Numerical study of fluid flow and temperature distributions in a data center

Tien-Fu Yang; Yu-Chun Chen; Bo-Lin Chen; Chun-Han Li; Wei-Mon Yan

Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (Dec 2021)

Numerical study of fluid flow and temperature distributions in a data center

Tien-Fu Yang,
Yu-Chun Chen,
Bo-Lin Chen,
Chun-Han Li,
Wei-Mon Yan

Affiliations

Tien-Fu Yang: Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Research Center of Energy Conservation for New Generation of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan
Yu-Chun Chen: Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Research Center of Energy Conservation for New Generation of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan
Bo-Lin Chen: Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Research Center of Energy Conservation for New Generation of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan
Chun-Han Li: Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Research Center of Energy Conservation for New Generation of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan
Wei-Mon Yan: Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Research Center of Energy Conservation for New Generation of Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Sectors, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Department of Energy and Refrigerating Air-Conditioning Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, 10608, Taiwan.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 28
p. 101405

Abstract

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With the advent of 5th-generation mobile networks, the internal computing of data centers is very important. However, a server's calculations cause significant thermal problems. Therefore, this study focuses on the thermal analysis of a single rack in a data center. In this work, the airflow and temperature distributions in a single rack are examined numerically in detail. The computational fluid dynamics software is used to simulate the airflow field and temperature profile. The focus of the research is removal of heat from servers in the rack under different operating conditions and designs. The predicted results show that Case 2's size and 0.45 m of raised-floor depth would help to create a uniform airflow distribution at the same rate. Besides, the Return temperature index is used to evaluate the performance of data center. The results of Model 1 and 2 for three flow rate are presented and compared in details.

Published in Case Studies in Thermal Engineering

ISSN: 2214-157X (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/case-studies-in-thermal-engineering/

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