Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation
Thermal management is an essential part of the running of any data centre; it can only become more important as initial design heat loads continue to be exceeded. Mothapo Systems has partnered with Kingston Applied Technologies (K8T) in the UK to provide CFD services.
K8T has extensive experience in modelling ventilation and temperature in mission critical data room facilities in order to maximise uptime. The CFD experts at K8T will create a 3-D mathematical representation of your existing facility, and highlight suitable corrective actions and recommendations to the server/rack layout to help optimise capacity and mitigate the risk of downtime.
Using the software, and the information collected by Mothapo Systems from the detailed inventory of all aspects of the data centre, we first construct a 3D view of the data centre with an exact online representation of the room and equipment load. K8T is then used to model the impact of load distribution within the room as well as the flow of hot and cool air within the space under various conditions.
This concept is a major step forward in reducing the risk of thermal-shutdown and downtime. It helps to analyse the thermal impact of changes in IT density. CFD simulations show up all significant airflow issues which need to be addressed if the facility is to be used to its full potential. Using above-floor CFD modelling, we monitor and view the entire life cycle of the airflow through the data centre.
CFD can potentially deliver some or all of the following benefits to organisations:
- Detailed Understanding of Data Centre Thermal Performance,
- Rapid Evaluation of Design Alternatives; Optimisation of Performance,
- Reduction in Testing Costs,
- Reduction of Failure Risks,
- Reduction of Time to Market for new Data Centres
- Reduction of Incremental Deployment Risks,
- Improved Data Centre Infrastructure Quality
- Reduced Energy Use
- Reduced Carbon Emissions
These benefits are achieved because CFD offers features not available through the use of alternative experimental methods.
- CFD provides a large amount of detail about a flow,
- CFD increases understanding of the physical flow problem,
- CFD allows for easy what-if testing,
- CFD does not require any large capital facility,
- CFD allows investigation where experimentation is not possible.
CFD also provides critical information regarding:
- CRAC Failures
- Critical equipment placement
- Room design
- Thermal imaging
- Equipment placement with addition of servers/racks
- Placement of additional CRAC units
- Disaster recovery planning
- Blade servers vs. rack mounted servers
- Being able to highlight exactly where remedial action is required
- Highlight potential ‘hotspots’ which could not have been predicted without the use of the CFD technology
- Using state-of-the-art technology to demonstrate to clients the extent of the issues within the data centre
- Recommend suitable corrective actions such as suggesting the most suitable server/rack layout to maximise the room’s capacity.
- New/redesigned data centres. By building CFD models of a mission critical space, engineers can quickly and efficiently review multiple design options. This allows for early detection of potential problems with air flow and heat distribution, thus permitting designers to provide an optimum solution.
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