Feasibility investigation on a novel data center cooling system based on cross-seasonal soil cool storage in severe cold area

Abstract

In response to excessive energy consumption and high carbon emissions associated with the current data center cooling system, the advancement in the utilization of instant free cooling has progressively halted. A novel data center cooling system based on cross-seasonal soil cold storage is proposed，which makes full use of the cold stored in the soil across the seasons and air cold source for realizing the year-round free cooling. A dynamical simulation platform, which describes its operation characteristic, is established to analyze the feasibility. Results indicate that in the typical severe cold area of Harbin, the soil cooling during summer is sufficient to meet the cooling requirements of the data center. The maximum outlet temperature of the ground heat exchanger is only 8.9 °C when releasing cold. The cold energy stored across seasons in the soil can be effectively utilized, achieving a utilization rate of 98.04 %. In Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang, the cooling capacity stored across seasons accounts for 31.4 %, 32.2 %, and 36.9 % of the total annual cooling capacity of the system, respectively. The annual average coefficient of performance for the system is 13.63, 12.52, and 10.44, respectively. Compared to the cooling system that does not utilize cross-seasonal soil cool storage but achieves efficient use of instant natural cold sources, these values represent an increase of 4.92, 4.02 and 2.62, respectively. Overall, this system demonstrates excellent applicability in severe cold area.