Evaluation of energy performance and ecological benefit of free-cooling system for data centers in worldwide climates

Abstract

Water-side economizer (WSE) is an effective free-cooling solution aiming to enhance the natural cooling duration and in turn reduce the cooling-energy consumption of data centers. However, the system's performance is constrained by the limited understanding of its control mechanisms and the influence of local climatic conditions on its free-cooling capabilities. To overcome these limitations, a thermodynamic model of the WSE system with control strategies is provided and its adaptability performance in diverse worldwide locations is systematically evaluated. Modelica-based models of chiller plants and control strategies are firstly developed, and then the energy consumption and ecological benefit of the WSE system are investigated via large-scale simulations in worldwide climates. The performance indicators and application potential of the system are demonstrated through visualization maps. The analysis reveals significant energy savings potential of the WSE system, with the capacity to reduce annual cooling energy consumption of data centers by 4.4–33.7 % in hot to marine zones, and even by a remarkable 62.6 % in plateaus and cold zones. Furthermore, it is observed that every 1 °C increase in outdoor air temperature can reduce energy efficiency ratio by 1.3–8.7 % while simultaneously increase PUE by 0.3–1.0 %. The ecological benefit results revealed that the WSE system can effectively harness larger quantities of stable free-cooling resources in mixed and cool climate zones, exceeding its capabilities in hot and warm regions. These results offer valuable insights for the impact of climate on the energy and ecological benefits of WSE system for data center, which can be helpful to guide the design or retrofit of such cooling systems in specific locations, presenting an immense opportunity to maximize cooling-energy savings.