Two self-developed control schemes, ON/OFF and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), were applied on a hybrid evaporative and direct expansion (DX)-based model data center cooling system to assess the impact of controls on reliability and energy efficiency. These control schemes can be applied independently or collectively, thereby saving the energy spent on mechanical refrigeration by using airside economization and/or evaporative cooling. Various combinations of system-level controls and component-level controls are compared to a baseline no-controls case. The results show that reliability is consistently met by employing only sophisticated component-level controls. However, the recommended conditions are met approximately 50% of the simulated time by employing system-level controls only (i.e., SCADA) but with a reduction in data center cooling system power usage effectiveness (PUE) values from 3.76 to 1.42. Moreover, the recommended conditions are met at all averaged times with an even lower cooling system PUE of 1.13 by combining system-level controls only (SCADA and ON/OFF controls). Thus, the study introduces a simple method to compare control schemes for reliable and energy-efficient data center operation. The work also highlights a potential source of capital expenses and operating expenses savings for data center owners by switching from expensive built-in component-based controls to inexpensive, yet effective, system-based controls that can easily be imbedded into existing data center infrastructure systems management.
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December 2019
Research-Article
Thermal Control Strategies for Reliable and Energy-Efficient Data Centers
Rehan Khalid,
Rehan Khalid
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue,
Villanova, PA 19085
e-mail: rkhalid@villanova.edu
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue,
Villanova, PA 19085
e-mail: rkhalid@villanova.edu
1Corresponding author.
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Aaron P. Wemhoff
Aaron P. Wemhoff
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Villanova University,
Villanova, PA 19085
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue
,Villanova, PA 19085
Search for other works by this author on:
Rehan Khalid
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue,
Villanova, PA 19085
e-mail: rkhalid@villanova.edu
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue,
Villanova, PA 19085
e-mail: rkhalid@villanova.edu
Aaron P. Wemhoff
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Villanova University,
Villanova, PA 19085
Villanova University,
800 Lancaster Avenue
,Villanova, PA 19085
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Electronic and Photonic Packaging Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ELECTRONIC PACKAGING. Manuscript received July 13, 2018; final manuscript received June 18, 2019; published online July 12, 2019. Assoc. Editor: Baris Dogruoz.
J. Electron. Packag. Dec 2019, 141(4): 041004 (12 pages)
Published Online: July 12, 2019
Article history
Received:
July 13, 2018
Revised:
June 18, 2019
Citation
Khalid, R., and Wemhoff, A. P. (July 12, 2019). "Thermal Control Strategies for Reliable and Energy-Efficient Data Centers." ASME. J. Electron. Packag. December 2019; 141(4): 041004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4044129
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