An experimental study on cooling of data centers with phase change material in their walls

Today, with the rapid increase in technology, the need the for data centers is also increasing. Data centers are facilities with high energy consumption. For this reason, energy saving and energy efficiency in data centers are gaining importance day by day. Phase Change Materials (PCM) are materials that can heat energy storage and heat release. In this thesis, it is aimed to maintain the stability of the indoor temperature of data centers with Phase Change Materials. In this way, it is expected to provide energy saving and energy efficiency in data centers operated at smaller power values. In this thesis, a prototype data center has been prepared. Lauric Acid (LA), Stearic Acid (SA) and Undecanoic Acid (UA) were mixed as %16, %32 and %52 by mass to be placed in the system. Thermophysical properties of LA-SA-UA were investigated. The melting temperatures and latent heat values of LA: SA: UA: LA-SA-UA measured by DSC were found to be 17.13 ℃: 71.9 ℃: 26.82 ℃: 24.49 ℃ and 190 J/g: 235J/g: 178 J/g: 150 J/g respectively. The thermal conductivities obtained with the KD2 Pro were found to be 0.288 W/mK, 0.143 W/mK, 0.201 W/mK and 0.245 W/mK for LA, SA, UA and LA-SA-UA, respectively. The heat capacity values were found to be 22.15 J/g, 18.82 J/g, 17.20 J/g and 20.49 J/g for LA, SA, UA and LA-SA-UA, respectively. The results show the usability of the LA-SA-UA mixture in energy storage. In order to compare the condition where the data center is empty and with PCM, thermocouples are placed in the determined places in the system. Empty and with PCM cases were compared at four different speeds (5 m/s, 4.45 m/s, 4.25 m/s and 2.5 m/s). System times empty – with PCM for 5 m/s, 4.45 m/s, 4.25 m/s and 2.5 m/s were measured as 7800sec-16440sec, 6960sec-14200sec, 5880sec-11900sec, 4440sec-9360sec, respectively. In this study, it is clearly seen that LA-SA-UA energy storage in the data center.