Firstly, the conceptual design of the LHP-C-H-Plate-4-DC system was carried out by consulting a large number of documents. A series of work had been carried out to construct schematic diagrams of system components and integrated units, evaluate geometric dimensions and material types as well as potential performance data, and determine basic research questions and projects.
Secondly, using the latest fractal theory and related research results, the relationship between the fractal dimension and the porosity of porous media was established. By applying Darcy's law, the calculation formulas for the permeability and effective thermal conductivity of the core heat pipe were established. By calculating the criterion parameters of vapor and liquid fluids, including Re number, Pr number and Nu number, and using the macro heat transfer equation, the heat transfer rate and pressure loss under different operating conditions could be obtained. Based on these, a computer model was built, which could determine the optimal geometric dimensions of the system and predict the LHP-C-H-Plate-4-DC system performance.
Thirdly, the LHP-C-H-Plate-4-DC prototype was constructed and tested at the Energy Technology Laboratory at University of Hull. Using the method of controlling variables, the system performance changes under different parameter conditions, such as simulated heat load, coolant water temperature, coolant water flow rate and refrigerant filling ratio, were tested and obtained. After experimental testing, it was found that under the best experimental conditions, namely the simulated heat load of 500W, the coolant water flow rate of 600L/h, and the coolant water temperature of 15℃, and the refrigerant filling ratio of 30%, the system had the highest heat recovery efficiency of 86.28%. In addition, comparing the test results with the simulation results, the errors was less than 15%, which were acceptable for general engineering applications, indicating that the established model can predict the performance of the LHP-C-H-Plate-4-DC system at a reasonable accuracy.
Fourthly, the performance of the LHP-C-H-PLATE-4-DC data center cooling system was evaluated according to the climate conditions in Europe, and the capital cost and annual operating cost of the new system in different European regions were calculated. The results were also compared with the cooling system without LHP-CH-PLATE-4-DC, and the estimated payback period and carbon dioxide emission reduction of the new system relative to the existing cooling system were obtained.
In addition, two papers were published while four manuscripts were currently under review/about to be accepted. Furthermore, 4 international conferences were attended online in countries such as UK, and China, and professional connections were made in each conference. At each of these conferences, presentations were made on the project topic and subsequent discussions with interested researchers were performed.
