Energy-saving technique targeting chilled-water air conditioning equipment in data centers

Chilled-water cooled computer room air conditioners can be broadly divided into three subsystems: heat sources, delivery systems, and air conditioners. In the typical data center employing chilled-water air conditioners, these three subsystem operate independently of one another, making it very difficult to assess whether the air conditioning system as a whole is operating at maximum efficiency. Defining a reliable data center as one in which the ambient temperature environment of room is kept constant, this study investigates a scheme for integrating control over these three subsystems and reducing the power consumed by the air conditioning system by shifting the setpoints of heat generators and pumps while monitoring conditions in the room to ensure reliability is maintained. Experimental results reveal that the power consumption of the air conditioning system can be slashed by 20% thus demonstrating the energy-saving potential of this approach.