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EP-4742484-A1 - MANAGEMENT OF POWER DISTRIBUTION TO AND FROM A DATA CENTER

EP4742484A1EP 4742484 A1EP4742484 A1EP 4742484A1EP-4742484-A1

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing consistent and reliable power to a data center that is executing high-power and variable high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads are disclosed. By installing a three-phase current sensor at or near the data center, or along the power grid before the power arrives at a power conversion system (PCS), the power conversion system is configured to response faster to changing and variable workloads that ramp up and down both quickly and inconsistently. A controller within the PCS is then configured to customize the amount of power that is sent to the data center coming from converted power from the grid, and from a battery energy storage system.

Inventors

  • HEBER, BRIAN
  • BUSH, TERRY D.

Assignees

  • Vertiv Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251111

Claims (12)

  1. A system for managing power to a data center (106), the system comprising: a three-phase current sensor (104), configured to provide current measurements to a power conversion system (108), wherein the three-phase current sensor is located proximate to the data center or wherein the three-phase current sensor is located along a power grid (102) configured to provide power to the data center; and the power conversion system for the data center, comprising a controller (316), wherein: the power conversion system is configured to control a rate of power that is provided to the data center from the power grid and from a battery energy storage system (110) that is coupled to the power conversion system; and to control the rate of power, the controller is configured to: receive an indication of a difference in current between current measured at the data center and current measured by the power grid based, at least in part, on the current measurements provided by the three-phase current sensor; and cause one or both of the rate of power from the power grid and the rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be adjusted based, at least in part, on the indication of the difference, to reduce the difference to approximately zero.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is a Proportional Integral Derivative controller.
  3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller is further configured to compute a state of charge of the battery energy storage system.
  4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the computed state of charge, that the battery energy storage system is becoming discharged; and cause the rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be raised to rebalance the state of charge of the battery energy storage system.
  5. The system of claim 3 or 4, wherein the controller is further configured to: determine, based on the computed state of charge, that the battery energy storage system is becoming overcharged; and cause the rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be lowered to rebalance the state of charge of the battery energy storage system.
  6. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises an electrolytic capacitor (710) that is compatible with low voltage, Alternating Current "AC" distribution.
  7. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises a super capacitor that is compatible with low voltage, Alternating Current "AC" distribution.
  8. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the battery energy storage system comprises a lithium-ion battery that is compatible with low voltage, Alternating Current "AC" distribution.
  9. A method for managing power to a data center (500), the method comprising: receiving three-phase voltage from a power grid (102); receiving a first three-phase current from a power conversion system (108) that is coupled to a battery energy storage system (110); receiving a second three-phase current from a data center (106); applying a Phase Locked Loop (304) to measure a frequency and a phase angle of the three-phase voltage from the power grid relative to a given phase; performing a first Parks-Clarke transformation (310) to the first three-phase current and the phase angle of the three-phase voltage to output a first equivalent phase current; performing a second Parks-Clarke transformation (312) to the second three-phase current and the phase angle of the three-phase voltage to output a second equivalent phase current; comparing the first equivalent phase current and the second equivalent phase current to an average equivalent phase current from the data center to output a difference between the three equivalent phase currents; and outputting a pulse-width modulation command to the power conversion system to generate a fourth equivalent phase current that reduces the difference to approximately zero.
  10. The method of claim 9, further comprising computing a state of charge of the battery energy storage system (504).
  11. The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: determining, based on the computed state of charge, that the battery energy storage system is becoming discharged; and causing a rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be raised to rebalance the state of charge of the battery energy storage system.
  12. The method of any of claims 9 to 11, further comprising: determining, based on the computed state of charge, that the battery energy storage system is becoming overcharged; and causing a rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be lowered to rebalance the state of charge of the battery energy storage system.

Description

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/719,332, filed November 12, 2024. TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to a system for stabilizing power to a data center that is executing large-scale and variable workloads. BACKGROUND The rapid development of advanced calculation systems driven by high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced computing techniques has changed the pattern of power demand within the data center that hosts the computing devices capable of executing those HPC and AI workloads. The amount of energy used to run simultaneous and more complex operations makes the power demand of such data centers change rapidly, e.g., hundreds of times per minute, thus creating a "pulsed energy" demand. Electrical providers, such as public grids, may indeed be sized for a total amount of required power for such types of operations, but they are not able to provide the pulsing energy required by these new loads. This situation can destabilize the grid, can cause power quality issues, or can even cause other more severe problems, such as data center providers that deploy large-scale HPC and AI workloads being "kicked off" the grid. SUMMARY An aspect of the disclosed embodiment includes a system for managing high-power and variable workloads at a data center. The system includes: a three-phase current sensor, configured to provide current measurements to a power conversion system, wherein the three-phase current sensor is located proximate to the data center or is located along a power grid that is providing power to the data center; and the power conversion system for the data center, comprising a controller, wherein: the power conversion system is configured to control a rate of power that is provided to the data center from a power grid and from a battery energy storage system that is coupled to the power conversion system; and to control the rate of power, the controller is configured to: receive an indication of a difference in current between current measured at the data center and current measured by the power grid based, at least in part, on the current measurements provided by the three-phase current sensor; and cause one or both of the rate of power from the power grid and the rate of power from the battery energy storage system to be adjusted based, at least in part, on the indication of the difference, to reduce the difference to approximately zero. Proximate to the data center may include being adjacent to the data center or directly adjacent to the data center. Another aspect of the disclosed embodiment includes a method for managing power to a data center. The method includes: receiving three-phase voltage from a power grid; receiving a first three-phase current from a power conversion system that is coupled to a battery energy storage system; receiving a second three-phase current from a data center; applying a Phase Locked Loop to measure a frequency and a phase angle of the three-phase voltage from the power grid relative to a given phase; performing a first Parks-Clarke transformation to the first three-phase current and the phase angle of the three-phase voltage to output a first equivalent phase current; performing a second Parks-Clarke transformation to the second three-phase current and the phase angle of the three-phase voltage to output a second equivalent phase current; comparing the first equivalent phase current and the second equivalent phase current to an average equivalent phase current from the data center to output a difference between the three equivalent phase currents; and outputting a pulse-width modulation command to the power conversion system to generate a fourth equivalent phase current that reduces the difference to approximately zero. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. FIG. 1 illustrates a controller within a Power Conversion System (PCS) that is configured to manage power into and out of a data center from the power grid and based, at least in part, on a three-phase current sensor located proximate to a data center side or a power grid side of the overall system, according to some embodiments.FIG. 2 illustrates a visual indication of voltage and current measurements that are used to perform the management of power into and out of the data center within an overall system such as that which is illustrated in FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.FIG. 3 illustrates a feedback control loop that corresponds to the management of power into and out of the data center within an overall system such as that which is illustrated in FIG. 1, accor