Airflow uniformity and energy consumption investigation on data centers enhanced by jet fans

Abstract

Active adjustment of the airflow organization in data centers (DC) has been increasingly applied due to its superior adjustment performance. But for now, the main focus is on the airflow distribution optimization in the horizontal direction, while few research has been conducted to investigate the additional energy consumption of active method. This paper introduced the jet-induced ventilation into under-floor air distribution (UFAD), then the coupling air supply system (CASS) was established. Taking the CASS data center as an example, this paper focuses on the impact of the active adjustment method on both airflow organization and energy consumption of the DC, and analyzes the energy consumption of the system while meeting the security operations of the thermal environment. The results showed that the incorporation of jet-induced ventilation effectively improved the airflow distribution uniformity, while the active adjustment of the airflow organization in the DC has little effect on the overall energy consumption. On the premise of meeting the demand of thermal environment, the energy consumption of the CRAC (Computer room air conditioning) units in the CASS is reduced and the change of the overall energy consumption is small, while the total energy consumption increased with the increase of airflow uniformity.