Analysis of a water tank energy storage system for use in a warm water cooled data center

Isaac Rose, Amy S. Fleischer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Increases in cloud computing, social media usage, streaming video and remote data storage are driving up the number and size of data centers. With cooling costs reaching a substantial portion of operating costs, research into a chillerless design called warm water cooling has shown that it can be an effective and less expensive way to provide sufficient cooling throughout most of the year. However, in certain climates warm water cooling, which fluctuates with ambient temperature, is insufficient to keep chip temperatures below a certain threshold during parts of the year. This problem can be overcome by using a cold thermal energy storage system (CTES) in which water cooled during the lower temperatures at night is stored to be used during the day. The project evaluates CTES systems for data center applications using analytical modeling and applies the model to illustrate improved performance of a warm water cooled data center. Several different CTES systems are considered. A 1-D Plug Flow numerical model is developed and used to predict the temperature distribution in a stratified water storage tank. The model accounts for mixing near the inlets and heat transfer due to conduction throughout the tank. Overall heat transfer coefficients are used to account for heat transfer through the tank walls. The model is validated against experimental data. The validated water storage model is integrated into a data center system level model tool.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 15th InterSociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITherm 2016
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages1273-1279
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9781467381215
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Jul 2016
Externally publishedYes
Event15th InterSociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITherm 2016 - Las Vegas, United States
Duration: 31 May 20163 Jun 2016

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 15th InterSociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITherm 2016

Conference

Conference15th InterSociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITherm 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityLas Vegas
Period31/05/163/06/16

Keywords

  • Phase change material
  • Thermal Energy Storage
  • Warm water cooling
  • underground energy storage
  • water storage tank

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