This tutorial session will introduce basic concepts of air velocity, airflow rate, pressure, and temperature distribution as applied to raised-floor data centers. You will be shown why the flow distribution through the perforated tiles is usually not uniform. It is governed by the air velocity and pressure variation under the raised floor. By calculating this variation, you can predict the distribution of the airflow coming out of the perforated tiles. Such a calculation allows you to study the effect of variables such as: layout of the CRAC units and the perforated tiles, the height of the raised floor, and the presence of obstructions under the raised floor. Once the flow rates through the perf tiles are determined, the next step is to calculate, in the above-floor space, the air velocity and temperature as the air moves through the server racks and back to the CRAC units. Many examples will be presented to develop an understanding of the physical processes and to draw practical conclusions. The tutorial will show how to create a computational model of a data center layout and calculate the corresponding airflow and temperature distribution.
Suhas V. Patankar, Ph.D. (bio)
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota and
President, Innovative Research, Inc.