Here are 10 unique approaches for increasing cooling efficiency, cooling capacity, and power density in existing data centers--without major reconstruction.

In designing the cooling system of a data center, the objective is to create a clear path from the source of the cooled air to the intakes of the servers. Likewise, a clear path needs to be created from the hot exhaust air of the servers back to the return air duct of the CRAC unit. There are, however, a number of factors that can adversely impact this objective.

This article describes the main factors that reduce the operating efficiency and power density capability of a data center and presents ways to avoid these problems. It also gives some solutions that allow data centers to cope with demands well in excess of the design capacity without major reconstruction. The following is a summary of the ten solutions that address the root causes of cooling inefficiency and undercapacity.

10 Data Center Cooling Solutions
This is only a summary list of the solutions. For a complete description of each solution, please download the full article below.

The ten solutions are presented in rank order, with the simplest and most cost effective presented first. If the objective is to reach data center power density in excess of 6kW per rack over a sustained area, the going directly to more extreme solutions such as #9 or #10, bypassing the early solutions, may be appropriate>

1. Perform a “health check” - Just as an automobile benefits from regular servicing, a data center needs to be kept operating at peak efficiency to maintain the business processes it supports and to prevent future problems. A cooling system check up should include these items:

• Maximum Cooling Capacity
• CRAC ( computer room air conditioning) Units
• Chiller water/ condenser loop
• Room temperatures
• Rack temperatures
• Tile air velocity
• Condition of subfloors
• Airflow within racks
• Aisle & floor tile arrangements

2. Initiate a cooling system maintenance regime - The Uptime Institute has reported that it found operational deficiencies in more than 50% of data centers visited. Deficiencies to look for:

• Dirty or blocked coils choking airflow
• Undercharged DX systems
• Incorrectly located control panels
• Uncalibrated or damaged sensor
• Revered supply & return piping
• Faulty valves
• Faulty pumps
• Pumps running unnecessarily
• Free cooling systems not initiated

3. Install blanking panels and implement cable management regime
Unused vertical space in rack enclosures causes the hot exhaust from equipment to take a "shortcut" back to the equipment's intake. This unrestricted recycling of hot air causes the equipment to heat up unnecessarily.

4. Remove under-floor obstructions and seal floor
In data centers with a raised floor, the subfloor is used as a plenum, or duct, to provide a path for the cool air to travel from the CRAC units to the vented floor tiles located at the front of the racks. This subfloor is often used to carry other services such as power, cooling pipes, network cabling, and in some cases, water and/or fire detection and extinguishing systems.

5. Separate high-density racks
When high-density racks are clustered together, most cooling systems become ineffective. Distributing these racks across the entire floor area alleviates the problem.

6. Implement hot-aisle/ cold aisle arrangement
Best practice is to configure equipment in alternating "hot" and "cold" aisles (diagram shown in pdf article).

7. Align CRAC Units with hot aisles 
CRAC units must be aligned with hot aisles to optimize cooling efficiency.

8. Manage Floor Vents 
Improper location of floor vents can cause cooling air to mix with hot exhaust before reahing the load equipment.

9. Install airflow-assisting devices 
Cooling loads within racks can be improved by the retrofitting of fan-assisted devices that improve airflow and can increase cooling capacity between 3kW and 8kW per rack.

10. Install row-based cooling architecture 
Row-based cooling architecture focuses on heat removal and eliminates the concern of proper cold air distribution from floor tiles.


Please click to download the full article for more in-depth descriptions of each of the steps above.

For help with heating/cooling issues in your organization's data center, please contact your integraONE sales rep or email sales@integra1.net.