Viability of datacenter cooling systems for energy efficiency in temperate or subtropical regions: Case study

In general, a proper balance of temperature and humidity control is essential for efficient datacenter operation and is integral to protecting the significant investment in computer and network technology in datacenter facilities. However, the rising costs of energy and the drive to be green are resulting in a greater demand to conserve energy. One method of reducing facility costs for a chilled water plant is by adding an economizer. The purpose of this study is to develop energy models of the most common economizer systems. A normal chiller plant with an air-side economizer and a water-side economizer are compared. Results show that outdoor conditions influence facility energy consumption. This paper provides terminology and definitions for the two different types of economizer modes and compares their energy performance against key datacenter attributes in temperate or subtropical regions. The electrical end use breakdown and the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) value for a typical year were estimated. The water-side economizer made it possible to achieve a maximum energy performance improvement of about 16.6% over the reference base cooling system, whereas the air-side economizer made it possible to achieve about 42.4% improvement.