SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS | DATA CENTRES, IT ROOMS, SERVER ROOMS, UPS ROOMS
EVAPORATIVE COOLING APPLICATIONS - DATA CENTRES
Did you know that 1% of the worlds energy goes on server room cooling?
EcoCooling can now offer evaporative cooling systems for data centres, UPS rooms, IT rooms and server rooms.
Conventional Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC’s) are high users of electricity. An EcoCooling evaporative cooling system can significantly decrease these costs by over 90% giving potential pay backs of under a year and creating massive carbon savings.
What has changed to make all this possible?
Modern IT is equipment is far more robust than older equipment. For example most manufactures specify a 10°C to 35°C operating temperature. Relative Humidity is not so critical now tape to tape and paper systems are no longer used. This has been exploited to a limited degree with the use of air economizers or free air cooling systems. Until now these still required a back-up of refrigeration system to accommodate the times of the year when ambient temperatures exceed 25°C. EcoCooling evaporative cooling systems remove the need for refrigeration completely by providing a constant flow of cooled air under 22°C – even during the warmest periods.
What can EcoCooling provide?
EcoCooling have been working with data centres and server room equipment manufacturers to develop a modular system for retrofitting to existing facilities. Comprehensive process controls maintain compliant temperatures together with all of the connectivity required for the secure and safe operation of the total package.
Evaporative Cooling vs Computer Room Air Conditioning for cooling Data centres
Traditional Data Centre Cooling
Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) use a refrigeration system to cool air and pass it to the void under the raised floor.
Evaporative Cooling Free Air System
An EcoCooler takes external air and passes it to the void under the raised floor. Below 18°C ambient air is taken and mixed with air re-circulated from the hot aisle. Above 21°C the EcoCooler uses evaporative cooling to provide air which never exceeds 22°C.
How are the savings achieved?
An EcoCooling free air system provides a constant flow of attemperated air between 18°C and 22°C. No refrigeration is used – the air is cooled by evaporative cooling when ambient temperatures are high and is heated by recirculation of air from the server exhaust when the ambient temperature is low. No refrigeration is used as all of the cooling is achieved using evaporative cooling. This results in energy saving in excess of 90% compared with traditional Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRAC’s)
1 – Fresh air is brought into the system though primary filtration and wetted filter pads
2 – Water detection provides additional security
3 – Filters remove airborne particles
4 – Isolation damper is linked to fire system
5 – Cool air is fed into void under raised floor
6 – Temperature compliant air is fed into cold aisle
7 – Warm air from hot aisle is re-circulated to heat incoming air when ambient temperatures are below 18C
8 – Hot air is extracted and exhausted to outside of building.
Where can EcoCooling be used?
EcoCoolers require ducting from an outside wall or roof. Modern data centres and server rooms can easily accommodate both data rack cooling and UPS room cooling.
1 – EcoCooling evaporative coolers are externally fixed
2 – Modular systems provide simple compliance with tiered redundancy levels
3 – Existing CRAC systems can be retained
4 – Air is supplied to the underside of the raised floor.
5 – Standby generators only have to support 10% of the electricity consumption of the CRAC systems.
6 – UPS rooms are cooled with simple ventilation systems utilising evaporative cooling
7 - EcoCoolers are linked to all fire systems for controlled shut-downs.
8 – Typical roof mounted EcoCooler.
Useful links about new approaches to cooling of data centres and server rooms.
Intel’s proof of concept of fresh air cooling in New Mexico.
Note the following:
- Very little control compared with EcoCooling
- No significant filtration compared with EcoCooling
- No increased failure!
- Recognition of changing standards of environmental standards for modern equipment.
- Hot and cold aisles being important
VIEW VIDEO Sun/belgacom (Belgian Telecom)
Alan Beresford MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ECOCOOLING is on the CIBSE steering committee for the design of datacentre Cooling
Sustainable FM - committed to carbon reduction
Energy Saving Loans will boost recovery
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read Mail on Sunday article February 2010
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