Enhancing Cooling Efficiency in Data Centers: An Evaluation of Heat Pipe Design in Air Ducts

Abstract

Data centers, serving as vital support infrastructure for telecommunications and data storage systems, allocate nearly half of their total electricity consumption -approximately 50% -to cooling systems for temperature and humidity regulation. Enhancing the efficiency of these systems is crucial for energy conservation and reducing operational costs in data centers. In this regard, the integration of flexible heat pipes presents a promising solution for alleviating the data center's heat load. Heat pipes, as passive cooling system technologies, function by absorbing heat on one side while simultaneously releasing it on the other. Strategically positioned in the air ducts subsequent to the data server, these pipes aim to lower the air temperature, thereby reducing the burden on the cooling system. This study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of heat pipes in transferring heat from the air within hot air ducts, considering variables such as the density distance between the pipes and their operating tilt angle. Distances between the heat pipes vary from 3 mm to 6 mm, with tilt angles set at 0°, 15°, and 30°. The results reveal that lower density distances lead to higher heat ab sorption; specifically, for a slope of 0°, densities of 6 mm, 5 mm, 4 mm, and 3 mm correspond to heat absorptions of 2.749 kW, 2.545 kW, 2.448 kW, and 2.358 kW, respectively. Additionally, smaller tilt angles result in greater heat absorption, with a 3 mm density at slopes of 30°, 15°, and 0° yielding 2.017 kW, 2.125 kW, and 2.749 kW, respectively. Optimal heat transfer occurs at a density of 3mm and a slope of 0°, where the heat pipe can transfer 2.749 kW of heat out of the cooling system and reduce the temperature of the air flowing through it by 13℃.