High Heat Load Research Articles

Genetic analysis of phenotypic indicators for heat tolerance in crossbred dairy cattle

Climate change-induced rise in global temperatures has intensified heat stress on dairy cattle and is contributing to the generally observed low milk productivity. Selective breeding aimed at enhancing animals’ ability to withstand rising temperatures while maintaining optimal performance is crucial for ensuring future access to dairy products. However, phenotypic indicators of heat tolerance are yet to be effectively factored into the objectives of most selective breeding programs. This study investigated the response of milk production to changing heat load as an indication of heat tolerance and the influence of calving season on this response in multibreed dairy cattle performing in three agroecological zones Kenya. First-parity 7-day average milk yield (65 261 milk records) of 1 739 cows were analyzed. Based on routinely recorded weather data that were accessible online, the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) was calculated and used as a measure of heat load. THI measurements used represented averages of the same 7-day periods corresponding to each 7-day average milk record. Random regression models, including reaction norm functions, were fitted to derive two resilience indicators: slope of the reaction norm (Slope) and its absolute value (Absolute), reflecting changes in milk yield in response to the varying heat loads (THI 50 and THI 80). The genetic parameters of these indicators were estimated, and their associations with average test-day milk yield were examined. There were no substantial differences in the pattern of milk yield response to heat load between cows calving in dry and wet seasons. Animals with ≤50% Bos taurus genes were the most thermotolerant at extremely high heat load levels. Animals performing in semi-arid environments exhibited the highest heat tolerance capacity. Heritability estimates for these indicators ranged from 0.06 to 0.33 and were mostly significantly different from zero (P < 0.05). Slope at THI 80 had high (0.64–0.71) negative correlations with average daily milk yield, revealing that high-producing cows are more vulnerable to heat stress and vice versa. A high (0.63–0.74) positive correlation was observed between Absolute and average milk yield at THI 80. This implied that low milk-producing cows have a more stable milk production under heat-stress conditions and vice versa. The study demonstrated that the slope of the reaction norms and its absolute value can effectively measure the resilience of crossbred dairy cattle to varying heat load conditions. The implications of these findings are valuable in improving the heat tolerance of livestock species through genetic selection.

Dynamic simulation of the performance of a solar assisted heat pump in different climates

One method to reduce energy consumption in buildings is using solar-assisted heat pumps, in which the combination of heat pump and solar collector is used to improve the thermal performance. In this paper, TRNSYS and EES software are used to simulate the performance of an indirect expansion solar-assisted heat pump. Dynamic simulation of the system is performed by changing parameters such as the mass flow rate of the collector working fluid and the collector area in five climates including Hot/Dry, Cold/Dry, Moderate/Humid, Hot/semi-Humid, and Hot/Humid. The results show that, in January, the Cold/Dry climate had the lowest free energy ratio (FER) because of the high space heating load. In this month, the Hot/semi-Humid climate has the highest FER, because of the higher solar radiation and no need for space heating. The annual FER in the Hot/Dry zone is 71% which is higher than that of other zones. The lowest FER is related to Moderate/Humid climate due to high humidity and cloudiness.

Application of two-dimensional temperature response functions for reconstruction of divertor heat flux profile in commercial fusion reactors.

To keep the tritium breeding rate TBR > 1 and to meet the high heat load and neutron shielding requirements for the first wall and divertor in fusion demonstration (DEMO) reactors, the number of port plugs and other openings must be limited. To accomplish this, it is necessary to develop alternatives to the use of infrared (IR) thermography to determine the peak heat flux and the heat flux profile onto divertor targets. A divertor tile equipped with multiple temperature monitoring channels can be used to reproduce the temperature profile. To avoid the high temperatures and high neutron flux environment in a DEMO, the monitoring positions can be set well away from the irradiated surface. However, the spatial resolution of this method is lower than that provided by IR thermography. In the present work, we apply two-dimensional temperature response functions and the corresponding heat conduction model to temperature data obtained from a divertor tile surface in the large helical device to study the effects of the spatial resolution of the monitored temperature profile on the reconstructed heat flux profile. The findings provide information that will be useful in defining a method for embedding thermocouples into the divertor tiles of future DEMO reactors.

