Modular roof mounted cooling system and method for data center

1. A modular cooling unit adapted for use above a unit IT structure forming a data center hallway structure in a data center, wherein the data center hallway structure is configured to house a plurality of equipment racks in a row extending longitudinally along a length thereof to define a longitudinal axis of the unit IT structure, and wherein a collective front side of the equipment racks help to define a cold aisle, and a collective rear side of the equipment racks help to define a hot aisle, the modular cooling unit comprising:

a housing configured to be secured perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal axis of the unit IT structure;

the housing including:

a cold air discharge compartment at one end thereof, overlaying the cold aisle, from which cold air from the modular cooling unit is discharged into the cold aisle;

a hot air intake compartment selectively located to overlay the hot aisle, into which hot air from the hot aisle is drawn;

a width sufficient to substantially span a full width of one of the equipment racks; and

a length sufficient to span at least substantially a full width of the unit IT structure to enable the housing to be supported by a pair of vertical wall portions of the unit IT structure, and to form a portion of a roof for the unit IT structure; and

wherein the cold air discharge compartment forms a first compartment, the hot air intake compartment forms a central compartment immediately adjacent the first compartment, and wherein the modular cooling unit further includes:

a second compartment immediately adjacent the central compartment; and

a condenser housed within the second compartment.

2. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , wherein the length of the housing is sufficient to span the full width of the unit IT structure.

3. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , wherein the width of the housing is sufficient to cover the full width of the one of the equipment racks when positioned perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the unit IT structure.

4. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , wherein the modular cooling unit comprises an air-to-air refrigeration system.

5. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , further comprising a liquid receiver unit disposed in the second compartment and being in communication with the condenser.

6. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , wherein the second compartment further includes:

an ambient air inlet grille for admitting ambient air into the second compartment; and

wherein the housing includes at least one fan in communication with the second compartment for assisting in drawing in the ambient air into the second compartment.

7. The modular cooling unit of claim 1 , further comprising:

a wall separating the cold air discharge compartment and the hot air intake compartment; and

at least one fan disposed in an opening in the wall for assisting in drawing the cold air into the cold air discharge compartment.

8. A modular cooling unit adapted for use above a unit IT structure forming a data center hallway structure in a data center, wherein the data center hallway structure is configured to house a plurality of equipment racks in a row extending longitudinally along a length thereof to define a longitudinal axis of the unit IT structure, and wherein a collective front side of the equipment racks help to define a cold aisle, and a collective rear side of the equipment racks help to define a hot aisle, the modular cooling unit comprising:

a housing configured to be secured perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal axis of the unit IT structure to fully span the unit IT structure;

the housing including:

a cold air discharge compartment at one end thereof, forming a first compartment, overlaying the cold aisle, from which cold air from the modular cooling unit is discharged into the cold aisle;

a hot air intake compartment adjacent the cold air discharge compartment and forming a central compartment, and arranged to overlay the hot aisle into which hot air from the hot aisle is drawn;

a second compartment arranged adjacent to the central compartment for receiving an airflow of ambient air from an ambient environment; and

the housing further having a width sufficient to span a full width of one of the equipment racks and to form a ceiling over at least a portion of both the hot aisle and the cold aisle of the unit IT structure, to enable the housing to be supported by a pair of vertical wall portions of the unit IT structure, and to form a portion of a roof for the unit IT structure.

9. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , wherein the modular cooling unit comprises an air-to-air refrigeration system.

10. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , wherein the width of the housing is about the same as a width of each one of the equipment racks, and a length sufficient to span a width of the unit IT structure.

11. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , wherein the modular cooling unit comprises a plurality of modular cooling units, when placed in a side-by-side arrangement on the unit IT structure, form a ceiling for the unit IT structure.

12. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , wherein:

the first compartment includes a cold air discharge grille through which the cold air is discharged from the modular cooling unit into the cold aisle;

the central compartment includes a hot air inlet grille through which the hot air is ingested into the modular cooling unit from the hot aisle; and

the second compartment is isolated from the central compartment.

13. The modular cooling unit of claim 12 , wherein:

a spacing of the cold air discharge grille and the hot air inlet grille is selected such that the cold air discharge grille resides over the cold aisle and adjacent a front side of an associated one of the equipment racks into which cold air is ingested; and

the hot air inlet grille resides over the hot aisle and adjacent a rear side of the associated one of the equipment racks from which hot air is exhausted.

14. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , wherein the second compartment includes a condenser and a fan for drawing in the ambient air over the condenser.

15. The modular cooling unit of claim 8 , further comprising a compressor located in the first compartment.

16. An integrated, modular, data center hallway structure, the structure comprising:

a unit IT structure forming a framework for the data center hallway structure, and having dimensions suitable for accommodating a row of equipment racks, which form a cold aisle on a collective front side of the equipment racks and a hot aisle on a collective rear side of the equipment racks;

a plurality of modular cooling units positioned in side-by-side relationship and adapted to be secured to the unit IT structure perpendicularly to a length of the unit IT structure, to form a roof for a major portion of the unit IT structure;

each one of the modular cooling units including a housing, the housing including:

a central compartment operating as a hot air intake compartment selectively located to overlay the hot aisle, into which hot air from the hot aisle is drawn;

a first compartment disposed adjacent a first side of the central compartment and selectively located to overlay the cold aisle, from which cold air is blown into the cold aisle;

a second compartment adjacent a second side of the central compartment opposite the first side of the central compartment, and a condenser disposed in the second compartment; and

a width sufficient to substantially span a full width of the one of the equipment racks to enable the housing to be supported by a pair of vertical wall portions of the unit IT structure and to help form the roof.

17. The data center hallway structure of claim 16 , wherein each of the modular cooling units comprises at least one of:

an air-to-air based cooling system; and

an air-to-water based cooling system.