![]() Uptime Institute has consistently found that many site managers are waiting for the ‘next big breakthrough’ before springing into action. Further cooling system best practices are discussed, including transition to supply air control, increasing chilled water temperatures, and refurbishment or replacement of fixed speed cooling units with variable speed capability. This allows for the cooling to be performed by fewer cooling units to reduce mechanical energy consumption. Improving airflow management will allow for elevated return air temperatures and a larger ΔT across the cooling unit resulting in increased capacity of the cooling unit. The goal of this paper is to give data center managers the tools to reduce the mechanical cooling power consumption through more efficient use of cooling units. ![]() There is fundamental conflict between the desire to reduce operational expense (OPEX) and the lack of implementation of higher cooling temperatures and the resulting benefits. These are the two least effective control points. More than half (57%) were using overall room air or return air temperatures to control cooling. Most strikingly, 43% (unchanged from 2012) use cooling air below 70☏/21☌, and 3% more (down from 6% in 2012) did not know what the temperatures were. Yet, 80% (up from 71% in 2012) indicated the electrical costs are paid by real estate, and therefore, generally not readily available to the IT decision makers when specifying equipment. Between 50 and 71% (this varied by geography) reported that it was ‘very important’ to reduce data center energy consumption. 108), consisting of 1,000 respondents, found some interesting and conflicting responses. The 2013 Uptime Institute user survey (see p. Clearly, the data are still relevant and, disturbingly, this trend is going the wrong direction. ![]() New research by Upsite Technologies®, which also sponsored research leading to the Uptime Institute’s 2004 publication on bypass airflow, found that the average ratio of operating nameplate cooling capacity in use in a newer, separate and significantly larger sample had increased from 2.6 to 3.9 times the IT requirement. This paper contained 27 recommendations that were offered to remedy air management and over capacity conditions. Uptime Institute’s subsequent paper, How to Meet ‘24 by Forever’ Cooling Demands of Your Data Center was published in 2005. The remaining 60% was effectively wasted capacity, required because of mismanagement of the airflow and cooling capacity. In addition, an average of only 40% of the cooling air supplied to the data centers studies was used for cooling IT equipment. In a nutshell, the cooling capacity of the units found operating in a large sample of data centers was 2.6 times what was required to meet the IT requirement, well beyond any reasonable level of redundant capacity. The first, Reducing Bypass Airflow is Essential for Eliminating Computer Room Hotspots, published in 2004, contained substantial research demonstrating the poor practices common in the industry. The engineering underlying these simple steps was contained in two Uptime Institute papers. The purpose of this technical paper is to raise awareness of the relatively simple steps that can be implemented to reduce the cost of cooling a computer room. This gap means that many site operations teams are not only missing an opportunity to reduce energy consumption but also to demonstrate to executive management that the site operations team is keeping up with the industry’s best practices. However, recent Uptime Institute research has demonstrated that the practices used in computer rooms to manage basic airflow and the actual adoption of increased temperatures have not kept pace with the early adopters or even the established best practices. A range of higher intake temperatures at the IT devices has enabled substantial increases in computer room temperatures and the ability to cool using a range of ‘free cooling’ options. The nature of data center temperature management underwent a dramatic evolution when American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) adopted new operating temperature guidelines. Step-by-step guide to data center cooling best practices will help data center managers take greater advantage of the energy savings opportunities available while providing improved cooling of IT systems Accredited Operations Professional Course.Accredited Sustainability Advisor (ASA) Course.Accredited Tier Specialist (ATS) Course. ![]()
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