Types of Data Center Cooling Techniques
Proper temperature control in your data center is essential to ensure equipment’s functionality. Excessive humidity and warm air can cause financial problems for your company. This can be avoided. This guide will help you to understand the different cooling methods that can be used in your data centre.
Free Cooling
It is cost-effective to have your data center temperature flow properly regulated by free cooling This cooling method is cost-effective because it uses minimal cooling and lowers cooling costs. This system consists of two systems, known as water-side and air-side. Air-side Economization uses outside air to cool the equipment. However, this technique can allow moisture and pollutants from the outside to enter the data center.
Chilled Water System
Liquid cooling is more efficient and can provide a direct cooling method. The reason for this is that chilled water can be directed directly to the desired area without the need to cool all areas. The chilled water technique involves the CRAH being connected to a chiller. The chilled water flows through coils and engulfs heat before it is transferred to the chiller. The water is recirculated through the chiller and combines with the condenser water that flows through a cooling tower.
Pumped Refrigerant
This process pumps chilled water through heat exchangers and uses a cold pumped refrigerant for heat extraction. Pumped refrigerant technology is cost-effective as it can transmit energy from servers. It also allows for humidity to be greatly reduced.
Indirect Air Vaporative System
This technique uses an air-duct connected to an indirect air evaporate cooler. This is an energy-efficient method that uses the weather outside to cool the facility when it is colder than inside. This air is used for cooling the airflow in the data center.
Data Center Organization
It is easy to optimize the placement and organization of your data centers equipment to make sure your data center meets the required temperatures to keep it productive. A data center that is efficient in maintaining optimal temperatures will have hot/cold aisle arrangement, containment, rack, and cable placement, as well as the use of blanking panels.
Hot/Cold Aisle Arrangement
It is common to maintain temperatures in data centers by managing hot and cold aisles. The data center’s air will be subject to “mixing,” which is inefficient energy use. Air mixing prevents equipment from being submerged at the right temperature to perform its functions. Hot/cold isle is achieved by placing racks so that lanes can be divided by hot and cold aisles.
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You can use the hot/cold aisles to contain the cold air and isolate it from the racks. HVAC units will perform better when containment is in place. To ensure efficient operation of the HVAC units, it is important to monitor the hot air.
Rack Placement
Rack placement can reduce heat circulation by avoiding hot spots. The rack’s highest heat spot is at its top. You can arrange your racks so that heavier equipment is on the lower racks to ensure maximum cooling. Because larger equipment circulates more air, it is better to place racks lower so that hot air doesn’t get blown up at the top.
Cable Organization
Cable organization will make it easier and more efficient to organize your cables. It also helps to ensure that they are not blocking the airflow to the data center. This is just one step to optimize your data center’s airflow.
Blanking Panels
If racks are not being used and there is excess heat, it is likely that the rack space is not being used. Blanking panels will prevent hot air from entering your data centre’s airflow. This will result in greater cooling efficiency.
This post was written by Justin Tidd, Director at Becker/SMC. For nearly half a century, Becker Mining has been at the forefront of safety, producing the best Electrical Supply House in the industry. Becker/SMC is the industry’s leader in increasingly more sophisticated electrical control systems. Most of the major innovations, design features, and specialized electrical components have been developed by Becker/SMC.
