Ed Koplin, a Principal in X-nth’s Mission Critical line of business, has more than 26 years experience in data center electrical and mechanical design. He was recently interviewed by Rami Rihani, a consultant with Accenture, for his views on datacenter power and cooling. In this interview, Koplin points out that “All data center resources converge at the computer enclosure. Understanding, testing, and modeling the coordination of power, space and cooling at the enclosure is essential for optimizing energy conservation.”

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What’s in Your Datacenter? Advanced Active Airflow Management.

A recent request by Processor magazine to discuss datacenter temperature concerns got AFCO CTO John Consoli thinking. Here are John’s tips for staying on top of temperature in your datacenter:

Know the CURRENT ASHRAE TC 9.9 Guidelines: Most data centers are kept much colder than necessary.

Know the AVERAGE and PEAK loaded PER CABINET in your data center: Planning by “watts per square foot” can be very inefficient.

Know WHERE the air in your DC is going: Most “cooling” problems are attributable to poor air flow management. CFD modeling is a good investment.

Know the basic rule of cooling: Every WATT of power you put in the DC will be converted into a WATT of HEAT that needs to be cooled.

Know your cooling STRATEGY: Whether you use Hot/Cold Aisle, Aisle Containment, In Row Cooling, or Active (Cabinet) Airflow Management, every approach has positives and negatives.

It may be more important to ensure good cooling in small data centers than in big ones. John Consoli, CTO at AFCO Systems (www.afcosystems.com), draws an analogy to protecting fine cigars. “The cigars I keep at my cigar club are preserved in a big, walk-in humidor. I have never had one go bad on me there,” he says. “Yet, if I neglect the small humidor I keep in my office for even a few days, I will have a bunch of dried tobacco sticks! The smaller the environment, the less tolerance for error.”
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Temperature is a critical factor in the modern data center, and it is only becoming more so. Increased processor speeds, smaller server form factors, and higher server rack densities have all contributed to tremendous challenges for data center administrators in the areas of cooling and air movement.

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