Maintaining operating temperature is a challenge for many data centers. When a data center is not properly cooled, IT equipment can overheat, potentially degrading server performance or damaging hardware. Therefore, managing airflow has a significant impact on performance, cost, and energy efficiency. Enterprises are highly concerned about temperature rise after data center cooling failures. Ensuring the online operation of a data center is a substantial cost, and unplanned power outages and single points of failure are unacceptable. Below, we examine several data center cooling methods and the impact of cooling failures on room temperature rise.
Maintaining a constant indoor temperature requires cooling throughout the year, resulting in huge power consumption and electricity costs. Under the dual pressure of energy conservation, emission reduction, and lowering operating costs, people are forced to continuously develop new energy-saving technologies and products. By increasing the operating temperature and utilizing ambient air and targeted air for cooling, instead of lowering the entire data center to unnecessarily low temperatures, the goal of energy saving can be achieved.
Several cooling methods for data center computer rooms
1. Free cooling
Higher operating temperatures typically also benefit free-cooling systems. In the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 guidance, free-cooling is almost a mandatory energy-saving requirement and will undoubtedly be widely adopted. The capital investment in energy-saving retrofits will partially offset the benefits of operating cost savings. However, achieving free-cooling during retrofits or upgrades presents both technical and investment challenges. New standards are expected to emerge within the next two years, making free-cooling more feasible. Free-cooling near water sources may have an advantage, but we will see more air-cooling examples similar to Japan’s Kyoto Wheel. Ultimately, data center operators will be able to implement free-cooling measures in more climatic conditions than previously anticipated, partly due to the contribution of higher operating temperatures.
2. Sealed cooling
Sealing measures cannot solve overheating problems caused by improper cooling planning, insufficient airflow, or inadequate cooling capacity. The National Fire Protection Association Commercial Standard (NFPA-75) may make sealed cooling solutions even more difficult to implement. Retrofitting sprinkler and/or gas extinguishing systems will significantly increase costs. In addition to striving to avoid incorrect implementation, routine optimization is also crucial: blind flanges must be installed in unused rack space, holes in raised floors must be sealed promptly, and cables obstructing ventilation under the floor must be removed.