Version 1
: Received: 26 October 2024 / Approved: 28 October 2024 / Online: 28 October 2024 (13:07:46 CET)
How to cite:
Gao, N.; Ali, S. M.; Persoons, T. Numerical Investigation of Two-phase Evaporative Spray Cooling Technology for Data Centre Applications. Preprints2024, 2024102166. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2166.v1
Gao, N.; Ali, S. M.; Persoons, T. Numerical Investigation of Two-phase Evaporative Spray Cooling Technology for Data Centre Applications. Preprints 2024, 2024102166. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2166.v1
Gao, N.; Ali, S. M.; Persoons, T. Numerical Investigation of Two-phase Evaporative Spray Cooling Technology for Data Centre Applications. Preprints2024, 2024102166. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2166.v1
APA Style
Gao, N., Ali, S. M., & Persoons, T. (2024). Numerical Investigation of Two-phase Evaporative Spray Cooling Technology for Data Centre Applications. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2166.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gao, N., Syed Mughees Ali and Tim Persoons. 2024 "Numerical Investigation of Two-phase Evaporative Spray Cooling Technology for Data Centre Applications" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.2166.v1
Abstract
Two-phase evaporative spray cooling technology can significantly reduce power consumption in data centre cooling applications. However, the literature lacks an established methodology for assessing the overall performance of such evaporation systems. The current study develops a Lagrangian-Eulerian computational fluid dynamics modelling approach to examine the functionality of these two-phase evaporative spray cooling systems. To replicate a modular system, a hollow spray cone nozzle with Rosin-Rammler droplet size distribution is simulated in a turbulent convective natural-air environment. The model was validated against the available experimental data from the literature. A new formulation for the coefficient of performance (COP) is derived to assess the performance of the system. Parametric studies of geometric, flow and climate parameters, namely, domain length, droplet size, water mass flow rate, temperature, and humidity were performed with a specific focus on the climatic conditions in Dublin, Ireland. The findings indicate that at elevated temperatures and low humidity, evaporation results in a bulk temperature reduction of up to 12℃. The efficiency of the evaporation system showed a systematic improvement with a reduction in the droplet size and the mass flow rate. A close to 100 % evaporation rate was achieved in comparison to only a 1 % evaporation rate when the spray Sauter mean diameter (SMD) is reduced to 8-15 μm from 292 μm. It was concluded that the utilization of a fine droplet spray nozzle provides an effective solution for the reduction in water consumption (97 % in our case) for data centres, whilst concomitantly augmenting the proportion of evaporation.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
