As the amount of data handled by companies continues to increase, information and communication-related devices such as servers and storage devices are becoming increasingly smaller while improving the performance of their CPUs. However, this also increases the risk of runaway or breakdowns due to heat generation, making heat countermeasures an important issue in the development of such devices for stable operation.
How can we improve cooling efficiency in response to the increasing integration and packaging density inside devices? As manufacturers continue to experiment with new solutions, the need for high-performance, compact cooling fans is on an unprecedented high.
Rack-mounted servers are easy to expand and do not take up much space, so they are widely used in situations that require large-scale deployment, such as data centers, corporate server rooms, CAE systems in manufacturing, and central systems in universities and research facilities. They are currently said to be the most widely used commercial Web servers in the world.
Company S, an ICT equipment manufacturer involved in system design and development as well as the manufacture of servers, network and communications equipment, was recently developing the next model of a 1U server for data centers, and had been going through a process of trial and error to reduce power consumption and heat generation.
In recent years, the popularity of 1U servers has intensified market competition, and emphasis is being placed on stable operation and energy-saving performance of servers. In order to differentiate itself from its competitors, S Company needed to not only pursue cost performance, but also to always be one step ahead in terms of product performance.
The development team at Company S narrowed down the focus of their next-generation model development to "cooling efficiency," and decided to review the current cooling system and increase the number of fans. Mr. F, the manager of the First Development Department of the company's Technology Development Center, said the following.
"Because components are densely packed into a limited space, the temperature inside the equipment becomes high. In addition, system impedance (airflow resistance) is also high, so a high static pressure fan is required to cool the equipment." The company began testing using several axial fans.
First, we installed two small fans in series. It was expected that we would be able to obtain twice the static pressure, but when we actually installed it, the fan on the downwind side became a resistance (barrier) for the fan on the upwind side, so the static pressure characteristics did not improve as much as we had expected.
Next, we tried to implement it in parallel, but we had to give up due to space constraints.
"In order to improve cooling efficiency, we repeatedly tried using fans from various companies, but none of them produced the desired results, and we were completely stuck. If we continued like this, it would hinder product development, so we had to find a solution somehow."
While continuing to gather information on ways to improve cooling efficiency in a limited mounting space, Mr. F. noticed SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. 's "Counter Rotating Fan" at a certain exhibition. In fact, Mr. F. had been paying attention to Counter Rotating Fan for some time, but had been unable to make the decision to introduce them. Mr. F. immediately decided to consult with the person in charge at the booth about the issues surrounding the development of the next model.
"It all started when I had heard that another department in our company had previously used SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. products and received detailed support. We had hoped that SANYO DENKI CO., LTD., with its proven track record of reliability, would be able to find the optimal solution." (Mr. F)
A few days later, a sales representative from SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. visited Company S and gave a presentation that included a demonstration using Counter Rotating Fan and two conventional fans.
"Counter Rotating Fan was about the same thickness as two fans, but I felt that it could produce more airflow and static pressure. If you look at the specifications you can see that it has high airflow and static pressure, but seeing Counter Rotating Fan in person in this demonstration gave me an idea of how to increase cooling efficiency in a limited space." (Mr. F)
This Counter Rotating Fan has two fans with different rotation directions arranged on the same axis, which allows it to ensure much higher airflow and static pressure than would be possible with just two fans installed.
Furthermore, the system has a proven track record of being implemented on many servers, which reassured S Company's staff about its reliability.
Thus, convinced of the effectiveness of the "Counter Rotating Fan," Company S decided to use it in their prototype and, after providing an overview of the system and configuration requirements for their next model, asked SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. to submit a proposal.
Upon receiving the request, SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. introduced a "40mm square, 48mm thick" model as the optimal fan. The S company staff was first surprised by its structure. The intake (front) had five blades, while the exhaust (rear) had only four.
"The person in charge explained to me that this structure would be the most efficient way to obtain the characteristics of a 40mm square fan. That was the moment I felt his many years of experience as a cooling fan professional." (Mr. G, Design Manager, First Development Department)
We immediately installed the delivered fan in a prototype and conducted a temperature rise test, which revealed that it provided a cooling effect that exceeded our expectations.
"To be honest, I was surprised that we were able to meet our requirements so easily. Also, the various data that was provided showed that there were no problems in terms of reliability." (Mr. F)
Because the cooling effect was greater than expected, SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. recommended the addition of PWM control function to further reduce power consumption. By always setting the rotation speed to the minimum required, energy saving and low noise performance were also fully achieved.
Company S successfully completed the prototype for the next-generation model. The prototype performed better than expected, with a 51% increase in maximum airflow, a 44% increase in maximum static pressure, and reduced power consumption.
Mr. F. said:
"By adopting Counter Rotating Fan, we were able to achieve a cooling effect that exceeded our expectations. Furthermore, we were able to reduce the fan's power consumption and noise levels more than we had expected, so we are very satisfied. We are convinced that we were able to achieve these requirements thanks to SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. 's continued support."
Company S's new model was finally released a few months later and, as Mr. F and his colleagues had hoped, has been well received in the market.
For more information about Counter Rotating Fan, please also see "Characteristics of Counter Rotating Fan ".
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