Analysis of Air-Side Economizers in Terms of Cooling-Energy Performance in a Data Center Considering Exhaust Air Recirculation

Seonghyun Park and Janghoo Seo
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Seonghyun Park: Department of Architecture, Graduated School, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Korea
Janghoo Seo: School of Architecture, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Korea

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-14

Abstract: Demand is soaring for data centers with advanced data-processing capabilities. In data centers with high-temperature information technology (IT) equipment, enormous cooling systems are operated year-round. To date, studies have aimed to improve the cooling efficiency of server-room units, but cooling-energy-consumption analysis considering the recirculation of exhaust air (EA) has not been researched to a sufficient degree. This study analyzed the cooling-energy saving effects considering the EA-recirculation and supply-air (SA)-temperature conditions when direct and indirect air-side economizers were applied to a data center in Korea. Thirteen case studies were conducted. The results showed that when the EA-recirculation ratio in the direct air-side economizer was 15%, its annual cooling-energy consumption increased by approximately 6.1% compared to the case with no recirculation. The indirect air-side economizer also exhibited an approximately 9% increase in cooling-energy consumption. On the other hand, when the SA temperature changed to 22 °C, the annual cooling-energy consumption of the direct and indirect air-side economizers decreased by approximately 67% and 55%, respectively, compared to a central chilled-water system. This indicates the importance of developing measures to prevent EA recirculation and of securing a wind path for the improvement of air-conditioning efficiency in data centers at the design stage.

Keywords: data center; air-side economizer; energy simulation; cooling system; recirculation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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