower38, and supply piping48 (refrigerant liquid piping) which supplies the refrigerant liquid which is liquefied by cooling and condensing the refrigerant gas in thecooling tower38 to theevaporator34. Thecirculation line40 is configured by the return piping46 and thesupply piping48.
• The return piping46 and thesupply piping48 are installed on aceiling surface16 of theserver room14. The return piping46 and the coolingcoil36 of theevaporator34 are connected byflexible piping78. Further, thesupply piping48 and the coolingcoil36 of theevaporator34 are connected byflexible piping80. Theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are extendable and contractible, and therefore, even if theevaporator34 moves relatively to theserver rack26, connection of the return piping46 and theevaporator34, and connection of thesupply piping48 and theevaporator34 are kept.
• The amount of heat generation from the electronic apparatuses of recent years has rapidly increased. The high-temperature heat which is generated (discharged) from the electronic apparatus is directly subjected to heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing in theevaporator34 while the heat is in the high-temperature state to promote evaporation of the refrigerant, whereby a transport power can be obtained, which transports the evaporated refrigerant gas to thecooling tower38 installed on the place higher than theevaporator34. As the refrigerant for use, a chlorofluorocarbon, HFC (hydrofluorocarbon) as an alternative chlorofluorocarbon or the like can be used. Further, water can be used, if used at a lower pressure than the atmospheric pressure. Here, expression of the refrigerant includes both a refrigerant gas in a gaseous state and a refrigerant liquid in a liquid state, and inFIG. 1, the direction of the flow of the refrigerant gas is illustrated by the white arrows, and the direction of the flow of the refrigerant liquid is illustrated by the black arrows.
• Thecirculation line40 for the refrigerant to circulate naturally is formed between the evaporator34 and thecooling tower38. By theevaporator34, thecooling tower38 and thecirculation line40, a powerless heat pipe in which the refrigerant is sealed is constructed. Further, the amount of heat generation from the electronic apparatus becomes large, and the high-temperature refrigerant gas can be formed. Thereby, the cooling temperature which condenses the refrigerant gas can be set to be high, and the refrigerant gas can be condensed even with the cooling capacity by thecooling tower38. The condensed refrigerant liquid flows down to theevaporator34 located below thecooling tower38.
• Theevaporator34 is provided with a temperature sensor (not illustrated) which measures the temperature of the air after the high-temperature air discharged from the electronic apparatus is cooled by the coolingcoil36. The outlet port of the coolingcoil36 is provided with a flow rate regulating device (not illustrated) for regulating the supply flow rate (refrigerant flow rate) of the refrigerant to be supplied to the coolingcoil36. The opening of the flow regulating device (valve) is automatically regulated based on the measured temperature by the temperature sensor. Thereby, when the temperature of the air after cooled in theevaporator34 becomes excessively lower than the set temperature, the opening of the flow rate regulating device is reduced, and the supply flow rate of the refrigerant is decreased. The supply flow rate of the refrigerant is not increased more than necessary, and thereby, the cooling load for cooling the refrigerant can be made small. Accordingly, sufficient cooling capacity can be exhibited with only the cooling in thecooling tower38.
• Describing this in more detail, the air in theserver room14 is taken into theserver rack26 which houses the electronic apparatus, and is heated by the heat generated from the electronic apparatus. Heat exchange is performed between the heated high-temperature air and the refrigerant in theevaporator34, and the cooled air is measured by a temperature sensor (not illustrated).
• Meanwhile, in the refrigerant natural circulation system, a condensing temperature which is lower than the vaporization (evaporation) temperature is required, unlike the conventional compression type air-conditioning system. Therefore, if the evaporation temperature can be set to be high, the condensing temperature, namely, the temperature of the external air used in thecooling tower38 can be made high. This means that the cooling capacity in thecooling tower38 also can be achieved in the condition of the external air at a higher temperature. In the intermediate periods (the spring period and autumn period) when the external air temperature is relatively high, cooling with only the cooling tower can be performed. Thereby, the operation of achiller68 is suppressed to realize reduction in running cost.
• Further, on the roof of thebuilding12, aheat exchanger54 with a larger cooling capacity than thecooling tower38 is installed, in addition to thecooling tower38. Theheat exchanger54 is provided in abranch circulation line64 which is branched from thecirculation line40. As illustrated inFIG. 1, a paralleling return piping58 and a parallelingsupply piping60 which are branched from the return piping46 and thesupply piping48 respectively are connected to asecondary side coil62 of theheat exchanger54. Thereby, theheat exchanger54 is disposed with a parallel relation in the flow of the refrigerant with respect to thecooling tower38.
• Aprimary side coil66 of theheat exchanger54 is connected to chilledwater supply piping70 and chilled water return piping72 from thechiller68. The chilledwater supply piping70 is provided with adelivery pump74. Thereby, the chilled water (primary refrigerant) made by thechiller68 exchanges heat with the refrigerant (secondary refrigerant) in theheat exchanger54, and cools the refrigerant. Thechiller68, and acooling tower76 which is different from thecooling tower38 are connected, and thecooling tower76 is used as a heat sink of thechiller68, whereby the working electric power of thechiller68 can be reduced. Thecooling tower76 has a similar structure to that of thecooling tower38.
• The paralleling return piping58 is provided with a parallelingvalve59, and a shut-offvalve61 is provided near thecooling tower38 in thesupply piping48. Avalve69 is also provided in the chilledwater supply piping70 in which chilled water flows. Meanwhile, an externalair temperature sensor63 which measures an external air temperature is provided in the vicinity of thecooling tower38. A cooling tower outlet (at the refrigerant liquid side) and a heat exchanger outlet (at the refrigerant liquid side) are respectively provided withtemperature sensors65 and67. The measurement results of therespective temperature sensors63,65 and67 are inputted into aparalleling control unit71 one by one. Based on the measurement result, the parallelingcontrol unit71 controls therespective valves59,61 and69. Thereby, a paralleling control mechanism is formed. Thetemperature sensors65 and67 are provided at the cooling tower outlet and the heat exchanger outlet, but a pressure sensor (not illustrated) which measures the pressure of the refrigerant which flows in the piping can be provided. Further, both theliquid temperature sensors65 and67 and the pressure sensor may be provided.
