Parametric optimisation of raised-floor data centres to enhance the thermal performance

Abstract

Advancement in IT technology and the increasing demand in the processing and storage requirements have led to an increase in hardware densities, causing a significant cooling challenge in data centre operation. Extensive energy consumption and operational costs in data centre management are the main concerns that have led many engineers and researchers to develop numerous methods and recommendations to improve the efficiency of the cooling system. Establishing the temperature and airflow pattern for a typical data centre with hot and cold aisles is essential for the efficient thermal management. In this study, thermal analysis of a raised-floor data centre, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), is undertaken. Factors including room layout, CRAC location, percentage opening of perforated tile, air distribution system that contribute to efficient cooling in data centre design were studied. To further understand the capability of each design, five investigations were conducted of separate components of the configuration to observe their individual impacts on the overall data centre performance. Various design solutions to reduce the energy consumption and cost in the data centre are proposed based on the findings.