Servers and IT equipment generate excess heat requiring complex energy management and safety solutions. As data centers expand to increase artificial intelligence capacity, the IT industry is moving towards immersion cooling as a heat management solution. Immersion cooling improves cooling and enhances reliability, extending equipment lifespan while cutting service and repair costs by minimizing failures, such as solder joint issues, oxidation, and electrostatic discharge.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) launched the Data Center Immersion Fluids (DCIF) Consortium to leverage ongoing R&D to help the IT industry develop methods and standards to test and evaluate fluids and materials used in immersion cooling. The consortium incorporates diverse research initiatives spanning fluids and lubricants, battery immersion cooling and materials science.
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DCIF Consortium Goals
The goals of the consortium are as follows:
- Advance the understanding of the stressors on immersion fluids (thermal, chemical, environmental and mechanical) so the industry can develop more robust and efficient solutions.
- Provide the industry with an independent testing facility aligned with the Open Compute Project (OCP), which can facilitate unified, industry-wide testing for immersion cooling.
Consortium Benefits
A consortium is a joint industry project (JIP) where different companies can collaborate on pre-competitive research. SwRI is a leader in managing R&D Consortia across several technical disciplines. DCIF members leverage expertise from other members. They also gain access to SwRI’s world-class testing facilities and ongoing research into Battery Immersion Cooling, Advanced Fluids for Electrified Vehicles (AFEV), Electrified Vehicle and Energy Storage Evaluation (EVESE), Chemistry & Materials and Fluids & Lubricants Research with decades of expertise in developing test standards.
Consortium Ideas
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Immersion cooling test rig used in battery immersion cooling. DCIF leverages SwRI’s knowledge with industry to address data center immersion cooling challenges.
The consortium's initial topics of interest are detailed below. Since the DCIF Consortium is a continuously evolving research program, the distribution of effort for these areas will vary based on budget, client direction, and research findings.
Potential topics of interest include:
- Electrical Properties – Signal integrity (dielectric constant and strength)
- Fluid Aging – Oxidation control
- Safety – Flash point
- Heat Transfer – Figure of merit
- Material Compatibility
Membership
DCIF is actively enrolling members. For an updated DCIF member list or more information, contact Peter Morgan or call +1 210 522 3143.