FFD

Xu's journal paper on optimal airflow management in data centers is published

Anonymous — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 21:12:30 +0000

Xu's journal paper on optimal airflow management in data centers is published Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 11/18/2020 - 14:12

Cary Faulkner

Optimal airflow management can save 50% cooling energy for data centers as demonstrated in our new journal paper about our open source Fast Fluid Dynamics model for fast prediction of data center airflow. The paper is available here. Funded by DOE's BENEFIT program, this is a joint effort of SBS Lab with Schneider Electric. The FFD model has been adopted in Schneider Electric's data center design tools. The open source version and related papers are available on the FFD tool page. Congratulations to Xu on publishing this paper and we look forward to more great work from you!

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Improving Data Center Energy Efficiency through End-to-End Cooling Modeling and Optimization

Anonymous — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 06:00:00 +0000

Improving Data Center Energy Efficiency through End-to-End Cooling Modeling and Optimization Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 10/01/2016 - 00:00

Led by Dr. Zuo, this is a joint research project with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Schneider Electric. We have developed an open-source, free software package (see the following links) which provides practical, end-to-end (from the IT equipment to heat rejection to the ambient) modeling and optimization for data center cooling. It can be used as a stand-alone tool by data center designers, service consultants and facility managers, or be integrated into existing data center management software for autonomous optimal operation. It is the first practical tool that couples the modeling of airflow-management and cooling systems to enable a global data center cooling optimization. Its self-learning regression model enabled by an in situ adaptive tabulation algorithm and a fast fluid dynamics model can predict the critical airflow information under various operational conditions within a few milliseconds. The equation-based modeling language allows a fast and flexible modeling of various cooling system configurations. We have demonstrated the usage of our tool and identified 53% energy saving potentials in a Florida data center and 74% in the Massachusetts data center.

Open Source Models for Data Center Cooling

This project has resulted in open source Modelica models for the data center cooling system. The models haven been released as a part of the DOE's open source Modelica Buildings library: http://simulationresearch.lbl.gov/modelica/releases/latest/help/Buildings_Applications.html#Buildings.Applications.

The model development branch is at https://github.com/lbl-srg/modelica-buildings/tree/master/Buildings/Applications.

This project has also developed a reduced order model “ISAT-FFD” trained by simulations in Fast Fluid Dynamics to predict airflow in data centers: https://github.com/doetools/isat_ffd.

See this page for more information on FFD.

The development site of the ISAT module in Modelica Buildings library is at: https://bitbucket.org/sbslab-zuo/datacenter-mblisat.

The ISAT data center case can be found at: https://bitbucket.org/sbslab-zuo/datacenter-isat-examples/src/master/.

Please see this page for more information on tools related to this project.

Commerical Tool

Based on our open source FFD models, Schneider Electric developed a commerial software "EcoStruxure IT Advisor CFD", which is a cloud-based data center CFD design software.

Technical Advisory Group

Name	Institution
Amistadi, Henry R.	MITRE Corporation
Cleaver, Donald	Keystone Critical Systems & Advisors
Doppelhammer, F. James	University of Miami
Geraghty, Edward P.	CEC Group, LLC
Groenewold, John	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Herrlin, Magnus	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Kaiser, Raymond	Amzur Technologies
Meneghan, Brian W.	Carrier Corporation
Plamondon, David	University of Massachusetts Medical School
Sartor, Dale	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Sorell, Vali	Syska Hennessy Group, Inc.

Collaborators

Press Release

Publications

Project Report

W. Zuo, M. Wetter, J. VanGilder, X. Han, Y. Fu, C. Faulkner, J. Hu, W. Tian, M. Condor 2021. “Improving Data Center Energy Efficiency through End-to-End Cooling Modeling and Optimization.” pp. 1-109, Report for US Department of Energy, DOE-CUBoulder-07688.

Recorded Presentations

W. Zuo 2020 "Open Source Modelica Models for Data Center Cooling", American Modelica Conference 2020, September.

Ph.D. Theses

Y. Fu 2020. "Modeling and Control for Grid-interactive Efficient Data Centers." Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder.
X. Han 2020. "Holistic Optimization of Data Center Cooling Systems and Airflow Management." Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder.

