Simulation Investigation of Airflow Distribution in Data Center using the Field Synergy Principle

Abstract

Data centers consume a significant amount of electricity every year. This electricity is largely consumed to maintain the thermal environment inside data centers. Therefore, reducing the energy usage of cooling systems is an important method for cutting down the energy consumption of data centers. Studies have been conducted on air temperature and velocity fields to improve the airflow distribution and cooling efficiency in data centers. However, the field synergy principle indicates that reducing the angle between the temperature gradient and the velocity is more effective for enhancing heat transfer. Considering this principle, the study aimed to investigate the influence of the field synergy angle on airflow distribution by building a data center model with cold aisle containment using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. In the simulation, the velocity of the supply air was set at 0.6 m/s, 0.8 m/s and 1.0 m/s, and the temperature at 291 K, 293 K, 295 K. Using the field synergy principle, the distribution of field synergy angle and the influence of the supply air conditions were analyzed. The results showed that the field synergy angle performs well when baffles are installed in the space between the servers. In addition, findings also showed that an increase in the air supply velocity would deteriorate the distribution of the field synergy angle, especially in the lower states of the racks.