With so much energy wasted in the cooling of ambient air, the cost benefits of moving towards a containment solution are huge. When coupled with technologies such as Free Air Cooling, and intelligent BMS (Business Monitoring Systems), it is possible to run cooling systems at zero cost for around ten months of the year.
Saving costs with containment cooling systems
Data Centres that utilise traditional methods of CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning) such as perimeter cooling, and basic power provision through unmanaged PDU’s often result in a high TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and a low DCIE (Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency). But with intelligent design, these figures can be reversed.
Typically these data centers run at an ambient temperature of around 14°C. This is not a pleasant environment to work in for long periods, but it certainly keeps the servers cool. In the event of a CRAC failure, the ambient temperature will rise quickly and servers can overheat and fail within hours or sometimes minutes of the air conditioning failure.
Utilizing containment solutions allow for a much higher ambient temperature within the data center – typically around 22°C - making it far more comfortable to work in. Moreover, in the event of a CRAC failure, the ambient temperature does not rise quickly. This leaves sufficient time to bring down critical servers in a controlled shutdown or provide backup CRAC systems.
How do containment cooling systems work ?
Hot Aisle Containment Systems - Removing hot air above the cabinets.
Hot aisle containment relies upon removing the hot air from above the cabinets and using it, elsewhere in the building as Sensible Heat, or transporting it outside the building. Either way, if a CRAC unit fails, the ambient rise in temperature is a very slow process. Another benefit of hot aisle containment is that it is much easier to install into an existing data center.
Cold Aisle Containment Systems - Usage of outside fresh air.
Typical outside air temperatures are often lower than inside, making it possible to utilize external air to cool the data center through a free cooling system. This provides a zero cost option for much of the year. The only time chillers are required is when the outside ambient temperature is higher than 22°C.
Containment systems can be provided following a site survey. Black Box will visit your site, discuss your needs and understand your goals. From here we will design a data center solution that fits your requirements exactly.