Numerical simulation of the air conditioning environment in a computer room.

This paper describes the development of software for simulating the air-conditioning environment in a computer room. This software uses a finite volume method combined with a rectangular structured mesh system and a k-£ two-equation model for turbulence. Some special modeling techniques are also used. This software has two purposes: (1) to optimize the layout of a computer room, thus minimizing the electric power used for air conditioning, and (2) to reproduce the situation in which an accident is caused by an air-conditioning problem and to assist in an investigation of the problem. Measurements and simulation tests on the flow and temperature distribution in computer rooms confirm the accuracy and usefulness of this simulator.