Verification experiment of maximum hydraulic diameter in a novel three-dimensional asymmetric oscillating heat pipe

A novel three-dimensional asymmetric oscillating heat pipe (3DAOHP) with unequal curvature radius of upper and lower bends has been designed. Setting the basic factor of diameter from 1.9 mm to 6.2 mm, a verification experiment on the criterion of conventional maximum hydraulic diameter (MHD) has been conducted. The results show that the 3DAOHP can still perform normally and transfer heat effectively, even if the diameter exceeds the MHD by 98.1 %. And the temperature profiles at each end does not show obvious abnormalities. The thermal performance also does not show any deterioration, which still follows the rule that the larger the diameter, the stronger the heat transfer capability. The thermal resistance of the 6.2 mm 3DAOHP can reach 0.07 °C/W at 1300 W without touching the dry-out limit. Moreover, the frequency and amplitude of hot end temperature fluctuation show suppression as the diameter increases. Therefore, the conventional MHD is not a diameter limitation of oscillating heat pipe (OHP) in enhancing heat transfer. Thus, the availability of OHP in high heat loads can be improved by further increasing the tube diameter. These findings are important for the OHP application in higher heat flux.

A thermal deformation optimization method forcryogenically cooled silicon crystal monochromators under high heat load.

A method to optimize the thermal deformation of an indirectly cryo-cooled silicon crystal monochromator exposed to intense X-rays at a low-emittance diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation source is presented. The thermal-induced slope error of the monochromator crystal has been studied as a function of heat transfer efficiency, crystal temperature distribution and beam footprint size. A partial cooling method is proposed, which flattens the crystal surface profile within the beam footprint by modifying the cooling contact area to optimize the crystal peak temperature. The optimal temperature varies with different photon energies, which is investigated, and a proper cooling strategy is obtained to fulfil the thermal distortion requirements over the entire photon energy range. At an absorbed power up to 300 W with a maximum power density of 44.8 W mm-2 normal incidence beam from an in-vacuum undulator, the crystal thermal distortion does not exceed 0.3 µrad at 8.33 keV. This method will provide references for the monochromator design on diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser light sources.

Research on modeling method of non-axisymmetric endwall based on body-fitted coordinates

Due to the large bending of turbine blades, there is strong three-dimensional flow in cascade channel, the three-dimensional flow at the endwall of blades generates extremely complex heat transfer characteristics. The design concept of high heat load turbine blades, particularly comprehensive optimization of flow and heat transfer at the endwall, has gained increasing attention. In this paper, we have developed a three-dimensional endwall parameterized modeling platform based on Body-Fitting Coordinates and introduced a novel approach for streamwise direction and normal direction concerning endwall profile construction. The endwall modeling was optimized using Genetic Algorithm to obtain a modified one with low heat transfer level on the premise that the aerodynamic loss is not increased. The analysis indicates that the reduction of aerodynamic loss with the modified endwall is relatively marginal, whereas the heat transfer intensity on the endwall surface experiences a significant decrease. Additionally, employing an endwall model can effectively mitigate the lateral pressure gradient in the cascade channel, which exerts a pronounced influence on suppressing secondary vortex development in the cascade.

Allostasis as a consequence of high heat load in grain-fed feedlot cattle.

Heat wave intensity, frequency, and duration are increasing in many regions of the world, including locations where highly productive livestock are raised. There are animal health and welfare, as well as economic impacts from these events. In this study, the physiological responses of grain-fed steers during a high heat load challenge through to recovery in climate-controlled rooms (CCR) were intensively evaluated. Two cohorts of 12 Black Angus steers (BW, 615.4 ± 40.1kg) sequentially underwent a simulated heatwave event that consisted of 3 phases in the CCR: PreChallenge (5 d duration and temperature humidity index (THI) range of 65 to 71), Challenge (7-d duration and THI 66 to 95 with diurnal cycling), and Recovery (5 d duration and THI 65 to 70). The Challenge period was modeled on a severe heat wave, characterized by 3 very hot days. Individual rumen temperature (RumT, °C) was collected every 10min, and respiration rate (RR, breaths per minute), panting score (PS), and water usage (L·steer-1·day-1) were obtained at multiple time points daily, by trained observers. Individual animal daily DMI was also determined. Morning (0700 hours) rectal temperature (RecT, °C)was measured on days 3, 5, 7 to 13, 15, and 17. Not unexpectedly, RumT, RecT, RR, and PS rose during Challenge and fell rapidly as conditions eased. Conversely, DMI was reduced during Challenge. During the transition between PreChallenge and Challenge, there were abrupt increases in RumT, and RR. It was also very apparent that during Recovery the steers did not return to the baseline PreChallenge state. Compared to PreChallenge, Recovery was characterized by persistent lowered daily mean RumT (P = 0.0010), RecT (P = 0.0922), RR (P = 0.0257), PS (P ≤ 0.0001), and DMI (P ≤ 0.0001). These results provide evidence that these steers have undergone an allostatic response in response to high heat load, and the new adjusted physiological state post-heat event may not be transient.

