Ten Cooling Solutions to Support High-density Server Deployment Schneider Electric Data Center Science Center White Paper #42 1
Introduction 2
Introduction This paper provides 10 approaches for increasing cooling efficiency, cooling capacity, and power density in existing data centers. 3
Server Compaction Blade servers: Use U less power than traditional servers Can C lead to hot spot creation 4
The Goal of Cooling Distribution To create clear paths for cooled air and hot exhaust air Need to reduce or eliminate the cold and hot air leakage 5
1. Perform a Health Check Maximum cooling capacity CRAC units Chiller water / condenser loop Room temperatures Rack temperatures Tile air velocity Condition of subfloors Airflow within racks Aisle & floor tile arrangement 6
2. Maintain the Cooling System Dirty / blocked coils Undercharged DX systems Incorrectly located control points Uncalibrated / damaged sensors Reversed supply & return piping Faulty valves Faulty pumps Pumps running unnecessarily Free cooling systems not initiated Found in more than 50% of visited data centers 7
3. Install Blanking Panels and Implement Cable Management 8
3. Install Blanking Panels and Implement Cable Management (Cont.) Unnecessary/unused cabling should be removed to avoid restricted airflow 9
4. Remove Sub-floor Blockages and Seal Floor The subfloor: Used as a plenum or duct. Provides a path for cool air to travel from CRAC units to the vented floor tiles Used to carry other services such as power, cooling pipes, network cabling, etc. Designed D i d to be a specific floor depth sufficient for delivering air at the requiredflow rate. 10 Missing floor tiles should
5. Spread out High-density Racks Data Center with All High-density Racks Together Data Center with High-density Racks Spread Out 11
6. Set Up Hot-aisle / Cold-aisle Rack Arrangement with No Separation of Hot or Cold Aisles Hot Aisle / Cold Aisle Rack Arrangement Best Practice 12
7. Align CRACs with Hot Aisles Typical Arrangement CRACs Aligned with Aisles Best Practice 13
8. Manage Floor Vents The key to air delivery vents is to place them as closely as possible to IT equipment intakes The key to air return vents is to place them as closely as possible to IT equipment exhausts 14
9. Install Airflow-Assist Devices 15
10. Install Row-based Cooling Architecture Row-based cooling architecture: Closely couples the cool air with the IT equipment Eliminates concerns about proper cold air distribution from floor tiles. Can be further improved through the addition of rack or row-based containment systems. Self-contained, high-density cooling systems Installation in a data center without impacting any other racks or existing cooling systems. 16
10. Install Row-based Cooling Architecture (Cont.) Hot Aisle Containment System (high-density zones) Rack Air Containment System (supports up to two IT racks) 17
Conclusion It is critically important to implement a regular health check regime to ensure that cooling equipment is operating within the design values of capacity, efficiency, and redundancy. Ten solutions exist that will help keep the data center operating at peak efficiency to maintain the business processes it supports and to prevent future problems. 18
Resources List Air Distribution Architecture for Mission- Critical Facilities APC White Paper 55 Cooling Audit for Identifying Potential Cooling Problems in Data Centers APC White Paper 40 Improving Rack Cooling Performance Using Blanking Panels APC White Paper 44 Cooling Strategies for Ultra-High Density Racks and Blade Servers APC White Paper 46 The Advantages of Row and Rack-Oriented Cooling Architectures for Data Centers APC White Paper 130 19
Resources List (Cont.) Browse all APC white papers http://whitepapers.apc.com Browse all APC TradeOff Tools http://tools.apc.com 20
Thank You Questions? 21