Parametric study by means of 3D CFD to improve the airflow pattern and temperature distribution in data center rooms

• Autor(a) principal: Macedo, Diogo Gonçalves Costa e Silva de
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Godina, Radu, Gaspar, Pedro Dinis, Silva, Pedro Dinho da, Covas, Miguel Trigueiros
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/7529
• topic: Computational Fluid Dynamics; Computer Room Air Conditionings; Data Centers; Airconditioning Systems; Hot Spots; Energy Efficiency

The processing efficacy and energy efficiency of data centers (DC) is directly related with the cooling performance of the air-conditioning systems. The cooling effectiveness depends on airflow pattern and temperature distribution. This paper presents the parametric study of three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to improve these technical characteristics. In this case study the most suitable thermal load, as deemed by the organization, of the heat flow boundary condition is simulated and studied for maximum and minimum airflow. The analysis of the numerical results provides a prediction of the thermal performance, i.e., the lower values and spatial gradients (hot spots) of air temperature and velocity while maintaining the computational processing requirements. These results allow the development of an optimized CFD model for setting up the operational parameters of CRAC systems for DC rooms.