• Here, a preferred mode of a control method according to the paralleling control mechanism will be described. The first control method will be described. The parallelingcontrol unit71 calculates the capacity of being able to cooling the refrigerant in thecooling tower38 from the measurement result of the externalair temperature sensor63. The amount of the opening of the parallelingvalve59 is regulated from the calculation result, and thereby, the amount of refrigerant which is fed to theheat exchanger54 is controlled. Thereby, thecooling tower38 and theheat exchanger54 can be efficiently used so that the running cost becomes the lowest in accordance with the cooling load required for condensing the refrigerant gas which is evaporated in theevaporator34.
• The cooling capacity of thecooling tower38 significantly depends on the external air temperature. By performing the control as described above, part of the refrigerant flowing in thecirculation line40 can be made to flow automatically into theheat exchanger54 in accordance with the variation of the external air temperature. Only the insufficient amount of the cooling capacity of thecooling tower38 is supplemented by theheat exchanger54. Thereby, the running cost can be further reduced.
• The second control method will be described. The parallelingcontrol unit71 regulates the amount of the opening of the parallelingvalve59 so that the measurement result of thetemperature sensor65 at the cooling tower outlet becomes a set value. Accordingly, the amount of the refrigerant to be fed to theheat exchanger54 is controlled. As a result, by measuring the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the cooling tower, the cooling capacity which thecooling tower38 has at the time point of measurement can be grasped (estimated). Accordingly, by automatically regulating the amount of the opening of the parallelingvalve59 based on the measurement result, part of the refrigerant flowing in thecirculation line40 can be made to flow automatically into theheat exchanger54, and therefore, only the insufficient amount of the cooling capacity of thecooling tower38 is supplemented by theheat exchanger54. As a result, the running cost can be further reduced.
• Further, when these control methods are performed, thetemperature sensor67 which is provided at the outlet of the heat exchanger is measured, and thereby, the temperature of the refrigerant to be supplied to theevaporator34 can be measured. Accordingly, by controlling the amount of the opening of thevalve69 of the coolingwater supply piping70 based on the measurement result, the refrigerant can be prevented from being cooled more than necessary with theheat exchanger54. Further, in the summer period when the cooling capacity of thecooling tower38 reduces the most, the combined use of thecooling tower38 and theheat exchanger54 may be rather disadvantageous in the aspect of the running cost, and therefore, in such a case, when the measurement temperature of the externalair temperature sensor63 reaches a set value or more, the shut-offvalve61 is closed, whereby the running cost can be further reduced.
• In this manner, by having the two cooling devices, that is, thecooling tower38 and theheat exchanger54, and causing them to play the respective roles, the stable operation of the cooling system can be ensured, and the running cost for cooling the refrigerant can be reduced.
• FIG. 2 illustrates one mode of the server rack and the evaporator according to the presently disclosed subject matter. Theserver rack26 includes a rack main body100, and aninlet door110 mounted to the rack main body100. The rack main body100 is configured by abottom plate101, aside wall102 and aceiling plate103, and opening portions are formed at a front and a rear. The rack main body100 has the shape of a square pole as a whole. The rack main body100 includes a mount angle (not illustrated) for mounting an electronic apparatus therein. The electronic apparatus to be mounted includes a fan therein. External air is fed to the outlet port side (rear surface side) from the inlet port side (front surface side) of the rack main body100. Thebottom plate101, theside wall102 and theceiling plate103 are made of a material such as stainless steel, a steel material, or a metal subjected to electrolytic plating.
• Theevaporator34 is disposed at the rear surface side of the rack main body100. Theevaporator34 and the rack main body100 are connected by theslide mechanism50. Theslide mechanism50 includes a fixedframe120, and sliderails122 mounted to both sides of the fixedframe120. The fixedframe120 is fixed to theceiling plate103 by a clamp which fastens theceiling plate103. The clamp is configured by a fixedclamp member124 and amovable clamp member126. Actual mounting is performed by fixing the fixedclamp member124 to one end of theceiling plate103, adjusting themovable clamp member126 to the length of theceiling plate103, and fastening themovable clamp member126 with a bolt or the like.
• By fixing theslide mechanism50 to theceiling plate103 with the clamp, theslide mechanism50 and theceiling plate103 can be mounted to each other without applying work to the rack main body100. Thereby, a boring work or the like to the rack is not required, the adverse effect on the electronic apparatus such as short which is caused by metal cuttings which are generated during work such as boring can be prevented, and the mounting operation can be performed even during operation of the electronic apparatus.
• Theslide rail122 is fixed to theevaporator34 at the end at the side opposite from the fixedframe120. Theslide mechanism50 enables theevaporator34 to move in the longitudinal direction with respect to theserver rack26. By sliding theevaporator34 in the direction to be away from theserver rack26, a space for carrying in/out, wiring, maintenance and the like of the electronic apparatus can be secured at the rear surface side of theserver rack26. In the conventional method which hinge-mounts the evaporator to the server rack, when a plurality of server racks are disposed in parallel, the opening range of a certain evaporator may be limited because the evaporator is in contact with the adjacent server rack, or for the other reasons. In order to avoid the limitation, the conventional method needs to provide a cutout at the hinge side of the evaporator. However, the range for installation of the cooling coil becomes small due to the cutout, and the capacity of the evaporator may become the problem.
