Selection of Refrigerant for Data Center Cooling System Utilising MOORA MCDM Method

This paper presents the findings of a study aimed at identifying the most efficient refrigerant for cooling systems in data centers. Given the high cooling demands of data centers, which result in substantial energy consumption, the selection of best performing refrigerant can significantly decrease energy consumption and environmental impact. The cooling system of data center, located in Sarajevo, is analysed with cooling load modelled in DesignBuilder software. Five potential alternatives to the current R410A refrigerant were evaluated for 77 kW single stage cooling system, with an internal heat exchanger (IHX). The Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) method was used to rank the refrigerants based on six criteria, including technical, environmental, safety, and cost criteria. The objective was to minimize environmental impact, safety and cost while maximizing the system coefficient of performance (COP). The MOORA method was used to evaluate and rank the refrigerants and select the best performing for use in considered cooling system.