Performance analysis of a simulated container data center subject to airflow resistance

In this paper, the influence of pressure resistance in the data rack on the cooling performance of a simulated container data center is experimentally investigated. It is found that the pressure resistance may impose a significant influence on the airflow distribution. The perforated resistance with specific porosity (F) of 32% calculated by the porous jump model is identified to appropriately mimic the porous zone of real servers. The flow reversal may occur at the top part of the rack when the pressure resistance is low, and this phenomenon is verified by a dry ice experiment. Results show that the flow reversal causes severe hot spots at the top part of racks. By imposing the perforated resistance, the hot spots in the central and top part of the simulated racks can be effectively removed. However, hot spots at the entrance of the simulated rack still persist and even enlarge. The cooling performance may deteriorate pronouncedly after introducing the gap spacing between racks, and the deterioration reaches a plateau after the gap spacing is increased to 38 mm. It is indicated that the aisle containment at the entrance and exit of the cold aisle shows pronounced improvement on the cooling performance in a container data center.