Experimental and numerical study on the thermal environment of a data center

Data centers are energy-intensive facilities, and a suitable thermal environment is vital for the safe and reliable operation of information technology equipment and energy saving. In this case study, field experiments and thermal environment evaluation were conducted in an existing data center. However, some problems were reported, including the relative humidity of the rack inlet air exceeding 60%, hot-cold air mixing, non-uniform temperature distribution, local overheating, and a low average temperature difference between the return and supply air of computing room air conditioning units (CRACs). To overcome these dilemmas, three cost-efficient and convenient methods for improving the thermal environment were proposed, including installing blanking panels, closing unnecessary perforated tiles, and increasing the set return air temperature of CRACs. The temperature field and flow field were simulated using the software 6SigmaRoom to predict the effects of the optimization methods. Finally, after the optimization scheme was implemented, field experiments were performed again to examine the application effects of optimization measures. The results demonstrate that the temperature distribution was more uniform, and the thermal environment was considerably improved. Meanwhile, the average temperature difference between the return and supply air of CRACs increased from 6.7 degrees C to 8.8 degrees C, resulting in a decrease in the supply air volume of CRACs of about 10903.37 m(3)/h, and saving the energy consumption of the fans around 96 kWh/day.

Automated summary

This study conducted field experiments and thermal environment evaluation in an existing data center. Problems were identified and three cost-efficient methods were proposed and validated through simulation and field experiments. The results showed significant improvement in the thermal environment and energy savings.