Experimental Study on Performance of Air Conditioning and Heat Pipe Integrated Equipment for Communication Cabinet in Transition Season

To address the issues of the high-energy consumption of traditional air conditioners in communication cabinets, disordered airflow organization in cabinets, and poor temperature control effect of the baseband unit (BBU), this study integrates air-conditioning with heat pipes for communication cabinets using a temperature control system with heat pipe cooling as the primary cold source and vapor compression air conditioners as the supplementary cold source. Floor ventilation with air return from the ceiling is adopted with high wind speed and internal circulation. The unit was applied to a communication base station in Zhengzhou, and field testing results showed that under the short-term high-temperature condition during the transition season, the average working temperature of the BBU in operation mode 1 was 38.2 ℃, and the maximum outlet temperature was 46.5 ℃. Moreover, under the normal working conditions of the transition season, the average working temperature of the BBU regulated by operating mode 2 was 29.5 ℃, and the maximum air temperature was 41.3 ℃, which met the temperature control requirements of relevant standards and ensured the safe operation of BBU. Compared with those of the traditional air conditioner of the communication cabinet, the compressor operation ratio of the air-conditioning heat pipe integrated equipment in operation modes 1 and 2 was 24.9% and 0; the energy saving rate was 57.3% and 71.9%; the power usage efficiency (PUE) was 1.43 and 1.19, respectively. The comprehensive energy saving in the transition season was 71.3%, and the PUE was 1.20.