Passive thermomagnetic cooling system for server computers (Phase 1)

我们今天生活的方方面面都严重依赖于电脑。这些计算的大部分是在数据中心完成的：拥有数千台服务器的建筑物。这些数据中心消耗了大量的能源。较大的设备在单个设备中消耗高达100兆瓦；足够为7.5万户家庭供电，也就是说，一个小城市。每年，数百亿美元被用于为北美的数据中心供电。这种能源需求的显著减少保证了经济和环境效益。令人惊讶的是，只有大约一半或更少的数据中心消耗的能源用于运行服务器。大部分能源（高达50%）用于冷却服务器。这些能量驱动HVAC设备冷却数据中心内的空气，大功率风扇将这些冷却的空气输送到服务器的芯片上。我们正在开发一种革命性的冷却系统，它使用铁磁流体对流来冷却服务器。这项技术一旦完全开发出来，将使数据中心的冷却成本几乎为零。这是可能的，因为在任何其他对流过程中，循环铁磁流体所需的能量来自余热本身。因此，该系统无需外部电源即可运行，将数据中心的总能源成本降低了50%。此外，一旦完全开发，该系统将使数据中心的服务器更紧密地打包，将服务器密度提高多达5倍。这将使现有设施的产能大幅扩大，并节省新设施的房地产支出。资本和运营费用的综合节省使该系统对数据中心所有者极具吸引力。与风扇和暖通空调不同，这种新型系统不包含任何运动部件或机器，因此非常可靠。最近，我们在麦克马斯特大学的实验室已经证明了这一概念。该技术将进一步开发，以便系统的原型可以在2015年底之前用于服务器制造商的beta测试。一旦这项技术得到充分验证，一家加拿大初创公司将从麦克马斯特大学剥离出来。该公司将向全球服务器制造商推销这种新型冷却系统。

Every aspect of our lives today are heavily dependent on computers. A bulk of this computing is done in data centres: buildings housing thousands of servers. These data centres consume tremendous amounts of energy. The larger ones consume up to 100 MW in a single facility; enough to power 75,000 homes, i.e., a small sized city. Each year, tens of billions of dollars are spent to power the data centres in North America. Significant reduction in this energy requirement promises economic as well as environmental benefits. Surprisingly, only about a half or less of the energy consumed by a data centre is used to run the servers. A bulk of the energy, up to 50%, is used for cooling the servers. This energy powers HVAC units to cool the air inside data centres, and high power fans to force this chilled air over the chips in the servers. We are developing a revolutionary cooling system that uses ferrofluid convection to cool servers instead. The technology, once fully developed, will bring the cost for cooling in data centres to almost zero. This is possible because, as in any other convection process, the energy required for circulating the ferrofluid is derived from the waste heat itself. Thus, the system requires no external power source to operate, reducing the total energy cost of a data centre by up to 50%. In addition, once fully developed, the system will enable closer packing of servers in a data centre, increasing server density by up to 5 times. This will enable huge capacity expansions in existing facilities, as well as savings on real estate expenditures for new facilities. The combined savings in capital and operating expenses make the system extremely attractive to data centre owners. The novel system also contains no moving parts or machines, unlike fans and HVACs, making it extremely reliable. Proof of the concept has been recently demonstrated in our laboratory at McMaster University. The technology will be further developed such that prototypes of the system can be used for beta testing with server manufacturers by the end of 2015. Once the technology is fully validated, a Canadian startup company will be spun off from McMaster University. The company will market the novel cooling system to server manufacturers worldwide.