The data center cooling technology is striving to achieve its optimal state to provide the best environment for IT equipment. Data center engineers are continually challenged to find new technologies and methods to improve cooling efficiency due to increasing demands for data center operational efficiency.
Engineers must be aware of the following tasks to improve cooling. This includes transferring heat from IT equipment to the heat sink, cooling the operators without interruption, and designing a system that minimizes heat transfer.
It has been very difficult for mechanical engineers to see past the notion of comfort cooling for data center operators. The office and residence have been the main focus of legacy data center designs. Before considering the cooling, they had to be considered.
Data centers are very energy-intensive so cooling equipment can use as much or more energy than computers. Here is a quick overview of the data center cooling systems used in data centers.
Data Centers Cooling Methods & Systems
Data centers can optimize their cooling efficiency by optimizing the organization and placement of their equipment. These data centers must ensure they keep the temperature at its best for maximum productivity. These are just a few of the ways you can achieve the best arrangement.
Cold Aisle Arrangement
Inefficient energy consumption can result from allowing hot and cold air to mix. This happens because equipment lacks the right temperature to operate at its peak. Data centers can prevent air from mixing by using the hot/cold aisle technique. The racks are placed so that cool and hot air flow along separate lanes.
Free Cooling
Free cooling is a simple cooling method that reduces the cooling costs in data centers. This system ensures that the data center airflow is at the ideal temperature. This system consists of two parts: water-side and air-side economics. Although the air-based system can be risky as it requires outdoor air to cool equipment, the water-based system could bring in contaminants.
Chilled Water System
Another cost-effective and efficient method to keep cooling is a chilled water system. The chilled water can directly be applied to the target, as opposed to hot air which must be delivered to all areas of the facility. The chiller is connected to the CRAH by running chilled water through the coils that heat the air.
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Another way to stop hot and cold air mixing is through confinement. Operators monitor both types of air to make sure it isn’t over-extended.
Rack Arrangement
The rack arrangement can play an important role in cooling. Data centers prefer to arrange the rack components in such a manner that the largest component is located on the lowest racks. Because heavier racks circulate more air, this is why. Placing it on one of the lower racks will allow for less hot air to diffuse.
Cable Organization
Although it is only a small step to improve cooling, cable organization can make a big difference. Data centers need to ensure that cables don’t block airflow.
Data Center Cooling Technologies
We will be highlighting those cooling methods that use modern technology.
Blanking Panels
Blanking panels prevent hot air from entering your data center’s air space, thereby allowing for greater cooling. The inability to use blanking panels can cause excess heat to build up on unoccupied rack space, reducing both cooling and efficiency.
Pumped Refrigerant
This involves a heat exchanger that pumps chilled water using a cold-pumped refrigerant that rejects heat. The energy transmitted from servers allows for significant savings and reduces humidity.
Indirect Air Evaporative System
This is useful in areas where the outside air is colder than the indoor temperature. An air duct is connected to an indirect evaporative cooler to add colder air to the data center’s air space.