Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China
Optimizing airflow organization is essential for ensuring the energy-efficient and secure operation of data centers. To address common airflow distribution issues in air-cooled systems, such as uneven air supply and cooling capacity imbalance, this study investigates a bidirectional airflow data cen...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5711 |
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| author | Yixin Wu Junwei Yan Xuan Zhou |
| author_facet | Yixin Wu Junwei Yan Xuan Zhou |
| author_sort | Yixin Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Optimizing airflow organization is essential for ensuring the energy-efficient and secure operation of data centers. To address common airflow distribution issues in air-cooled systems, such as uneven air supply and cooling capacity imbalance, this study investigates a bidirectional airflow data center room located in a hot-summer and warm-winter region. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed based on field-measured data to analyze the airflow distribution characteristics and evaluate the existing thermal conditions. Three optimization strategies were systematically examined: (1) Installation of rack blanking panels, (2) cold aisle containment with varying degrees of closure, and (3) combined implementations of these measures. Performance evaluation was conducted using three thermal metrics: the Return Temperature Index (RTI), Supply Heat Index (SHI), and Rack Cooling Index (RCIHI). The results demonstrate that among individual optimization strategies, rack blanking panels achieved the most significant improvement, reducing SHI by 42.61% while effectively eliminating local hotspots. For combined optimization strategies, the rack blanking panels and fully contained cold aisle containment showed optimal performance, improving cooling utilization efficiency by 88.26%. The optimal retrofit solution for this data center is the rack blanking panels with fully contained cold aisle containment. When considering budget constraints, the secondary option would be rack blanking panels with cold aisle top-only containment. These findings provide practical guidance for energy efficiency improvements in similar data center environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e08f12ced4b34675a773c2682584445a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-e08f12ced4b34675a773c2682584445a2025-08-20T03:47:50ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011510571110.3390/app15105711Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in ChinaYixin Wu0Junwei Yan1Xuan Zhou2School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaOptimizing airflow organization is essential for ensuring the energy-efficient and secure operation of data centers. To address common airflow distribution issues in air-cooled systems, such as uneven air supply and cooling capacity imbalance, this study investigates a bidirectional airflow data center room located in a hot-summer and warm-winter region. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed based on field-measured data to analyze the airflow distribution characteristics and evaluate the existing thermal conditions. Three optimization strategies were systematically examined: (1) Installation of rack blanking panels, (2) cold aisle containment with varying degrees of closure, and (3) combined implementations of these measures. Performance evaluation was conducted using three thermal metrics: the Return Temperature Index (RTI), Supply Heat Index (SHI), and Rack Cooling Index (RCIHI). The results demonstrate that among individual optimization strategies, rack blanking panels achieved the most significant improvement, reducing SHI by 42.61% while effectively eliminating local hotspots. For combined optimization strategies, the rack blanking panels and fully contained cold aisle containment showed optimal performance, improving cooling utilization efficiency by 88.26%. The optimal retrofit solution for this data center is the rack blanking panels with fully contained cold aisle containment. When considering budget constraints, the secondary option would be rack blanking panels with cold aisle top-only containment. These findings provide practical guidance for energy efficiency improvements in similar data center environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5711data centerairflow organization optimizationnumerical simulationcontainment solution |
| spellingShingle | Yixin Wu Junwei Yan Xuan Zhou Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China Applied Sciences data center airflow organization optimization numerical simulation containment solution |
| title | Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China |
| title_full | Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China |
| title_fullStr | Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China |
| title_short | Optimization of Airflow Organization in Bidirectional Air Supply Data Centers in China |
| title_sort | optimization of airflow organization in bidirectional air supply data centers in china |
| topic | data center airflow organization optimization numerical simulation containment solution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/10/5711 |
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