Automatic control system for data center cooling hydraulic modules
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15588/1607-6761-2026-1-6Keywords:
electrical engineering, automation, control system, digital twin, modeling, Siemens S7-1200, cooling system, data center, monitoring, energy efficiencyAbstract
Purpose of the work. Development and research of an automatic control system for a data center cooling hydromodule based on the Siemens S7-1200 industrial controller with the implementation of the digital twin concept in the MATLAB / Simulink environment to ensure precise stabilization of temperature regimes under variable thermal load.
Research methods. Mathematical modeling based on differential equations, simulation modeling, and classical methods of automatic control theory.
Results. A complex mathematical model of the hydromodule has been developed that adequately reproduces the nonlinear thermophysical interactions between the primary and secondary cooling circuits. An integrated control architecture has been created, in which a real microprocessor controller controls a virtualized object within the simulation model's circuit. Numerical modeling indicates that the developed system supports target microclimate indicators with high precision and zero static error. The analysis of transient processes confirmed the aperiodic nature of regulation during extreme thermal power disturbances.
Scientific novelty. The methodology for designing intelligent systems for the automatic control of heat engineering facilities based on the Digital Twin concept, with direct integration of a real industrial controller into a virtual control loop, has been further developed. For the data center cooling hydromodule, an architecture has been proposed in which the Siemens S7-1200 operates in hardware-software communication mode with a simulation model implemented in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, providing two-way data exchange via the ISO-on-TCP protocol in real time. Methods for predictive analysis of energy efficiency in cooling systems have been further developed by moving the regulator-tuning stage into a virtual environment, with hardware verification of the algorithms. It has been shown that the proposed system provides an aperiodic nature of transient processes and zero static error during thermal power disturbances.
Practical value. A toolkit has been created to enable safe, cost-effective adjustment of automation systems for data center cooling hydromodules without risking damage to expensive equipment. The proposed system allows: to ensure stabilization of the secondary circuit temperature with an error not exceeding 5%; to achieve aperiodic regulation with a time constant T = 20 s; to increase energy efficiency and reliability of pumping equipment; to reduce costs for commissioning and adjustment due to preliminary testing of algorithms in a digital twin. The developed solutions can be integrated into automated control systems of large data centers and scaled for multi-module configurations by synthesizing load redistribution algorithms across several cold sources.
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