Cooling capacity is a characteristic that indicates how much thermal energy a cooling system can remove from equipment under specified operating conditions. In mining infrastructure, the cooling capacity must be sufficient for the combined thermal load of all operating equipment.

If the equipment generates more heat than the system can continuously remove, component and coolant temperatures will increase. For this reason, cooling systems are normally designed with additional capacity rather than being operated permanently at their absolute limit.

What Determines Cooling Capacity

  • inlet air or coolant temperature;
  • air or liquid flow rate;
  • coolant heat capacity;
  • heat exchange surface area;
  • heat exchanger performance;
  • fan or pump capacity;
  • ambient temperature.

In liquid systems, the properties of the coolant and the system Delta T are important. In air systems, inlet temperature, airflow, and the ability of heatsinks to transfer heat into the air are key factors.

Cooling Capacity in Mining

The approximate thermal load of ASIC equipment is close to its electrical power consumption. Therefore, a mining installation consuming approximately 1 MW of electrical power can generate roughly 1 MW of heat that must be continuously rejected.

The total facility load may also include pumps, fans, power supplies, and other infrastructure. The cooling system should therefore be designed against the total thermal load of the installation rather than only the nominal power of the ASICs.

Capacity Margin

A practical cooling system should have sufficient margin for seasonal changes in ambient temperature, filter contamination, changes in equipment load, and degradation of pumps, fans, and heat exchangers.