• Meanwhile, theevaporator34 capable of sliding movement of the presently disclosed subject matter is not influenced by the adjacent server rack, and therefore, the coolingcoil36 can be installed in theevaporator34 without any limitation.
• In order to connect the return piping and the coolingcoil36,flexible piping78 is mounted to theevaporator34. Further, in order to connect the supply piping and the coolingcoil36,flexible piping80 is mounted to theevaporator34. Since theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are extendable and contractible, theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 extend and contract to follow the movement of theevaporator34. Thereby, connection of the return piping and theevaporator34, and connection of the supply piping and theevaporator34 are kept. Theevaporator34 of the presently disclosed subject matter is configured to be slidable, and therefore, it is important that the piping which connects the return piping and theevaporator34 and the piping which connects the supply piping and theevaporator34 are extendable and contractible.
• Acaster52 with a height adjusting function is mounted to a bottom part of theevaporator34. Thecaster52 enables theevaporator34 to move easily. Further, by adjusting the height of thecaster52, the heights of theevaporator34 and the rack main body100 can be adjusted.
• Afan30 is installed at a side opposite from a side of theevaporator34, which opposes theserver rack26. The external air which is taken into theserver rack26 is fed out to theevaporator34 by thefan30. Accordingly, the heat generated from the electronic apparatus is efficiently cooled by theevaporator34.
• FIG. 3 is a view illustrating one mode for fixing the positions of the evaporator and the server rack. The description of the components similar to those described withFIGS. 1 and 2 may be omitted by being assigned with the same reference numerals and characters. As illustrated inFIG. 3, theevaporator34 is disposed at the position close to theserver rack26. An L-shapedhook130 is mounted to a rear surface side of the fixedframe120 fixed to theceiling plate103. Anarm132 engaged with thehook130 is rotatably mounted to theevaporator34. When thearm132 is engaged with thehook130, theevaporator34 is fixed to the fixedframe120. Thereby, theevaporator34 is restrained from sliding movement. Theevaporator34 is closely fixed to theserver rack26, and therefore, heat from the electronic apparatus can be efficiently cooled. Further, unintentional slide movement of theevaporator34 is restricted, and an accident and the like can be prevented.
• By rotating thearm132 to release the engaged state of thehook130, theevaporator34 becomes movable.
• FIG. 4 is a view illustrating another mode for fixing the positions of the evaporator and the server rack. The description of the components similar to those already described may be omitted by assigning the components with the same reference numerals and characters.FIG. 4 illustrates the state in which theslide rail122 is the most extended with respect to the fixedframe120. Aplate142 having aguide hole144, and ametal clasp140 supported by theguide hole144 are mounted to theslide rail122. Themetal clasp140 can freely move along theguide hole144. In the state in which theslide rail122 is the most extended with respect to the fixedframe120, themetal clasp140 is moved to the lowest position along theguide hole144. Themetal clasp140 is projected from theplate142. Thereby, even if a force is applied in the direction to contract theslide rail122, themetal clasp140 is in contact with theserver rack26. Themetal clasp140 restrains movement of theslide rail122. Unintentional slide movement of the evaporator is restricted, and an accident or the like can be prevented.
• Meanwhile, when the evaporator is moved, themetal clasp140 is moved to the highest position along theguide hole144. Themetal clasp140 is not projected from theplate142, and theslide rail122 is in the movable state.
• FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate mounting states of the server rack and piping. The description of the components which are similar to those already described may be omitted by assigning the components with the same reference numerals and characters.FIG. 5A illustrates the state in which theevaporator34 is disposed at the position which is the closest to theserver rack26. Theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are mounted to theevaporator34. In order to facilitate the description, only one of the flexible piping is illustrated on the drawing.
• Theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are connected to theevaporator34 at one ends of them. Further, theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are fixed so that parts of them are along theslide rail122. By fixing the parts of theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 to theslide rail122, a load to the joint portion of theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 and theevaporator34 can be reduced. Further, theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are bundled in a ring shape to be able to contract the diameter between the return piping and the supply piping, and theevaporator34.
• FIG. 5B illustrates the state in which theevaporator34 is disposed at the position which is the most distant from theserver rack26. Theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 are bundled into a ring shape so as to be able to be reduced in diameter. Accordingly, with the slide movement of theevaporator34, the diameter of the bundled ring becomes small, and thereby, theflexible piping78 and theflexible piping80 extend as they follow theevaporator34. With the relatively simple configuration, the evaporator, and the return piping and the supply piping can be connected.
• FIG. 6 illustrates the evaporator, the frame body and the server rack. In the present embodiment, with respect to the width direction and the height direction, theserver rack26 has a structure larger than theevaporator34. In order to supplement the difference in size between theserver rack26 and theevaporator34, aframe body150 is mounted to the outer periphery of theevaporator34. Theslide rail122 is mounted to theframe body150. Thereby, the difference in size of theserver rack26, theevaporator34 and the casing can be adjusted. Accordingly, even oneevaporator34 can be adapted to a plurality ofserver racks26 differing in size by mounting theframe body150 to theevaporator34.
• As theserver rack26 becomes larger, the number of electronic apparatuses to be housed there in becomes larger. With this, the heat generation amount also increases, but this can be dealt with by regulating the flow rate and the like of the refrigerant flowing in theevaporator34.

