The Application Of Vertical Multistage Centrifugal Pumps in Big Data Cooling Centers

With the increase in computing power density and the advancement of the "dual carbon" goal, traditional air cooling can no longer meet the heat dissipation needs of high-power chips (such as GPU clusters), and liquid cooling and natural cooling source technologies have become mainstream solutions:

1. Liquid cooling technology

• Cold plate liquid cooling: The heat is directly contacted with the CPU/GPU and other heat generating components through the metal cold plate, and the circulating coolant takes away the heat (such as China Mobile Suzhou Center Case 310).
• Immersion liquid cooling: The server is completely immersed in the insulating coolant (such as Uni-President Petrochemical IMF SYN Series), supporting single cabinet 100kW+ ultra-high density deployment.
• Advantages: Energy consumption is reduced by 50%-60% compared with air cooling, PUE can be reduced to below 1.2, and the impact of noise and dust is reduced.

2. Utilization of natural cooling sources

• Water-side cooling: using lake water, river water or sea water as cooling sources (such as Google Belgium Canal Cooling , Dongjiang Lake Data Center ).
• Air-side cooling: directly introducing outdoor cold air in low-temperature areas (such as Google Ireland Data Center ).
• Dry cooler/evaporative cooling: cooling by absorbing heat through water evaporation, suitable for arid areas (such as Heying Data Huailai Industrial Park ).

3.Hybrid systems and innovative technologies

• "Liquid cooling + phase change" composite system: Chindata combines cold plate liquid cooling and magnetic suspension phase change technology to meet the challenges of water-scarce areas1.
• Cold storage tanks to reduce peaks and fill valleys: CICC Data Valley Wuhan Center uses low-cost electricity at night to store cold, and releases cold during the day to reduce peak electricity costs7.
• Fiber membrane evaporative cooling: The microporous fiber membrane technology developed by the University of California achieves pump-free heat dissipation and significantly improves energy efficiency

As the core power equipment of the data center cooling system, the vertical multi-stage centrifugal pump efficiently transports the cooling medium (water or special coolant) to circulate heat between the cold source, heat exchange unit and server cluster, which is directly related to the energy efficiency (PUE) and stability of the cooling system.

Technical principles and core advantages:

Efficient hydraulic design

• Multi-stage impeller boosting: By connecting multiple impellers in series, the pressure is gradually increased to meet the high head requirements of the data center cooling system (such as high-position installation of cooling towers or long-distance cold transport). The head of a single pump can reach more than 300 meters, which is suitable for complex pipeline layout.
• Low NPSHr (necessary NPSHr): Optimize the first-stage impeller design to reduce the risk of cavitation and ensure stable operation under high temperature conditions (such as cooling return water 45℃+).

Energy-saving technology integration

• Permanent magnet synchronous motor optional: The motor efficiency reaches IE5 standard (>96%), which saves 15%-30% energy compared with traditional asynchronous motors. It can achieve 10%-100% stepless speed regulation with frequency converter to respond to load fluctuations.
• Intelligent group control system: Real-time monitoring of pipeline resistance through pressure/temperature sensors, dynamic adjustment of pump group speed, and avoid valve throttling loss. For example, Grundfos Hydro MPC system saves 30% energy in German water supply projects.

Compact and reliable design

• Vertical structure: occupies 50% less space, suitable for data center rooms with limited space.
• Oil-free bearings and seals: mechanical seals or magnetic drives are used to eliminate the risk of coolant contamination, and the maintenance cycle is extended to more than 50,000 hours.
• Stainless steel material: 304/316/316L and other specifications of stainless steel are available, and corrosion-resistant materials greatly extend the service life.

• For liquid energy storage system circulation - some data centers introduce cold water energy storage systems, and vertical pumps are used for daytime/nighttime energy transfer.

• Backup pumps in emergency cooling systems - installed as emergency pumps, automatically activated when the main pump fails to protect equipment.

• For cold plate systems - vertical pumps provide high-pressure circulation force in liquid cold plate cooling circulation systems for high heat load GPU servers.

• Water supply with elevated water tank systems - lift cooling water to rooftop water tanks to achieve gravity water supply or backup cooling water source reserves.

• Delivery in coolant filtration systems - vertical pumps serve as the circulation power source for the filtration system, helping to remove impurities and maintain cooling water quality.

• High-temperature server heat recovery system - the hot water generated by the server is delivered to the heat recovery device through a vertical pump to improve energy utilization.

• For modular data center unit cooling - independent modules are equipped with vertical pumps for rapid deployment, expansion and mobility.

1. Small footprint, suitable for machine room layout - the vertical pump has a compact structure and is suitable for underground pump rooms or equipment floors with tight space.
2. Pipeline design for easy integration - can be directly connected in series in the pipeline without the need for an additional base, reducing civil engineering work.
3. Low noise operation - high energy efficiency motor and axial structure optimization design, low noise during operation, suitable for data centers with high environmental requirements.
4. Low vibration, improved stability - high rotor dynamic balancing accuracy, low operating vibration, protecting precision cooling equipment from interference.
5. Easy to maintain and replace - standard component design, easy maintenance, and quick replacement of motors or mechanical seals and other wearing parts.