Elettra 2.0: The Vacuum System Design for a New Generation Storage Ring

Next-generation synchrotron facilities currently under development and construction are promising and delivering great advances in terms of machine design and research physics. At the same time, they are pushing the limits of technological solutions for various subsystems: to achieve the desired ultra-low electron beam emittance required in the next generation machines, the magnetic lattice has to adopt a compact design with reduced magnet apertures and other constraints like high heat load from synchrotron radiation, dynamic pressure inside vacuum chambers and chamber wall impedance are presenting unique challenges for the vacuum and engineering teams. At Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy), the Elettra 2.0 project aims to develop a new-generation storage ring. Taking into consideration the above-mentioned constraints, we decided to adopt a new design of a vacuum chamber, while utilizing novel pumping solutions to overcome hugely reduced conductance compared to the current machine. Large sputter ion pumps (SIP) will be in the majority replaced by distributed non-evaporable getter (NEG) coatings and small NEG cartridges and SIP pumps. For the synchrotron radiation handling, due to the tight space constraints imposed by the compact lattice, the photon absorption will be managed jointly with discrete and distributed solutions: photon absorbers have been carefully studied for combining compact form and high power density loads, while key sections of the new storage ring will be water-cooled. Throughout the whole development phase, we were using Monte-Carlo simulation codes like SynRad and MolFlow+ as effective tools supporting the design of new vacuum chambers and photon absorbers. The current state of development for the Elettra 2.0 vacuum system, the challenges we faced and the solutions we adopted are presented here.

Numerical investigation on non-linear streaming effects in a two-stage coaxial pulse tube cryocooler

Stirling pulse tube cryocoolers (PTC) are widely used in aerospace applications for the cooling of infrared sensors and for filtering background thermal noise in the astro-imaging devices, etc. Present investigation aims to use numerical methods to demonstrate the nonlinear fluid flow, heat transfer, and vortex generation phenomena in a two-stage coaxial type inertance pulse tube cryocooler. The numerical simulation is conducted using commercially available Fluent® code for both single-stage and multi-stage configurations to show nonlinear processes with varying heat load conditions. It has been noticed that the width of the vortex produced inside the pulse tube grows with an increase in heat load capacity. This undesirable flow conditions yields an adverse effect in the cooling behavior and reduces overall performance of cryocooler with higher heat load. Additionally, streamlines, stream function, pressure and temperature variation plots are given for both stages with different heat load capacity to substantiate our results.

Two-stage stochastic robust optimization scheduling of electric–thermal microgrid with solid electric thermal storage

During the periods of high heat load (HL) demand in winter, the increased heat output of combined heat and power units (CHPs) can significantly compress the electric power regulation range, thereby posing a threat to the safety of the power system. The solid electric thermal storage (SETS) can be employed as the regulating resource for both electric and thermal systems, expanding the dispatch space of microgrids to promote renewable energy consumption. In this paper, a two-stage stochastic robust optimization scheduling model of an electric–thermal microgrid with SETS is proposed, and the electric–thermal bi-directional regulation characteristics of SETS are considered. First, a SETS operation model based on the heat transfer characteristics of the homogeneous material-type thermal storage unit is established. Second, a regional thermal inertia model under a constant-flow variable-temperature system is established, which integrates HL at different locations to the heat source, avoiding the calculation of variation in water temperature, thus reducing the calculation difficulty. Finally, the two-stage stochastic robust optimization scheduling model of an electric–thermal microgrid with SETS is established. The model decouples the power and heat generation of CHP through the bi-directional regulation function of SETS. Case studies demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed scheduling model.

