Aisle Containment

When Chatsworth Products introduced CPI Passive Cooling® Solutions in 2006, the blueprint for optimal thermal management at the cabinet level was forever changed. The ability to isolate, redirect and recycle hot exhaust air would revolutionize the idea of “free cooling” within the data center.

Since then, CPI has expanded data center cooling to the aisle level, tapping years of custom solutions to now introduce standard Aisle Containment Solutions, which offer quality engineering, flexibility and a superior class of airflow management, all while reducing operating costs.

Why Choose Containment?

As manufacturers push the thermal envelope on servers and other critical IT equipment, cooling costs are on the rise. To counter this growth and reduce extraneous energy costs and power consumption, data center operators are increasingly turning to Aisle Containment Solutions to help optimize airflow, especially in those situations where cabinet-level isolation is untenable.

Benefits and Savings

With built-in flexibility and high quality engineering, Aisle Containment Solutions by CPI easily adapt to challenges such as limited ceiling height and complex overhead pathways, making Aisle Containment Solutions an excellent choice for both Brownfield and Greenfield applications, while helping to save money and:

• Eliminate hot spots
• Support 4x higher heat and power densities (6 kW to 30+ kW)
• Effectively utilize 100% of supplied air and reduce chilled air waste
• Improve CRAC efficiency because of higher supply-to-return temperature differences (Delta T's)
• Allow increased room temperature and higher set points on cooling equipment and chilled water temperatures, resulting in less electricity consumption using low-cost economizers
• Provide flexibility for supply air delivery through the ceiling, wall or floor

Our Approach to Containment

Aisle Containment Solutions by CPI are available in three standard configurations, each offering a unique and versatile approach to addressing your most pressing data center cooling needs: 

Cabinet Supported
Hot Aisle Containment (HAC)

In this solution, hot exhaust air from IT equipment is isolated in the hot aisle and directed back to the CRAC/CRAH through a vertical exhaust duct, resulting in more efficient cooling units that aren’t working to regulate temperature increases from high density switches and servers. 

By combining a number of cabinet-specific components to form the overhead exhaust duct and Aisle Containment Door Assemblies to seal the hot aisle, the Cabinet Supported HAC also:  

• Attaches to the tops of cabinets to create a large exhaust duct over the contained aisle
• Includes translucent polycarbonate panels that allow light to easily filter through
• Accommodates different cabinet heights
  
  

Frame Supported
Hot Aisle Containment (HAC)

Ideal for colocation facilities and data centers requiring easy roll-in/roll-out capabilities, this solution combines self-closing Aisle Containment Double Door Assemblies at each end of the aisle and the Frame Supported Exhaust Duct that features an independent frame that can stand on its own. This allows cabinets with varying heights to be easily added and moved. Additionally, the Frame Supported HAC:

• Allows cabinets to be easily added or removed without disturbing the duct or other cabinets
• Can have a single 20’L (6 m) beam, which spans up to 10 bayed 23.6” W (600 m) cabinets
• Supports full height blanking panels that allow cabinets to be omitted when required
  
  

Cabinet Supported
Cold Aisle Containment (CAC)

Ideal for retrofits and small physical footprint requirements, this solution combines the Cabinet Supported Ceiling Panel Kit, Aisle Containment Door Assemblies and Cabinet To Floor Seal Kits to confine cold air supply to an entirely closed off area targeted at cooling IT equipment instead of the room. 

Fronts of cabinets face each other as they would in a typical cold aisle design, while self-closing doors on each end of the aisle and ceiling panels across adjacent cabinet rows create a complete segregation of hot and cold air. Additionally, the Cabinet Supported CAC:

• Requires minimal ceiling height and accommodates different cabinet heights
• Can span a continuous row of cabinets up to 52’L (15.8 m) and aisles two or three raised access floor tiles wide
• Includes 4”H (100 mm), 8”H (200 mm) or 12”H (300 mm) elevations, which provide additional clearance above cabinets

A critical component of any aisle containment system, all configurations utilize CPI’s Aisle Containment Door Assemblies, available in a single (which opens from the left or right) or double door option, both of which slide open and automatically close, ensuring an added layer of sealing for optimized airflow performance.