One of the most effective methods for increasing the energy efficiency of modern data centers and reducing operational costs is isolation systems, also known as hot and cold aisle containment systems. The primary consumer of the excess power in a data center is the cooling system. Therefore, the smaller the load on it (reduced electricity bills, balanced load distribution, decreased wear on engineering systems), the higher the energy efficiency (the ratio of total power consumed to useful power consumed for IT loads).
This approach has gained widespread adoption. It is a common standard for operations globally as well as in Russia. data centersWhat should you know about isolation systems to use them most effectively?
First, it's important to understand how the cooling system is designed and functions. Data centers contain racks in which IT equipment is installed. This equipment requires constant cooling. To avoid overheating, cold air must be supplied to the front of the rack while hot air is drawn out from the back. However, if there is no barrier between these two areasāthe cold and the hotāboth airflows can mix, reducing cooling efficiency and increasing the load on air conditioners.
To prevent the mixing of hot and cold air, an air containment system should be constructed.
Operating principle: A closed volume (container) accumulates cooled air, preventing it from mixing with hot air and allowing heavily loaded racks to receive sufficient cooling.
Location: The air container should be positioned between two rows of racks or between a rack and the wall of the room.
Design: All sides of the container that separate the hot and cold zones must be enclosed with partitions so that cold air flows only through the IT equipment.
Additional requirements: The container should not interfere with the installation and operation of IT equipment, the laying of communications, the operation of monitoring systems, lighting, and fire extinguishing systems, as well as integrate into the access control system of the machine room.
Cost: this is quite a positive aspect. First of all, the containerization system is far from the most expensive part of the entire air conditioning system. Secondly, it does not require further maintenance expenses. Thirdly, it positively affects savings, as separating air flows and eliminating points of local overheating reduces and evenly distributes the load among the air conditioners. Overall, the economic effect depends on the scale of the machine room and the cooling architecture.
Recommendation: when replacing IT equipment with more powerful devices, it is not always necessary to upgrade the air conditioners to more powerful models. Sometimes it is sufficient to install an insulation system, which can provide a 5ā10% reserve of cooling capacity.
Source: habr.com