Implications of heat exchange for a free-living endangered marsupial determined by non-invasive thermal imaging.

We used thermal imagining and heat balance modelling to examine the thermal ecology of wild mammals, using the diurnal marsupial numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) as a model. Body surface temperature was measured using infra-red thermography at environmental wet and dry bulb temperatures of 11.7-29°C and 16.4-49.3°C, respectively; surface temperature varied for different body parts and with environmental temperature. Radiative and convective heat exchange varied markedly with environmental conditions and for various body surfaces reflecting their shapes, surface areas and projected areas. Both the anterior and posterior dorsolateral body areas functioned as thermal windows. Numbats in the shade had lower rates of solar radiative heat gain but non-solar avenues for radiative heat gain were substantial. Radiative gain was higher for black and lower for white stripes, but overall, the stripes had no thermal role. Total heat gain was generally positive (<4 to >20W) and often greatly exceeded metabolic heat production (3-6W). Our heat balance model indicates that high environmental heat loads limit foraging in open areas to as little as 10min and that climate change may extend periods of inactivity, with implications for future conservation and management. We conclude that non-invasive thermal imaging is informative for modelling heat balance of free-living mammals.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON TWO-PHASE NONLINEAR OSCILLATION BEHAVIOR OF MINIATURIZED GRAVITATIONAL HEAT PIPE

An experimental study on oscillation behavior of vapor-liquid two-phase flow in an ethanol-filled aluminum miniaturized gravitational heat pipe with parallel rectangular channels is carried out. The nonlinear oscillation behavior and oscillation characteristics of two-phase flow in the oscillation state are qualitatively analyzed. In addition, the nonlinear oscillation characteristic of the wall temperature is revealed. Furthermore, the influence of heat load on temperature oscillation characteristics is further analyzed. The research shows that the independent oscillation in a single channel characterized by the random formation and oscillation of liquid plug in a single channel is the typical oscillation behavior of two-phase flow under medium heat load (&lt;i&gt;Q&lt;/i&gt; &amp;#61; 28 W). In addition, the interaction on oscillation of liquid plugs between adjacent channels is small. For high heat load (&lt;i&gt;Q&lt;/i&gt; &amp;#61; 45 W), the vapor pressure difference at both ends of the liquid plug has a more important role in promoting the liquid plug, the superposition of the liquid plug oscillation in single channel and the oscillation between adjacent channels forms the interference oscillation in adjacent channels. For interference oscillation in adjacent channels, under coupling erosion of the liquid plug in a single channel and the liquid plugs in adjacent channels, with increase of heat load (&lt;i&gt;Q&lt;/i&gt; increases from 38 W to 45 W), the dominant frequency of oscillation for independent oscillation in a single channel increases (from 2.5 Hz to 4.2 Hz), and the larger driving force caused by heat load increase enhances the oscillation of liquid plug in a single channel and weakens the oscillation of liquid plug in different channels for interference oscillation in adjacent channels.

Beam Profile Measurement Using the Highly-Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

The mitigation of heat loading is one of the important issues for beam instrumentation to measure the high-power proton beam. Recently, the highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) material was used for the target probe of the bunch-shape monitor at the front end in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). Since the thermal conductivity of the HOPG is high, it is suitable to measure both transverse and longitudinal beam profiles under the condition of high heat loading. As an application of the HOPG, for example, the thin HOPG may be used as a substitutive material of the target wire for the transverse profile monitor such as the wire scanner monitor. The possibility of the HOPG target for both transverse and longitudinal beam profile monitors is discussed from some results of the test experiment using the 3 MeV negative hydrogen ion beam at the test stand.

Numerical investigation on film cooling and aerodynamic performance for gas turbine endwalls with upstream vane-type and cascade-type slots

