Environmental management and monitoring are essential to keeping balance in a data center. Servers, networking equipment and other hardware generate intense heat that can damage components. Keeping high temperatures and humidity levels at bay requires advanced cooling systems that use intricate airflow management techniques to dissipate heat. Doing this efficiently can prolong the life span of critical equipment, create a more comfortable working environment for engineers and lower energy consumption.
What Is Data Center Cooling?
Data center cooling refers to the collective equipment, systems, tools and processes that create ideal humidity and temperatures within the facility. Data centers often run Class A1 and A2 equipment, which uses a vast amount of power and leads to a lot of heat generation, which increases with the amount of equipment in the facility.
As organizations keep up with cooling needs, the data center cooling market valuation may grow to $26.07 billion by 2031, showing the importance of keeping balance to maintain infrastructures. These may include cooling and ventilation to keep the room and equipment in a comfortable temperature range. Systems like precision air conditioning or liquid cooling can manage the heat data centers generate to achieve ideal conditions.
How Does Data Center Environment Control Work?
Environmental control in data centers involves maintaining optimal conditions for data processing and equipment storage through intricate systems and protocols. Environmental sensors continuously monitor air quality, humidity and temperature and adjust airflow and cooling as necessary. With airflow management techniques like hot and cold aisle containment, you can improve energy efficiency and minimize hotspots. Intelligent control systems can use predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms to anticipate and mitigate potential environmental risks. It helps to ensure uninterrupted operations and optimal performance of your critical infrastructure.
Data center thermal management can happen in a few ways:
- Venting: They can vent hot air outside and bring air back in while cooling and circulating in the facility.
- Recycling: A server room cooling system can recycle air by cooling it through a hot and cold aisle design for maximum efficiency.
- Drawing air: These systems can vent hot air outside and draw in pre-chilled air to cool down rooms through free cooling. It is worth noting that this system will only work in perpetually cold climates.
- Cooling or heating: By cooling or heating facilities outright to the highest acceptable temperature, organizations can save on overheads in the short term. It does mean that there is a more frequent need to replace equipment as there is little monitoring.
How Do You Deal With Potential Problems?
Potential problems with cooling data center systems can include inadequate cooling capacity, environmental challenges and inefficient airflow management. ASHRAE recommends keeping your data center at room temperature between 65 to 80 Fahrenheit and 60% relative humidity. If airflow management is a challenge, consider switching your cooling system to a hot and cold aisle layout.
Data center power density increases every year, with the average rack power density of about 6kW. Opting for a larger cooling system mitigates the risk of having a system that struggles to scale with your business and adjust to cooling demands. Multiple refrigeration circuits are strongly recommended — using a two- or four-circuit chiller can help chillers in data center systems cycle each circuit based on the current load in the data center. Smart Family’s STAC units feature an onboard chiller controller with multiple communication options, keeping the cooling system online.
If airborne contaminants like dust and dirt obstruct airflow and put equipment at risk, implementing regular cleaning and maintenance protocols can help. It is vital to keep air filters, vents and cooling equipment dust-free. If your operation’s environment poses a frequent challenge, you may need to install additional air filtration systems.
What Are Different Cooling Technologies?
Various technologies can help mitigate the heat servers generate. Liquid cooling solutions like direct-to-chip cooling and immersion cooling dispel heat from components with their high efficiency and compact design. Air-based cooling methods like traditional computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units and modern precision air conditioning (PAC) systems regulate variables through airflow management and refrigeration cycles. Current data center cooling methods include:
Air Cooling
Smaller data centers use air cooling which circulates cold air to remove any heat equipment generates. It uses CRACs as the cool air distributed via raised floor systems or overhead ducts, directing vents toward the equipment. Hot air is pushed through return vents or ceiling plenums. This method is simple and may lower your data center cooling costs, but it can also be less efficient in larger data centers or high-density environments.
Hot and Cold Aisle Layouts
These configurations optimize airflow and cooling efficiency through aisles. Server racks stand in alternating rows, with the front of one row facing the front of another. This layout helps separate cool air intake from hot air exhaust, lessening the mixing of hot and cold air. This method improves cooling efficiency and can help reduce 10% to 35% of your energy costs.
Liquid Cooling
Liquid cooling uses specialized systems that circulate liquid coolant directly to components that generate heat, like central processing units or entire server racks. The coolant can absorb heat by flowing directly over heat-generating components or through indirect liquid cooling, where the coolant absorbs heat via heat exchangers. It works well in higher-density server deployments as it has a higher heat capacity for thermal conductivity. They require careful design, maintenance and expertise to prevent system failures and leaks.
Why Are Chillers a Great Choice?
Chillers are a key component in most cooling systems, providing temperature control for consistent cooling performance across diverse environmental conditions. Data center chillers can handle high heat loads and are suitable for large-scale data centers with dense server deployments. With this option, your operations gain scalability and reliability, which is especially helpful in mission-critical facilities.
Trust Smart Family of Cooling Products for Your Data Center Chillers
The two critical factors for a data center are humidity and temperature — that is why it is essential to have the right chiller. You can successfully meet your facility’s data center cooling requirements with airflow management techniques like hot aisle and cold aisle containment. Optimizing airflow effectively dissipates heat and maintains uniform temperature distribution throughout the facility. Systems driven by machine learning algorithms will continuously optimize temperatures, maximize energy efficiency and lower operational costs.
Smart Family of Cooling Products are data center cooling manufacturers offering reliable solutions and the highest-quality chillers. Whether you require BACnet or Modbus or have a Building Automation System, our controller can keep you connected 24/7. Contact us today for a quote or more information on our Data Center Chiller Systems.
