Good one. An interesting thing I heard about data centres was that Melbourne having a cold winter, although nothing like yours, just air flow is needed for winter months, then a switch over to water using evaporative cooling for warmer months, but on hot days, perhaps above 30/86 full power using air conditioning will be needed.
"...in hot and humid weather, data centers generally need more water for cooling, especially if they use evaporative cooling systems, because higher ambient temperatures reduce the efficiency of air-based cooling and increase the need for water-based heat rejection."
"Why heat drives up water use Data centers generate large amounts of heat from servers, storage systems, and network equipment. To keep equipment within safe operating temperatures, they must dissipate this heat. Water is an effective coolant because it has a high specific heat capacity, meaning it can absorb a lot of heat without a large temperature rise www.aeanet.org."
"In many facilities, evaporative cooling towers are used to reject heat. These towers work by spraying water into the air; part of the water evaporates, carrying away heat, while the rest is recirculated. In hot, humid conditions, the air’s ability to absorb heat is reduced, so more water must be evaporated to remove the same amount of heat. This increases both water consumption and blowdown (the mineral-rich water that must be discharged) "
"Hot and dry: Evaporative cooling is more efficient because the air can absorb more heat per unit of water evaporated, so water use may be lower than in humid conditions."
"Hot and humid: The air is already saturated with moisture, so less evaporation occurs. Facilities may need to run cooling towers longer or at higher rates, increasing water use.
"Other cooling strategies Not all data centers rely on water. Some use: Dry cooling (air-to-air heat exchangers) Free cooling (using outside air when it’s cooler than inside) Closed-loop liquid cooling or immersion cooling, which can reduce or eliminate direct water use."
"These alternatives can mitigate the need for more water in hot weather, but they may have other trade-offs, such as higher energy use or limited capacity."
"Local impact: While a facility’s water-use effectiveness (liters per kilowatt-hour) may be the same in different climates, the local water impact can differ greatly. In drought-prone areas, even moderate increases in water use can strain local supplies"
"In summary: In hot weather, especially hot and humid conditions, data centers often need more water for cooling because evaporative cooling becomes less efficient. Operators can reduce this demand by using dry cooling, free cooling, or closed-loop systems, but these solutions are not always available or cost-effective."
There you have it, Andrew, straight from A.I.! (I got lazy.)
Brillant....email this to them!!!!!! We have a battle here with one that wants to come in. Tons of farm land would be gone, not to mention a historic garden center and Victorian mansion owned by the same family for years. I hope this doesn't come in or their will be a lot of pissed off people, not to mention officials getting voted out if they support it.
Maddie, if those places created a lot of jobs, I could maybe see it, but as I understand it, those centers are practically empty! Just a few security guards, and someone to flick on the ON switch.
And to think, Kirk, that data centers are only one fraction of the water problem--there is irrigation, drinking water, sewage, other type of cooling, power generation, etc. And the fresh water levels are getting lower everywhere.And some people want to drag icebergs from Antarctica, as though accelerating the breakup of the ice caps is a good idea. --Jim
Actually, Jim, my original intention was to blog about the electricity that's used to run a data center, and how this is said to run up electric bills for everyone else. I knew nothing about the water issue and just stumbled upon it trying to understand the cartoon.
In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.
A picture really does convey a thousand words. There may be no water left over for golf courses. Imagine that!
ReplyDeleteThere may be bigger sand traps, David.
DeleteGood one.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting thing I heard about data centres was that Melbourne having a cold winter, although nothing like yours, just air flow is needed for winter months, then a switch over to water using evaporative cooling for warmer months, but on hot days, perhaps above 30/86 full power using air conditioning will be needed.
"...in hot and humid weather, data centers generally need more water for cooling, especially if they use evaporative cooling systems, because higher ambient temperatures reduce the efficiency of air-based cooling and increase the need for water-based heat rejection."
Delete"Why heat drives up water use
Data centers generate large amounts of heat from servers, storage systems, and network equipment. To keep equipment within safe operating temperatures, they must dissipate this heat. Water is an effective coolant because it has a high specific heat capacity, meaning it can absorb a lot of heat without a large temperature rise www.aeanet.org."
"In many facilities, evaporative cooling towers are used to reject heat. These towers work by spraying water into the air; part of the water evaporates, carrying away heat, while the rest is recirculated. In hot, humid conditions, the air’s ability to absorb heat is reduced, so more water must be evaporated to remove the same amount of heat. This increases both water consumption and blowdown (the mineral-rich water that must be discharged) "
"Hot and dry: Evaporative cooling is more efficient because the air can absorb more heat per unit of water evaporated, so water use may be lower than in humid conditions."
"Hot and humid: The air is already saturated with moisture, so less evaporation occurs. Facilities may need to run cooling towers longer or at higher rates, increasing water use.
"Other cooling strategies
Not all data centers rely on water. Some use:
Dry cooling (air-to-air heat exchangers)
Free cooling (using outside air when it’s cooler than inside)
Closed-loop liquid cooling or immersion cooling, which can reduce or eliminate direct water use."
"These alternatives can mitigate the need for more water in hot weather, but they may have other trade-offs, such as higher energy use or limited capacity."
"Local impact:
While a facility’s water-use effectiveness (liters per kilowatt-hour) may be the same in different climates, the local water impact can differ greatly. In drought-prone areas, even moderate increases in water use can strain local supplies"
"In summary: In hot weather, especially hot and humid conditions, data centers often need more water for cooling because evaporative cooling becomes less efficient. Operators can reduce this demand by using dry cooling, free cooling, or closed-loop systems, but these solutions are not always available or cost-effective."
There you have it, Andrew, straight from A.I.! (I got lazy.)
Brillant....email this to them!!!!!! We have a battle here with one that wants to come in. Tons of farm land would be gone, not to mention a historic garden center and Victorian mansion owned by the same family for years. I hope this doesn't come in or their will be a lot of pissed off people, not to mention officials getting voted out if they support it.
ReplyDeleteMaddie, if those places created a lot of jobs, I could maybe see it, but as I understand it, those centers are practically empty! Just a few security guards, and someone to flick on the ON switch.
DeleteAppalling.
ReplyDeleteDebra, I hope you're talking the first image and not the second.
DeleteIsn’t it ironic, don’t you think?
ReplyDeleteMark Twain would have loved it, especially if you built one along the Mississippi.
DeleteFortunately there are engineers and other experts for these problems 🤔😎😛 Have a great day and drinks lots of H2O 💧🩵
ReplyDeleteI have the bubbly kind in a can, Rita.
DeleteDefinitely thoughts to ponder! Thank you for sharing, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Linda.
DeleteAnd to think, Kirk, that data centers are only one fraction of the water problem--there is irrigation, drinking water, sewage, other type of cooling, power generation, etc. And the fresh water levels are getting lower everywhere.And some people want to drag icebergs from Antarctica, as though accelerating the breakup of the ice caps is a good idea.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Actually, Jim, my original intention was to blog about the electricity that's used to run a data center, and how this is said to run up electric bills for everyone else. I knew nothing about the water issue and just stumbled upon it trying to understand the cartoon.
DeleteKinda scary Kirk.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should have saved it for Halloween, Ananka.
DeleteFunny, not funny...for the solution
ReplyDeleteI refuse to define "funny" as a form of escapism, JM.
Delete