To further improve the thermal efficiency of gas turbine, the turbine inlet temperature (TIT) increases up to 2000 K, leading to an extremely high heat load on the first-stage vane. Taking into consideration that there are complex endwall secondary flow and the passage vortices which have significant effect on the flow field and thermal behavior near the endwall, it is essential to study the aero-thermal characteristics of endwall and develop efficient endwall cooling approach. In this work, two novel upstream slot structures, referred to as the vane-type slot and cascade-type slot, are proposed, and a comprehensive numerical analysis is conducted to reveal their mechanism and superiority in improving the film cooling and aerodynamic performance of first-stage vane compared with the conventional slot structure. The results indicate that compared with the conventional rectangular straight slot, the coolant jets from two novel slots have a more significant inhibition effect on the development of the endwall secondary flow due to their lower outflow angle and thus higher momentum in streamwise direction, which contributes to reducing the strength of the endwall secondary flow. This is beneficial to provide a lower cascade aerodynamic loss and a higher film cooling effectiveness of the endwall near the suction side leading edge and the higher film cooling effectiveness along the trajectory of the horseshoe vortex on the more downstream region. Moreover, the vane-type slot provides the largest coolant coverage and cooling effectiveness of endwall and the lowest total pressure loss within slot and cascade aerodynamic loss, followed by the cascade-type slot and conventional slot.

Heat transfer performance of RP-3 aviation kerosene at supercritical pressure within a rotating U-shaped channel

The combined cycle engine based on turbine is typical in the field of cycle engines. However, the problem of high temperature heat load of turbine blades is serious. In order to solve this kind of problem, the method of using hydrocarbon fuel as cooling medium to improve the cooling efficiency of turbine blades are proposed. In this paper, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of RP-3 aviation kerosene in a rotating U-shaped channel under supercritical pressure were studied by numerical simulation. The flow and heat transfer characteristics of RP-3 aviation kerosene under supercritical pressure at different rotational speeds were numerically simulated by SST k-ω model. The results show that the centrifugal section and the horizontal section show obvious fluid stratification, and the mainstream distribution in the centripetal section is relatively uniform due to the bending effect and rotational buoyancy. Compared with the heat transfer capacity in the static state of the centrifugal section, the heat transfer of the fluid in the rotating state deteriorates, recovers and strengthens with the increase in the rotational speed. Moreover, compared with the centripetal section, the rotational speed has a particularly significant effect on the heat transfer performance in the centrifugal section and the horizontal section. When the rotational speed exceeds 300 rpm, the deterioration trend of heat transfer is weakened and the overall heat transfer performance is greatly improved.

Conceptualization of a novel battery thermal management system based on capillary-driven evaporative cooling

In conventional heat pipe based battery thermal management systems the thermal contact between the battery and the heat pipe is enhanced by means of heat conductive elements. These additional elements introduce multiple layers of thermal resistance and contribute to increased weight. This paper aims to address this issue by minimizing the contact thermal resistance and potentially reduce this additional weight. The proposed solution relies on capillary-driven evaporative cooling (CDEC), wherein a wick structure is directly integrated onto the battery's surface to enable direct cooling. To demonstrate this concept, an experimental study was conducted by affixing a Copper foam to an emulated battery block, and using ethanol and Novec 7000 as cooling media. The CDEC system's thermal performance was assessed under three heating conditions, and different operating conditions. The results indicated that the copper foam with higher pore density outperformed the other due to its greater wetting height. The maximum cell surface temperature was maintained around 40 °C for a continuous 50 W heat input. Furthermore, the thermal resistance of the system was lowered by a factor of 6 compared to an air-cooled system. The thermal resistance ranged from a minimum of 0.32 to a maximum of 1.5 K/W, which were comparatively low compared to some existing battery thermal management system designs. This paper introduces an innovative battery cooling concept, presents experimental evidence of its feasibility, and demonstrates its ability to effectively regulate battery temperature within acceptable limits even under high heat loads, while minimizing overall thermal resistance.

Load study and structural analysis for CFETR divertor OVT

China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is an important device for studying fusion reactor engineering in China. The Outer Vertical Target (OVT) are high heat load components of the divertors and work in a strong electromagnetic field, so they need sufficient heat removal capability and structural strength. In addition, due to activation of neutrons on materials, the OVT also needs to meet the requirements of Remote Handling (RH) maintenance. CFETR puts forward the concept of hybrid divertor-blanket, which cancels the cassette and adopts a separate structure. The lower part of the divertor is occupied by the breeding blanket, and the divertor target is fixed on the breeding blanket, to improve the RH maintenance efficiency and Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR). In previous work, the structural design and thermal-hydraulic analysis of the OVT were completed. In this paper, load study and structural analysis was carried out to verify the structural strength of the OVT under experimental test conditions (including liquid pressure, nitrogen baking), normal operation conditions (including the impact of thermal stress under thermal load, gravity, working pressure, etc.) and extreme event conditions (Vertical Displacement Event (VDE) or Major Disruption (MD) event, including the impact of thermal stress under thermal load, gravity, working pressure, electromagnetic load, etc.). The results show that the OVT meets the requirements of heat removal and strength, and effectively promote the processing and manufacturing of the prototype of the OVT.

