Datacenters

Visualizing airflow and temperature distributions inside datacenters

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Optimizing datacenter cooling through advanced CFD simulations

Over the past decades, the use of cloud-based IT services has grown exponentially, leading to a rapid increase in the number of large commercial datacenters. These facilities consume large amounts of energy, resulting not only in high operational costs for owners and operators, but also in growing pressure on the electricity grid.

A significant share of a datacenter’s total energy consumption is used for air cooling. Improving cooling efficiency therefore offers substantial potential to reduce energy use, lower costs, and enhance operational reliability. Actiflow supports datacenter stakeholders by optimizing cooling systems using advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.

Our clients

We primarily work with datacenter designers, operators and owners.. Our involvement typically starts during the design phase of new datacenters or when existing facilities undergo changes in layout, capacity, or operational use.

Across our projects, two key themes consistently emerge:: reliability and cost efficiency.

Our simulations and expert advice help clients assess and improve both aspects, ensuring compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) while maintaining optimal performance under a wide range of operating conditions.

Our services

Actiflow performs detailed CFD simulations to analyze airflow patterns and cooling efficiency within datacenter rooms. Each project starts with the creation of an accurate 3D model, including elements such as:

CRAH units
Server racks
Hot and cold aisle configurations
Raised floor and ceiling plenums
Perforated tiles and air leakage paths

By explicitly modeling these components, we can realistically simulate air recirculation and temperature distributions throughout the facility.

Based on defined boundary conditions, we evaluate both reliability and energy efficiency:

Reliability analyses include “what-if” scenarios such as CRAH unit failure, partial system outages, or significant increases in heat load.
Cost efficiency is optimized by tuning the CRAH system to handle failure scenarios without excessive safety margins. This approach helps reduce the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of the datacenter while maintaining thermal safety.

In some projects, clients ask us to also optimize the cooling system during build out, when heat loads are below 100% and often unevenly distributed. Our simulations then form the basis for practical recommendations, such as optimal CRAH settings or adjustments to the room layout (e.g. perforated tile placement). This allows clients to reduce operating costs without risking SLA violations.

Wind effects on air handling units

For these cases, Actiflow performs wind simulations that account for the building geometry and surrounding environment. These studies help identify and mitigate wind-related risks.
For more information, please refer to our Wind Engineering services.