Airflow and Cooling in a Data Center

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhas V. Patankar
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Hot Air ◽  
Airflow Distribution ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Insight Into

This paper deals with the distribution of airflow and the resulting cooling in a data center. First, the cooling challenge is described and the concept of a raised-floor data center is introduced. In this arrangement, cooling air is supplied through perforated tiles. The flow rates of the cooling air must meet the cooling requirements of the computer servers placed next to the tiles. These airflow rates are governed primarily by the pressure distribution under the raised floor. Thus, the key to modifying the flow rates is to influence the flow field in the under-floor plenum. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to provide insight into various factors affecting the airflow distribution and the corresponding cooling. A number of ways of controlling the airflow distribution are explored. Then attention is turned to the above-floor space, where the focus is on preventing the hot air from entering the inlets of computer serves. Different strategies for doing this are considered. The paper includes a number of comparisons of measurements with the results of CFD simulations.

Analysis of Airflow Distribution Across a Front-to-Rear Server Rack

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Radmehr ◽  
Kailash C. Karki ◽  
Suhas V. Patankar
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Data Center ◽  
High Velocity ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Airflow Distribution ◽  
Symmetrical Configuration ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Potential Failure ◽  
Cooling Air ◽  
Vertical Jet

The most common server racks in data centers are front-to-rear racks, which draw in the cooling air from the front side and discharge it from the backside. In a raised-floor data center the cooling air to these racks is provided by perforated tiles that are placed in front of them. In a high-density data center, these tiles discharge a considerable amount of airflow, which leads to a high-velocity vertical jet in front of the rack. Such a high-velocity jet may bypass the servers located at the bottom of the rack leading to their airflow starvation and potential failure. In this paper the effect of the high-velocity jet on the airflow taken by servers at various heights in the rack is studied. A computer model based on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique is used to predict the airflow distribution through servers stacked in the rack. Two cases are considered. In one case, the rack is placed in the middle of a row of racks in a prefect hot aisle-cold aisle arrangement. The boundary conditions around such a rack is symmetrical. In the other case, the rack is placed in a room with asymmetrical boundary conditions. The characteristics of the servers in the rack are taken from typical 1U and 2U servers manufactured by IBM. It is shown that in general the high-velocity jet has a mild effect on the airflow taken by the servers, and the airflow reduction is limited to servers at the bottom of the rack. Racks in a symmetrical configuration are more susceptible to the airflow starvation. In the most critical conditions, an airflow reduction of 15% is calculated for the server located at the bottom of the rack. Using the result obtained from the computational analysis, a simple model is developed to predict the reduction of the cooling air under the most critical situation for the server placed at the bottom of the rack.

Impact of Tile Design on the Thermal Performance of Open and Enclosed Aisles

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadegh Khalili ◽  
Mohammad I. Tradat ◽  
Kourosh Nemati ◽  
Mark Seymour ◽  
Bahgat Sammakia
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Open Area ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Physical Separation ◽  
Hot Air ◽  
Airflow Distribution ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lower Noise

In raised floor data centers, tiles with high open area ratio or complex understructure are used to fulfill the demand of today's high-density computing. Using more open tiles reduces the pressure drop across the raised floor with the potential advantages of increased airflow and lower noise. However, it introduces the disadvantage of increased nonuniformity of airflow distribution. In addition, there are various tile designs available on the market with different opening shapes or understructures. Furthermore, a physical separation of cold and hot aisles (containment) has been introduced to minimize the mixing of cold and hot air. In this study, three types of floor tiles with different open area, opening geometry, and understructure are considered. Experimentally validated detail models of tiles were implemented in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to address the impact of tile design on the cooling of information technology (IT) equipment in both open and enclosed aisle configurations. Also, impacts of under-cabinet leakage on the IT equipment inlet temperature in the provisioned and under-provisioned scenarios are studied. In addition, a predictive equation for the critical under-provisioning point that can lead to a no-flow condition in IT equipment with weaker airflow systems is presented. Finally, the impact of tile design on thermal performance in a partially enclosed aisle with entrance doors is studied and discussed.

scholarly journals Effect of Bolts on Flow and Heat Transfer in a Rotor–Stator Disk Cavity

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulfickerali Noor Mohamed ◽  
John W. Chew ◽  
Nicholas J. Hills
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Flow And Heat Transfer ◽  
Gap Ratio ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Dependent Flow ◽  
Insight Into

Previous studies have indicated some differences between steady computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of flow in a rotor–stator disk cavity with rotating bolts compared to measurements. Recently, time-dependent CFD simulations have revealed the unsteadiness present in the flow and have given improved agreement with measurements. In this paper, unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) 360 deg model CFD calculations of a rotor–stator cavity with rotor bolts were performed in order to better understand the flow and heat transfer within a disk cavity previously studied experimentally by other workers. It is shown that the rotating bolts generate unsteadiness due to wake shedding which creates time-dependent flow patterns within the cavity. At low throughflow conditions, the unsteady flow significantly increases the average disk temperature. A systematic parametric study is presented giving insight into the influence of number of bolts, mass flow rate, cavity gap ratio, and the bolts-to-shroud gap ratio on the time-dependent flow within the cavity.

