Avoid 4 Common Mistakes When Cooling Your Data Center

Data center cooling may seem simple, but it is a complex subject that requires expertise. In fact, even a minor error in the cooling system can affect the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the data center, leading to potential downtime and data loss. If you're responsible for a data center, make sure to avoid these common cooling errors.

• Air Leakage

Data centers are designed with specific airflow patterns, such as hot and cold aisles, to efficiently cool IT equipment. If air leakage happens, hot air from IT equipment can recirculate into the intake of cooling units, resulting in higher temperatures and potential overheating of servers.

Implementing proper airflow containment measures, such as sealing gaps in raised floors, installing blanking panels, and using brush strips in cable cutouts, helps maintain the integrity of hot and cold aisles, preventing air leakage and ensuring efficient cooling.

• Rack Placement

Inadequate spacing between racks or improper alignment can create localized hotspots where temperatures are higher than the recommended levels. Poor rack placement may lead to inefficient use of cooling capacity, requiring the cooling system to work harder to compensate for uneven temperature distribution.

Proper rack placement, especially in the context of hot and cold aisle configurations, ensures that cool air is directed to the front of the racks, where IT equipment typically draws in air, and hot air is expelled to the rear.

• Humidity Sensors

Due to improper calibration of the sensor, it is possible to report humidity levels that are too high or too low and fail to represent the actual ambient humidity. Data center operators may take inappropriate actions based on incorrect humidity data, resulting in over - or under-tuning of the cooling system. Reduced efficiency of cooling systems can result in wasted energy, excessive cooling, or overheating of equipment, increasing uncertainty in the whole data center.

Regularly calibrating and maintaining humidity sensors, placing them strategically to capture accurate readings, and integrating them into the overall environmental monitoring system helps maintain optimal humidity levels for data center equipment.

• Wrong Roof

A wrong choice of roof, such as insufficient insulation or reflective materials, can result in heat accumulation, leading to higher temperatures inside the data center and negatively impacting equipment performance. And the color of the roof can significantly affect cooling efficiency, especially in areas with high outside temperatures and sun exposure.

Opt for materials with excellent insulation and high solar reflectance to help control internal temperatures and reduce the load on cooling systems. Don't forget about roofing materials that can withstand local weather conditions, including temperature extremes, precipitation, and potential natural disasters.

The considerations involved in data center cooling are far more complex than they appear. While simply blowing the air to cool the device may get the job done, it may not be done in the most cost-effective or energy efficient way. Therefore, to ensure the stability and sustainability of the data center, data center operators should have an in-depth understanding of the various cooling strategies and carefully consider all aspects of the implementation process. Only when these key factors are taken together can data centers achieve efficient, reliable, and cost-effective cooling solutions.

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