Claims (12)

1. A cooling system for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a casing in which the electronic apparatus is housed;

an evaporator which is disposed at a rear surface side of the casing, and cools heat released from the electronic apparatus by a refrigerant;

a slide mechanism which connects the casing and the evaporator to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the casing;

at least any one of a cooling tower which is provided at a higher place than the evaporator and condenses the refrigerant by cooling of external air and sprinkled water, and a heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant by using chilled water;

a circulation line which moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and at least one of the cooling tower and the heat exchanger; and

a piping which connects the circulation line and the evaporator, and is extendable and contractible in response to movement of the evaporator.

2. A cooling system for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a casing in which the electronic apparatus is housed;

an evaporator which is disposed at a rear surface side of the casing, and cools heat released from the electronic apparatus by a refrigerant;

a slide mechanism which connects the casing and the evaporator to be movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the casing;

a cooling tower which is provided at a higher place than the evaporator and condenses the refrigerant by cooling of external air and sprinkled water;

a heat exchanger which cools the refrigerant by using chilled water;

a circulation line which moves the refrigerant between the evaporator and the cooling tower;

a parallel line which is a channel of the refrigerant, is connected to the circulation line, and is provided so that the heat exchanger and the cooling tower have a parallel relation;

a parallelizing control mechanism which controls a refrigerant amount of the refrigerant which is passed to the parallel line from the circulation line; and

a piping which connects the circulation line and the evaporator and is extendable and contractible in response to movement of the evaporator.

3. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the evaporator includes a fan.

4. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the evaporator includes a fan.

5. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the slide mechanism is fixed to the casing by a clamp.

6. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the slide mechanism is fixed to the casing by a clamp.

7. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 1,

wherein the evaporator includes a caster adjustable in height at a bottom part of the evaporator.

8. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 2,

wherein the evaporator includes a caster adjustable in height at a bottom part of the evaporator.

9. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising:

a stopper which fixes positions of the evaporator and the casing.

10. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 2, further comprising:

a stopper which fixes positions of the evaporator and the casing.

11. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 1, further comprising:

a frame body which is mounted to an outer periphery of the evaporator and adjusts a size with the casing.

12. The cooling system for an electronic apparatus according toclaim 2, further comprising:

a frame body which is mounted to an outer periphery of the evaporator and adjusts a size with the casing.

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