ElectronicEnvironments

Data Center Airflow Management – Demand Based Cooling

Demand Based Cooling (DBC) is a total systems level approach to optimizing data center air flow. Comprehensive data center computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and best practices are coupled with an advanced active data center airflow management system which monitors and manages computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units and adds networked adaptive air movers to radically improve data center cooling efficency and redundancy.

Benefits of Demand Based Cooling

• Increase data center uptime and reliability
• Maximize IT capacity and density
• Improve PUE through proper data center airflow management
• Maintain a thermally safe data center
• Eliminate overcooling and reduce computer room cooling costs

Since many data centers are overcooled but have airflow distribution issues, by actively controlling data center air flow and cooling, both efficiency (PUE) and the data center cooling capacity are radically transformed. Computer room cooling efficiency is improved by 20 to 40%, in the typical case, while cooling redundancy is simultaneously enhanced.

Check out the DBC Case Study - EEC assists The Hanover Insurance Group with Data Center Energy Savings and IT Cooling Capacity

Steps to a Cooler Data Center

• On-site data center cooling audit discovers all variables within each unique data center, including room layout and rack location, server density, computer room air conditioner (CRAC) type and location, perforated tile quantity and location, and relevant external factors such as solar gain and humidity intrusion.
• Data Center CFD modeling provides an accurate baseline model of the data center, which predicts data center airflow and temperature changes above and below the floor during normal operation and under failure modes. The image below is a CFD Analysis illustrating Demand Based Cooling automatically compensating for thermal rise in a data center:
  
• Project review with IT and facilities departments based on engineering results. A number of options are considered and a solution is recommended
• Turnkey installation requires no down time or movement of IT or critical infrastructure.

Data centers are experiencing unprecedented growth in heat density which presents new challenges to computer room cooling. Traditional methods of computer room cooling struggle to support today’s server technology. Demand Based Cooling solves this problem by adding real time management and delivery of cooling supply to the ever changing data center environment. Any new and existing raised floor data center can take advantage of this technology, regardless if they are running Glycol, Air Cooled, or Chilled Water cooling systems. Overall computer room cooling system reliability is enhanced by the ability to dynamically provision for computer room air conditioning failures and additional servers.

To find out more about cooling your Data Center contact us at 800-342-5332, email us at sales@eecnet.com or via our Contact Us form