Journal Articles

X. Han, W. Tian, J. VanGilder, W. Zuo, C. Faulkner 2021. "An Open Source Fast Fluid Dynamics Model for Data Center Thermal Management." Energy and Buildings, 230, pp 110599.
Y. Fu, X. Han, K. Baker, W. Zuo 2020. “Assessments of Data Centers for Provision of Frequency Regulation.” Applied Energy, 277, pp 115621.
Y. Fu, W. Zuo, M. Wetter, J. W. VanGilder, P. Yang 2019. "Equation-Based Object-Oriented Modeling and Simulation of Data Center Cooling Systems." Energy and Buildings, 198, pp. 503-519.
W. Tian, J.W. VanGilder, X. Han, C.M. Healey, M.B. Condor, W. Zuo 2019. “A New Fast Fluid Dynamics Model for Data-Center Floor Plenums.” ASHRAE Transactions, 125, pp. 141-148.
Y. Fu, W. Zuo, M. Wetter, J. W. VanGilder, X. Han, D. Plamondon 2019. “Equation-Based Object-Oriented Modeling and Simulation for Data Center Cooling: A Case Study.” Energy and Buildings,186, pp. 108-125.
W. Tian, X. Han, W. Zuo, M. Sohn 2018. "Building Energy Simulation Coupled with CFD for Indoor Environment: A Critical Review and Recent Applications." Energy and Buildings, 165, pp.184-199.
W. Tian, T. A. Sevilla, D. Li, W. Zuo, M. Wetter 2018. "Fast and Self-Learning Indoor Airflow Simulation Based on In Situ Adaptive Tabulation." Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 11(1), pp. 99-112.
W. Tian, T. A. Sevilla, W. Zuo, M. Sohn 2017. "Coupling Fast Fluid Dynamics and Multizone Airflow Models in Modelica Buildings Library to Simulate the Dynamics of HVAC System." Building and Environment, 122, pp. 269-286.

Conference Proceedings

X. Han, W. Tian, W. Zuo, J.W. VanGilder 2019. “Optimization of Workload Distribution of Data Centers Based on a Self-Learning In Situ Adaptive Tabulation Model.” Proceeding of the 16th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association (Building Simulation 2019), September 2-4, Rome, Italy.
W. Tian, J.W. VanGilder, M.B. Condor, X. Han, W. Zuo 2019. “An Accurate Fast Fluid Dynamics Model for Data Center Applications.” The Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm 2019), May 28-31, Las Vegas, NV.
Y. Fu, M. Wetter, W. Zuo 2018. “Modelica Models for Data Center Cooling Systems.” 2018 ASHRAE Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild (BPACS 2018), pp. 438-445, September 26-28, Chicago, IL.
W. Tian, W. Zuo, T. A. Sevilla, M. Sohn 2017. “Coupled Simulation Between CFD and Multizone Models Based on Modelica Buildings Library to Study Indoor Environment Control.” Proceedings of the 12th International Modelica Conference, pp. 55-61, May 15-17, Prague, Czech Republic.

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Virtual Reality for Building Design

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 06:00:00 +0000

Virtual Reality for Building Design Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/01/2015 - 00:00

Previously, Virtual Reality seemed to be an application only possible in science fiction movies. However, with recent advances this technology has now become available to the general public. Pioneers in this field such as Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, and PlayStation VR have provided a path for consumers to create applications which can be used in everyday tasks. Likewise, we have taken the initiative to create our own Virtual reality application for Fast Fluid Dynamics simulation visualizations based around the iPhone and iOS ecosystem. By using this platform, we can easily develop a portable technology which can enhance the marketability and usability of the indoor airflow simulations for customers and service providers. Figure shows that SBS Lab researcher is testing the VR device.

