Tatchell-Evans, M, Kapur, N orcid.org/0000-0003-1041-8390, Summers, J orcid.org/0000-0001-8266-5038 et al. (2 more authors) (2017) An experimental and theoretical investigation of the extent of bypass air within data centres employing aisle containment, and its impact on power consumption. Applied Energy, 186 (Part 3). pp. 457-469. ISSN 0306-2619
Abstract
A combination of laboratory experiments and a system model are used to carry out the first investigation into the potential for cold air to bypass IT equipment within data centres (DCs) employing aisle containment, and the effect of this bypass on DC electricity consumption. The laboratory experiments involved applying a differential pressure across commercially available server racks and aisle containment systems and measuring the resulting air flow. The potential to minimise bypass by sealing leakage paths and redesigning racks was investigated and quantified experimentally. A new system model is developed using a combination of manufacturer data, empirical relationships and experimental results to predict the impact of bypass on the power consumption of the various components of a DC's cooling infrastructure. The results show that, at typical cold aisle pressures, as much as 20% of the supplied air may bypass servers by finding alternate paths through the server rack itself. This increases the required flow rate from air conditioning units (ACUs). The system model predicts that: (i) practical measures undertaken to reduce this bypass could reduce total power consumption by up to 8.8% and (ii) excessive pressure differentials across the containment system could also increase power consumption, by up to 16%.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016, The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Data centre; thermal management; bypass air; aisle containment; energy efficiency; system model |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mechanical Engineering (Leeds) > Institute of Engineering Thermofluids, Surfaces & Interfaces (iETSI) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 Jun 2016 15:12 |
Last Modified: | 04 Apr 2017 14:25 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.076 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.03.076 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:101005 |