DE-05-11-3 - The Thermal Bus Opportunity—A Quantum Leap in Data Center Cooling Potential

This paper describes an attainable means to provide the required cooling to server-based data equipment that not only satisfies the increasing heat load density in datacomm facilities but does so at a reduced infrastructure system first cost and reduced operating cost over the life of the facility. First, the paper discusses loop thermosyphon and thermal bus technology. In particular, the testing and development that have been accomplished to apply this technology at the server cabinet level. Next, the impact of integrating this technology into the datacomm facility infrastructure is examined. First cost and operating cost comparisons are presented, specifically for the facility infrastructure required to support conventional aircooled server equipment and the facility infrastructure required to support components cooled via a thermal bus architecture and a liquid-cooled strategy integral to the facility. The analysis concludes that applying a liquid-cooled thermal bus system to high-density electronic components not only results in less first cost and less operating cost for the facility but, by utilizing this system, a greater density of equipment deployment than air-cooled systems can be realized, thus further maximizing the benefit.