3 Tips (and a Bonus!) to Help Your Data Center Keep its Cool Without Extra Spending
June 25, 2021
An unusually early heat wave and record temperatures across the United States are putting a strain on power grids and consumer spending on air conditioning is expected to soar. And we’re only a few days into summer.
In data centers, where cooling efficiency and operating costs have a direct impact on the bottom line, spending on electricity—and cooling—must be carefully addressed.
As you work to optimize your data center efficiency and operations, consider these three tips to help you elevate your airflow management strategy and minimize cooling costs.
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Fully equip your cabinets to prevent bypass airflow
Ensure your data center cabinet has seamless integration with airflow and thermal management accessories that provide effective conditioned/exhaust air separation and maximum equipment cooling.
Thermal management accessories for data center cabinets are the low hanging fruit in an airflow management strategy. Consider:
Snap-In Filler Panels to block airflow through open rack-mount spaces and keep the hot air at the back of the cabinet.
Air Dam Kit to block airflow around the sides and top of the equipment mounting space so cold air passes through equipment and hot air does not recirculate around equipment.
Side Panels with Grommet or Brush Seal Cable Openings to allow cables to enter the side of the cabinet while containing exhaust air within each cabinet.
Equipment Mounting Rail Brush Kit to conceal openings in the equipment mounting rails to block airflow around the equipment.
A Floor Seal Kit to seal the space between the bottom of the cabinet and the floor when leveling feet or casters are in use, and are ideal for aisle containment applications.
PRO TIP: CPI’s new ZetaFrame™ Cabinet can be configured with a variety of standard thermal management accessories. Custom solutions are also available through CPI’s design engineering services. Email us at [email protected]
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Ensure your hot/cold aisles are fully contained
As you consider a containment strategy, it’s important to understand the differences, challenges and advantages of different containment systems so you can determine the best option for your data center’s specific requirements. In the meantime, consider the following solutions:
The Build to Spec Kit is a field-fabricated duct that is used over a contained hot aisle as part of a closed hot air return. This solution integrates with perimeter cooling, provides immediate improved cooling efficiency and is compatible with economization methods. It is ideal for retrofit applications over a mix of cabinets, including cabinets of varying heights, widths and depths.
Vertical Exhaust Ducts, a patented cabinet-level solution, are attached to cabinets, and channel the hot exhaust air out of the cabinet and up into the drop ceiling, segregating the hot air out of the room, and ducting it back passively into the CRAC units.
Aisle Containment Doors slide open and automatically close behind you. The patented door seal design minimizes airflow leakage and maximizes energy savings.
PRO TIP: CPI’s Passive Cooling™ Solutions enable you to maximize cooling efficiencies without the need for additional CRAC units, in-row air conditioners or liquid cooling solutions.
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Consider the color of your cabinet
Your ideal data center may be driven by aesthetics, but before you move ahead with deployment of equipment, it’s important to understand the benefits of a specific color choice. CPI Glacier White cabinets are highly reflective, helping to brighten narrow equipment rows, while providing better visibility and reducing the need for additional lighting.
BONUS TIP: To better understand the before and after conditions of airflow, as well as the relative supply and return temperatures of that air, CPI provides free Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis to its customers. CFD uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows.
These CFD models are used to demonstrate and validate the results of adding airflow containment while providing visual guidance on which containment solution—and just how much containment—will work best for each application. Simply put, when CFD is used, especially before any timely or costly construction begins, it can help justify making design changes to your planned or legacy data center.
Learn more about CPI’s approach to energy efficiency in the data center and keep your data center cool!
Posted by Brittany Mangan, Digital Content Specialist at 6/25/2021 11:54:11 AM