US Patent 9681589 Phase change material-based data center cooling system

A data center includes an air handling system and a thermal energy receptacle system. The air handling system moves air across heat producing components of electrical systems in the data center. The thermal energy receptacle system is coupled to the air handling system. The thermal energy receptacle system includes one or more heat exchangers that exchange heat between air moving through the air handling system and a fluid, one or more phase change material modules including phase change material, and a fluid transport system that transports fluid between the phase change material modules and the heat exchangers. The thermal energy receptacle system transfers heat from air passing over the one or more heat exchangers to at least one of the phase change material modules such that at least a portion of the phase change material changes phase.