Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling
ABSTRACT Data centers worldwide face rising electricity consumption, with a substantial portion used for cooling IT components. Traditional air‐cooling methods have become increasingly inefficient as server power densities rise, causing a transition towards liquid‐cooling technologies. Direct liquid...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Energy Science & Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70116 |
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| _version_ | 1850113408346619904 |
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| author | Maximilian Stahlhut Markus Sekulla Peter Großöhme Axel Auweter Thorsten Urbaneck |
| author_facet | Maximilian Stahlhut Markus Sekulla Peter Großöhme Axel Auweter Thorsten Urbaneck |
| author_sort | Maximilian Stahlhut |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Data centers worldwide face rising electricity consumption, with a substantial portion used for cooling IT components. Traditional air‐cooling methods have become increasingly inefficient as server power densities rise, causing a transition towards liquid‐cooling technologies. Direct liquid‐cooled servers operate at higher coolant temperatures than air‐cooled systems, significantly reducing cooling demands and improving the potential for waste heat reuse. However, elevated coolant temperatures may increase server power consumption, reduce heat transfer to the coolant, and potentially affect IT equipment performance. To systematically quantify these effects, a comprehensive analysis based on benchmark tests was conducted on ten liquid‐cooled servers under varying coolant inlet temperatures (25°C–50°C) and IT loads. Results demonstrated that server performance remained unaffected within this temperature range. Nonetheless, raising the average cooling temperature from 30°C to 50°C increased server power consumption by 8.5% and reduced heat transfer to the coolant by 14.6% due to thermal losses. Based on these experimental results, a simulation model was developed and implemented in TRNSYS. This model enables the prediction of the behavior of direct liquid‐cooled servers and the assessment of practical applications for waste heat utilization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-34f9cfcfa5cd4d248eb6de93e2514782 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2050-0505 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy Science & Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-34f9cfcfa5cd4d248eb6de93e25147822025-08-20T02:37:10ZengWileyEnergy Science & Engineering2050-05052025-07-011373605361910.1002/ese3.70116Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and ModelingMaximilian Stahlhut0Markus Sekulla1Peter Großöhme2Axel Auweter3Thorsten Urbaneck4University of Technology Chemnitz, Professorship Applied Thermodynamics Chemnitz GermanyUniversity of Technology Chemnitz, Professorship Applied Thermodynamics Chemnitz GermanyMegware Computer Vertrieb und Service GmbH Chemnitz GermanyMegware Computer Vertrieb und Service GmbH Chemnitz GermanyUniversity of Technology Chemnitz, Professorship Applied Thermodynamics Chemnitz GermanyABSTRACT Data centers worldwide face rising electricity consumption, with a substantial portion used for cooling IT components. Traditional air‐cooling methods have become increasingly inefficient as server power densities rise, causing a transition towards liquid‐cooling technologies. Direct liquid‐cooled servers operate at higher coolant temperatures than air‐cooled systems, significantly reducing cooling demands and improving the potential for waste heat reuse. However, elevated coolant temperatures may increase server power consumption, reduce heat transfer to the coolant, and potentially affect IT equipment performance. To systematically quantify these effects, a comprehensive analysis based on benchmark tests was conducted on ten liquid‐cooled servers under varying coolant inlet temperatures (25°C–50°C) and IT loads. Results demonstrated that server performance remained unaffected within this temperature range. Nonetheless, raising the average cooling temperature from 30°C to 50°C increased server power consumption by 8.5% and reduced heat transfer to the coolant by 14.6% due to thermal losses. Based on these experimental results, a simulation model was developed and implemented in TRNSYS. This model enables the prediction of the behavior of direct liquid‐cooled servers and the assessment of practical applications for waste heat utilization.https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70116data centerexperimentheat reuseliquid coolingmodeling |
| spellingShingle | Maximilian Stahlhut Markus Sekulla Peter Großöhme Axel Auweter Thorsten Urbaneck Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling Energy Science & Engineering data center experiment heat reuse liquid cooling modeling |
| title | Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling |
| title_full | Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling |
| title_fullStr | Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling |
| title_short | Data Centers With Direct Liquid‐Cooled Servers: Experimental Analysis and Modeling |
| title_sort | data centers with direct liquid cooled servers experimental analysis and modeling |
| topic | data center experiment heat reuse liquid cooling modeling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.70116 |
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