LHP-C-H-PLATE-4-DC · A Novel Loop-Heat-Pipe (LHP)-based Data Centre Heat Removal and Recovery System Employing the Micro-channels Cold/Hot Plates
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2019-09-09 → 2021-09-08
- EU contribution
- €224,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
A Novel Loop-Heat-Pipe (LHP)-based Data Centre Heat Removal and Recovery System Employing the Micro-channels Cold/Hot Plates
A data centre, comprising buildings, services and data processing equipment, is a functional space consuming tremendous amount of energy. The data centres are estimated to consume 1.1- 1.5% of the world’s total electricity supply and be responsible for around 0.5% of the world carbon dioxide emission, with an annual power demand increase rate of 15-20%. Space cooling (i.e., air conditioning) is a fundamental need of data centres which, aiming to removing tremendous amount of heat dissipated from the data processing equipment and keeping space air temperature to an adequate level, consumes more than 40% of energy delivered into the data centre. The current situation is that the heat generated from data processing equipment (e.g., server racks, processors, memory chips etc.) is mostly dissipated into the data centre space; this creates an extremely high cooling load (around 400 W/m 2 ) which needs to be tackled by the centralised, mechanical vapour compression based air conditioners. Owing to the high cooling load and continuous operation of the air conditioning system all year round, the energy (electricity) consumption of the data centre is huge. To cut off the cooling loads of data centre spaces is very important for the sustainable development of society. The overall objectives of the programme were: (1) a novel LHP-C-H-PLATE-4-DC which can effectively remove and reuse the heat from the data processing equipment, thus significantly reducing the cooling load of the data centre and energy consumption of the installed mechanical air conditioners and heating systems; and (2) a computerised analytical and optimisation model for the LHP-C-H-PLATE-4-DC using the latest fractal theory and enthalpy/temperature-difference-driven heat and mass transfer theory.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Date centres consume 1.1-1.5% of the world’s total electricity supply and remain 15-20% of annual increase rate in power demand. Space cooling, owing to vast dissipation of the heat from the data-processing equipment to data centre space, has a very high cooling capacity, accounting for 30-40% of energy delivered into the space. Developing an effective heat removal and recovery system to prevent excessive equipment heat transmission to the space is critical to reducing energy consumption of the cooling system. The proposed MSCA programme aims to investigate an innovative a novel Loop-Heat-Pipe-based data centre heat removal and recovery system employing the micro-channels-cold/hot-plates(LHP-C/H-PLATE-4-DC), by integrating the excellence of the host applicants in loop-heat-pipe(LHP) and expertise of the researcher applicant in hot/cold plates for data processing equipment. The innovative features of the system lie in (1) microscopic interior spaces increase liquid evaporation rate and heat transfer of the LHPs; (2) sensor-controlled liquid upper-feeding and liquid/vapour separator prevent the dry-out and entrainment effects of the conventional LHPs; (3) flat-plate surface of the cold-plate enables a perfect contact with the skin of the data-processing equipment; and (4) novel heat/mass transfer analysis approaches employing the latest fractal and enthalpy/temperature-difference-driven heat transfer theories. The programme tasks include (a) concept development; (b) computer modelling; (c) prototype construction & testing; and (d) economic & environmental analyses. The programme will attract an experienced researcher with particular knowledge in data centre heat removal technologies into Europe. This will (a) achieve transfer of knowledge from outside into Europe, thus helping growing EU’s knowledge-based economy and society; (b) develop a long-term contact among the researcher and host/partner organisations; and (c) enable the advanced training to the researcher.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITY OF HULL · HullCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union