Higher soil moisture increases microclimate temperature buffering in temperate broadleaf forests

Forest canopies can buffer the understory against temperature extremes, often creating cooler microclimates during warm summer days compared to temperatures outside the forest. The buffering of maximum temperatures in the understory results from a combination of canopy shading and air cooling through soil water evaporation and plant transpiration. Therefore, buffering capacity of forests depends on canopy cover and soil moisture content, which are increasingly affected by more frequent and severe canopy disturbances and soil droughts. The extent to which this buffering will be maintained in future conditions is unclear due to the lack of understanding about the relationship between soil moisture and air temperature buffering in interaction with canopy cover and topographic settings. We explored how soil moisture variability affects temperature offsets between outside and inside the forest on a daily basis, using temperature and soil moisture data from 54 sites in temperate broadleaf forests in Central Europe over four climatically different summer seasons. Daily maximum temperatures in forest understories were on average 2 °C cooler than outside temperatures. The buffering of understory temperatures was more effective when soil moisture was higher, and the offsets were more sensitive to soil moisture on sites with drier soils and on sun-exposed slopes with high topographic heat load. Based on these results, the soil–water limitation to forest temperature buffering will become more prevalent under future warmer conditions and will likely lead to changes in understory communities. Thus, our results highlight the urgent need to include soil moisture in models and predictions of forest microclimate, understory biodiversity and tree regeneration, to provide a more precise estimate of the effects of climate change.

Protein Stability in Pasteurized Cow and Goat Milk using Protein Gel Electrophoresis

Milk is a nutritious beverage that contains whey, casein, and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) proteins. Pasteurization kills pathogenic microorganisms in milk, making it safe to drink. A high heat load during processing can affect the protein quality of milk. In this study, protein gel electrophoresis (Native and SDS-PAGE) was used to view the protein profiles of retail cow and goat milk samples pasteurized at different temperatures (145, 165, or 280 °F) compared to commercially spray dried milk (356–482 °F). SDS-PAGE provided better resolution of the milk proteins compared to Native-PAGE. There were clear species differences in the MFGM proteins. This could be used to spot adulteration of goat milk with cow milk, however none of the samples showed signs of adulteration. There were no overt patterns of protein degradation with increasing pasteurization temperature. However drying reduced band intensity, especially MFGM and whey proteins in the goat milk sample. Whereas most samples came from different herds where genetics and environmental conditions varied, two of the goat milk samples were from the same herd, one fresh and one spray dried. It was evident from these two samples that spray drying can alter proteins in goat milk. Even so, if fresh milk is unavailable or unaffordable, dry milk remains a valuable protein source.

Experimental evaluation of direct-to-chip cold plate liquid cooling for high-heat-density data centers

Owing to the dramatic increase in IT power density and energy consumption, the data center (DC) sector has started adopting thermally- and energy-efficient liquid cooling methods. This study examines a single-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling approach for three high-heat-density racks, utilizing two liquid-to-air (L2A) cooled coolant distribution units (CDUs) and a combined total heat load of 128 kW. An experimental setup was developed to test different types of CDUs, cooling loops, and thermal testing vehicles (TTVs) for different operating conditions. IR images and the collected data were used to investigate the effect of air recirculation between cold and hot aisle containments on the CDU’s performance and stability of supply air temperature (SAT). Three different types of cooling loops (X, Y, and Z) were characterized thermally and hydraulically. Results show that Type Y has the lowest cold plate thermal resistance and pressure drop, among others. In a later test that included a single rack at a heat load of 53 kW and a single CDU, the heat capture ratio for fluid was found to be 94%. Experiments show that using blanking panels on the back of the racks limits hot air recirculation and maintains a steady SAT in the cold aisle. Finally, the CDU performance was evaluated at a high heat load for the three racks at 128 kW, and the average cooling capacity of the units is 58.6 kW, and the effectiveness values for CDU 1 and CDU 2 are 0.83 and 0.82, respectively.