This study employed a validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to investigate the influences of the mixer length and diffuser angle on the ejector pressure-recovery performance. The results demonstrated that an optimal combination of mixer length and diffuser angle exists at which the ejector has the highest performance. The effects of these two geometrical parameters on the ejector performance were highly consistent. When the mixer length was sufficiently long, the mixing was sufficient, and the mixed flow was not subjected to separation during pressure recovery. Under these circumstances, the effect of the diffuser angle on the ejector performance was relatively trivial, varying between 0.5° and 3°. However, when the mixer length was short, the flow was prone to turbulent losses near the diffuser wall. In this case, the effect of the diffuser angle was significant. In addition, the optimal geometries were affected by the operating conditions. The optimal mixer length increased as the nozzle inlet pressure and temperature decreased, whereas the optimal diffuser angle decreased. Under the conditions and nozzle configuration investigated in this study, the optimal mixer length was approximately 38 mm and the optimal diffuser cone half angle was between 1° and 1.5°.

A CO₂ data center cooling and heating system integrated with dedicated mechanical subcooling and dual-temperature evaporation technology (DMS-DE) is proposed to realize green and efficient cooling for data centers and improve comprehensive energy efficiency. A thermodynamic and carbon emission performance system model was established and compared with the basic CO₂ system (Base) and a single evaporating-temperature CO₂ system with dedicated mechanical subcooling (DMS-SE). The results demonstrated that the DMS-DE system had the maximum coefficient of performance (COP), optimal subcooling degree, and discharge pressure. Therefore, adopting the DMS-DE can significantly increase the system COP and exergy efficiency. Compared with Base and DMS-SE, COP increased by 14.1% and 9.0%, and the exergy efficiency increased by 13.24% and 4.31%, respectively. The life cycle carbon emissions of the DMS-DE system were reduced by 16.1% and 9.3% compared with Base and DMS-SE, respectively. This study can provide a technical reference for the highly efficient and clean operation of combined heating and cooling utilization for data center scenarios.

Circulating water is used as the working medium in water-based chillers. Salt ions, such as calcium in circulating water, may precipitate during long-term operation, resulting in the attenuation of heat transfer performance. The application of small-diameter tubes in heat exchangers may lead to more prominent fouling problems. This study developed an accelerated fouling method to evaluate water fouling risk. The most typical operating conditions for water-based chillers were selected as the experimental conditions. The test samples included small diameter (5 mm) smooth tubes, with 7 mm smooth tubes selected for the control experiment. The experimental conditions include a circulating water inlet temperature of 60 ℃, a flow rate of 1 m/s, a foulant mass concentration of 800 mg/L, and a test time of 0-400 h. The results revealed that the total fouling mass was 39.5% higher and required fouling time was 17.6% shorter when comparing the 5 mm and 7 mm smooth tubes; the small diameter tubes had a larger total fouling mass and higher fouling rate. The heat transfer coefficients of the 5 mm and 7 mm tubes after fouling decreased by 12.5% and 9.7%, respectively, and the pressure drops increased by 50.6% and 10.4%, respectively, demonstrating a more severe heat transfer performance deterioration of small diameter tubes after fouling. The microscopic observation results of the fouling layer morphology demonstrated that the fouling layer in 5 mm tubes is a form of compact lamellar scaling, which is more difficult to remove compared with the 7 mm tube; therefore, the fouling risk should be considered when promoting the application of small diameter tubes in chillers.