Date of Publication

5-31-2024

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Engineering major in Mechanical Engineering

Subject Categories

Energy Systems | Engineering

College

Gokongwei College of Engineering

Department/Unit

Mechanical Engineering

Thesis Advisor

Aristotle T. Ubando

Defense Panel Chair

Laurence A. Gan Lim

Defense Panel Member

Conrad Pantua
Jeremias Gonzaga

Abstract/Summary

The gaming industry in the Philippines is one of the many technological advancements that has significantly grown over the past few decades that is supported by cloud-based infrastructure. It has become a multi-billion-dollar global industry that outpaced the traditional entertainment options. Due to its growth, the gaming industry faces challenges in energy consumption, and ineffective cooling systems. These challenges require the need for energy efficient, and cost-effective solution. The industry's growth shall consider long-term sustainability in infrastructure design while balancing initial costs with energy efficiency and cost implications. The case study aims to build a gaming hub with an in-house servers and commercial areas to support subscribers. The study has set up scenarios where the latest design technologies were applied. For the in-house servers, four (4) designs were considered: usage of air-cooled chillers, cooling towers, cooling towers with water-cooled chillers, and cooling towers with heat exchangers. For the commercial areas, three (3) designs were considered: a variable refrigerant volume (VRV) system, a cooling tower with water-cooled chillers, and a conventional air-conditioner (i.e., window-type aircons). The study calculated the cooling load requirement for the building, followed by an integration of weather data to extrapolate the corresponding electrical consumption for each design technology. The study calculated the Power Utility Effectiveness (PUE) to assess the design effectives for the in-house server. Finally, the calculation of the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was conducted to assess whether the energy savings justifies its initial and maintenance cost. From the four (4) different designs for the in-house servers, the maximum saving would be 18.3% per annum, where Php 22,042,783.86 can be saved per annum and a long-term ROI of 321% and for the commercial floors, the maximum saving observed would be 70% per annum, where Php 20,888,350.93 can be saved per annum and a long-term ROI of 316% if the cooling tower with heat exchangers and VRV system is implemented, respectively. The findings have shown that the operation expenses can save up to Php 42,931,134.79 annually, but, more importantly, approximately 3,833,137 kWh/annum and 316 to 321% more cost-effective than the rest of the scenarios.

Abstract Format

html

Language

English

Keywords

Cooling systems; Energy consumption

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Embargo Period

5-31-2027

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Available for download on Monday, May 31, 2027

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