Convective Transport Processes in Data Centers

Abstract

Large computing infrastructure facilities are causing many thermal management issues due to the rapid increase in power density of data processing equipment. The complex air flow and thermal transport processes of air-cooled data centers are investigated computationally with a focus on providing a unified assessment of various cooling schemes and equipment layouts. The physical mechanisms causing inefficiencies are quantified and the advantages of various configurations are examined.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support of the Consortium for Energy Efficient Thermal Management (CEETherm), a joint initiative between the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Maryland.