DECARBONIZATION STRATEGIES FOR DATA CENTRE HVAC SYSTEMS: ANALYSIS AND FRAMEWORK FOR CARBON CAPTURE INTEGRATION

Abstract

The Global data centers pose an increasing challenge of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which could be significantly reduced by installing comprehensive air conditioning (HVAC) systems that cost 30 – 50% of the total energy budget. Through extensive analysis of fifteen data centers throughout different climatic areas (2015-2023), we achieved unparalleled thermal efficiency improvements. The innovation involves combining liquid cooling circuits with geothermal heat exchange systems and Direct Air Capture technologies through mechanical integration that enables multiple stages of heat usage. The combined system design produces 60-70% better HVAC emissions performance than standard systems based on p<0.01 statistical results. ML-based predictive control technology performs better than conventional methods to control thermal loads because it eliminates peak energy usage by 22% and maintains stable temperatures ranging from ±0.5°C. System durability exists because of mechanical stress analysis and life cycle assessment results that predict payback periods between 6 - 8 years. The framework operated across different thermal conditions because researchers conducted a comparative fluid dynamics analysis between the Norwegian cold climate and Singaporean tropical implementation environments. This work advances mechanical engineering science by creating novel thermal integration methods which convert cooling operations into a carbon reduction resource for data center construction.