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High Performance Building Simulation on Heterogeneous Platforms

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 07:00:00 +0000

High Performance Building Simulation on Heterogeneous Platforms Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 02/01/2015 - 00:00

Powerful computational capabilities have always been sought after by those working in fields that require vast amount of calculations to be done in a relatively short amount of time and a low cost. To meet this needs, we are conducting research in performing high performance building simulation using multi-core CPU and GPU (graphics processing units). By optimizing the numerical algorithm and using the multi-core CPU and GPU, we have successfully accelerated the indoor airflow simulation up to 1,500 times and daylighting simulation up to 12,000 times.

Collaborators

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Press Release

UM College of Engineering News "SBS lab's Research: Simulating Dense Gas Transport"

Publications

W. Tian, T. A. Sevilla, W. Zuo 2017. “A Systematic Evaluation of Accelerating Indoor Airflow Simulations Using Cross Platform Parallel Computing.” Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 10(3), pp. 243-255.

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Coupled Simulation of Indoor Environment, Envelope, HVAC, and Control Systems

Anonymous — Thu, 01 May 2014 06:00:00 +0000

Coupled Simulation of Indoor Environment, Envelope, HVAC, and Control Systems Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/01/2014 - 00:00

This research is to create a coupled simulation of indoor environment, envelope, HVAC and control systems to support the controls design and evaluation of energy efficient ventilation. The fast fluid dynamics (FFD) model is adopted to model the indoor environment with stratified air distribution. The Modelica Buildings library is used to model the building envelope, HVAC and related control system. The models have been publically released as a part of the Modelica Buildings library since 2015.

Collaborators

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Publications

Journal articles:

W. Tian, X. Han, W. Zuo, Q. Wang, Y. Fu, M. Jin 2019. “An Optimization Platform Based on Coupled Indoor Environment and HVAC Simulation and Its Application in Optimal Thermostat Placement.” Energy and Buildings, 199, pp. 342-251.
W. Tian, X. Han, W. Zuo, M. Sohn 2018. "Building Energy Simulation Coupled with CFD for Indoor Environment: A Critical Review and Recent Applications." Energy and Buildings, 165, pp.184-199.
W. Tian, T. A. Sevilla, W. Zuo, M. Sohn 2017. "Coupling Fast Fluid Dynamics and Multizone Airflow Models in Modelica Buildings Library to Simulate the Dynamics of HVAC System." Building and Environment, 122, pp. 269-286.
W. Zuo, M. Wetter, W. Tian, D. Li, M. Jin, Q. Chen 2016. "Coupling Indoor Airflow, HVAC, Control and Building Envelope Heat Transfer in the Modelica Buildings Library.” Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 9(4), pp. 366-381.

Conference proceedings:

W. Tian, Y. Fu, Q. Wang, T. A. Sevilla, W. Zuo 2018. “Optimization on Thermostat Location in an Office Room Using the Coupled Simulation Platform in Modelica Buildings Library: A Pilot Study.” Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Building Energy and Environment (COBEE2018), pp. 569-574, February 5-9, Melbourne, Australia.
W. Tian, W. Zuo, T. A. Sevilla, M. Sohn 2017. “Coupled Simulation Between CFD and Multizone Models Based on Modelica Buildings Library to Study Indoor Environment Control.” Proceedings of the 12th International Modelica Conference, pp. 55-61, May 15-17, Prague, Czech Republic.
M. Wetter, M. Bonvini, T. S. Nouidui, W. Tian, W. Zuo 2015. “Modelica Buildings Library 2.0.” Proceedings of the 14th Conference of International Building Performance Simulation Association (Building Simulation 2015), pp. 387-394, December 7-9, Hyderabad, India.
W. Zuo, M. Wetter, D. Li, M. Jin, W. Tian, Q. Chen 2014. “Coupled Simulation of Indoor Environment, HVAC and Control System by Using Fast Fluid Dynamics and the Modelica Buildings Library.” Proceedings of the 2014 ASHRAE/IBPSA-USA Building Simulation Conference, pp. 56-63, September 10-12, Atlanta, GA.
W. Tian, W. Zuo 2013. “Literature Review and Research Needs to Couple Building Energy and Airflow Simulation.” Proceedings of the APEC Conference on Low-carbon Towns and Physical Energy Storage, pp. 492-496, May 25-26, Changsha, China.

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