scholarly journals Rapid pivot feeding in pipefish: flow effects on prey and evaluation of simple dynamic modelling via computational fluid dynamics

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (28) ◽  
pp. 1291-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Van Wassenbergh ◽  
Peter Aerts
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Head Rotation ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Deceleration Phase ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Flow Effects

Most theoretical models of unsteady aquatic movement in organisms assume that including steady-state drag force and added mass approximates the hydrodynamic force exerted on an organism's body. However, animals often perform explosively quick movements where high accelerations are realized in a few milliseconds and are followed closely by rapid decelerations. For such highly unsteady movements, the accuracy of this modelling approach may be limited. This type of movement can be found during pivot feeding in pipefish that abruptly rotate their head and snout towards prey. We used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to validate a simple analytical model of cranial rotation in pipefish. CFD simulations also allowed us to assess prey displacement by head rotation. CFD showed that the analytical model accurately calculates the forces exerted on the pipefish. Although the initial phase of acceleration changes the flow patterns during the subsequent deceleration phase, the accuracy of the analytical model was not reduced during this deceleration phase. Our analysis also showed that prey are left approximately stationary despite the quickly approaching pipefish snout. This suggests that pivot-feeding fish need little or no suction to compensate for the effects of the flow induced by cranial rotation.

scholarly journals Effect of hydraulic and geometric factors upon leakage flow rate in pressurized pipes

RBRH ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayara Francisca da Silva ◽  
Fábio Veríssimo Gonçalves ◽  
Johannes Gérson Janzen
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Leakage Flow ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Leakage Flow Rate ◽  
Geometric Factors ◽  
Leakage Area ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd

ABSTRACT Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of a leakage in a pressurized pipe were undertaken to determine the empirical effects of hydraulic and geometric factors on the leakage flow rate. The results showed that pressure, leakage area and leakage form, influenced the leakage flow rate significantly, while pipe thickness and mean velocity did not influence the leakage flow rate. With relation to the interactions, the effect of pressure upon leakage flow rate depends on leakage area, being stronger for great leakage areas; the effects of leakage area and pressure on leakage flow rate is more pronounced for longitudinal leakages than for circular leakages. Finally, our results suggest that the equations that predict leakage flow rate in pressurized pipes may need a revision.

scholarly journals The Aerodynamics of a Diabolo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Jia
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Angular Momentum ◽  
Flow Pattern ◽  
High Spin ◽  
Angular Speed ◽  
Geometric Shape ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Resistive Torque ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd

Diabolo is a popular game in which the object can be spun at up to speeds of 5000 rpm. This high spin velocity gives the diabolo the necessary angular momentum to remain stable. The shape of the diabolo generates an interesting air flow pattern. The viscous air applies a resistive torque on the fast spinning diabolo. Through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations it's shown that the resistive torque has an interesting dependence on the angular speed of the diabolo. Further, the geometric shape of the diabolo affects the dependence of torque on angular speed.

Design Approach for the Development of the Flow Field of Bipolar Plates for a PEMFC Stack Prototype

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Sala ◽  
Paola Gallo Stampino ◽  
Giovanni Dotelli
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Gas Leakage ◽  
Auxiliary Power ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Enhance Mass

This work is part of a project whose final aim is the realization of an auxiliary power fuel cell generator. It was necessary to design and develop bipolar plates that would be suitable for this application. Bipolar plates have a relevant influence on the final performances of the entire device. A gas leakage or a bad management of the water produced during the reaction could be determinant during operations and would cause the failure of the stack. The development of the bipolar plates was performed in different steps. First, the necessity to make an esteem of the dynamics that happen inside the feeding channels led to perform analytical calculations. The values found were cross-checked performing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation; finally, it was defined the best pattern for the feeding channels, so that to enhance mass transport and achieve the best velocity profile. The bipolar plates designed were machined and assembled in a laboratory scale two cells prototype stack. Influences of the temperature and of the humidity were evaluated performing experiments at 60 deg and 70 deg and between 60% and 100% of humidity of the reactant gasses. The best operating point achieved in one of these conditions was improved by modifying the flow rates of the reactant, in order to obtain the highest output power, and it evaluated the reliability of the plates in experiments performed for longer times, at fixed voltages.

scholarly journals Comparison of Blade Element Method and CFD Simulations of a 10 MW Wind Turbine

Fluids ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galih Bangga
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Spatial Interpolation ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Correction Terms ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Blade Element

The present studies deliver the computational investigations of a 10 MW turbine with a diameter of 205.8 m developed within the framework of the AVATAR (Advanced Aerodynamic Tools for Large Rotors) project. The simulations were carried out using two methods with different fidelity levels, namely the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and blade element and momentum (BEM) approaches. For this purpose, a new BEM code namely B-GO was developed employing several correction terms and three different polar and spatial interpolation options. Several flow conditions were considered in the simulations, ranging from the design condition to the off-design condition where massive flow separation takes place, challenging the validity of the BEM approach. An excellent agreement is obtained between the BEM computations and the 3D CFD results for all blade regions, even when massive flow separation occurs on the blade inboard area. The results demonstrate that the selection of the polar data can influence the accuracy of the BEM results significantly, where the 3D polar datasets extracted from the CFD simulations are considered the best. The BEM prediction depends on the interpolation order and the blade segment discretization.

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