| The goal for data center thermal management is to minimize the energy required to provide sufficient cooling for the servers and other equipment. One issue with the raised floor plenum design is providing cooling air uniformly. The flow uniformity in the cold aisles depends on the plenum depth, obstructions in the plenum, and the percentage open area of the perforated tiles among other things. In traditional practice, a large portion of the cooling air is being wasted due to bypass in the cold-aisle. A computational study has been undertaken to investigate approaches that can be used to provide more uniform air distribution in raised floor data centers. One specific focus is the performance of new tile designs employing either louvers to control the direction and air flow rate or fans attached to tiles to actively control the local air flow. |
