数据中心是集中放置并管理数据处理设备的空间,热环境是保障数据处理设备能够安全、稳定、连续运行的关键。这里在回顾并分析现有数据中心热环境评价方法的基础上,定义掺混指数参数,来评估数据中心空间发生冷热气流混合对设备安全性的影响,并评价其热健康程度。与现有的以设备平均进风温度为基础的评价方法不同,掺混指数侧重对热环境安全性的评价。通过考察掺混指数的空间分布,不仅可以了解数据中心气流组织的分布特性,还可以找出数据中心存在热环境安全隐患的位置,有针对性地加以改进。借助热量加权后的掺混指数,可以对不同规模、布局、气流组织模式的数据中心热环境质量进行直观比较,从而指导新数据中心的设计和已有数据中心的优化。
Data center is a specific building space accommodating and managing data processing equipments which rely on the thermal environment for continuous operation.Based on the review of current research on evaluating thermal environment in data center,this paper defines a dimensionless index to evaluate the effect of air mixing on the equipment and characterize thermal security in local space of data center.This mixing index emphasizes on evaluation of thermal security(or failure potential) of data center environment,which is different from current evaluating system based on average inlet air temperature of data processing equipment.Through the distribution of such a mixing index,not only the distributed characteristics of data center air flow can be understood,places of potential hot spots or overheated space can be located and improved accordingly.Thermal environment of data centers with different building area,equipment layout and air flow pattern can be directly compared using heat weighted mixing index which also helps to guide the thermal design of new data centers and thermal optimization of existing data centers.