A liquid desiccant-assisted free-cooling system for energy-efficient data centers in hot and humid climates

Abstract

Air conditioning and cooling are essential to ensure the reliable operation of data centers. Several studies have been conducted regarding the use of free cooling for energy-efficient cooling. However, free cooling faces challenges when used in hot and humid environments, which can lead to a decline in cooling tower performance. To address this issue, we propose a cooling system that utilizes a liquid desiccant to lower the humidity and improve the performance of the cooling tower, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the refrigeration system. Simulations were conducted in areas where the data centers were located, considering hot and humid climates. According to the simulation results, it was possible to achieve an average reduction of 35.12 % in cooling energy consumption by improving the performance of the cooling tower.

Keywords

• Data center
• Free cooling
• Liquid desiccant
• Cooling tower
• Heat recovery