Data Center Cooling Systems: How They Help You Optimize Your Industrial Footprint
Many data centers run 24/7 and risk overheating or causing other problems, making data center cooling systems an essential part of your data center.
Data centers house complex, state-of-the-art technology that must be well cared for to ensure the technology lasts for as long as possible. Regulating the temperature in a data center helps with that and provides other benefits, like cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency, which are essential in today’s day and age.
Today’s blog closely examines how data center cooling systems can help optimize your industrial footprint. Keep reading to learn more.
Basic Data Center Environmental Management
Data center environmental control regulates temperature and humidity while enabling the center to run safely and efficiently. Not only does it save money, but it’s also environmentally friendly since these cooling systems can recycle the hot air that IT equipment releases. Protecting your data center from overheating can also prevent devastating consequences like a fire.
A data center’s temperature should stay between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit or between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius. While some data centers keep their temperatures even lower, this unnecessary measure isn’t cost-effective. Keeping the temperature around 70 degrees is sufficient to keep the data center cool.
Potential Problems with Data Center Cooling
There will always be potential problems with a data center cooling system — but there are also solutions. You’ll need to keep the following in mind:
Adaptability and scalability - Can your cooling system quickly adapt to changes? Can you increase or decrease the size with relative ease?
Availability - Is your cooling system available, or do you need to get on a long waiting list to get your hands on it? You might be able to wait, or your need might be more urgent.
Life cycle costs - How much will your cooling system cost? How long will it last? And how much will replacing it cost? Can you afford that cost?
Maintenance and serviceability - Is your cooling system known for lasting a lifetime, or does it break down and require regular maintenance? And how easy is it to perform that maintenance?
Manageability - How easy or difficult is it to manage your cooling system? Can you control it electronically? If so, how user-friendly is the system?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you foresee issues, so if/when they arise, you can manage them quickly and cost-effectively.
Benefits of Data Center Cooling
Working Servers
It’s no secret that a server will slow down, freeze, or shut down if it’s overheated. All of those issues can interfere with business operations and customer transactions. It can also cost you money if you’re losing sales over it.
Greater Efficiency
Having a cool server room doesn’t mean the data will travel any faster — it won’t. But it will travel faster than an overheated server, making it worth keeping your server rooms at an optimal temperature.
Longer Tech Lifespan
Most data servers have an average “life expectancy.”
And that’s okay. Nothing lasts forever.
The problem is when your data servers aren’t lasting for as long as they should due to overheating. If your servers die after one year instead of three years, it costs you money. A data center cooling system will be an investment, but it will save you money in the long run.
Cooling Techniques
There are multiple cooling techniques from which you can choose. While it might seem like a lot of work, the long-term benefits far exceed the short-term cost and effort.
While cooling systems vary, they all perform the same primary function: drawing heat from the data center equipment to maintain the temperature in the room.
Let’s look at your options.
Liquid Cooling
Liquid cooling uses water to cool the servers via a Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) or similar technology. A CRAH uses fans, cooling coils, and a water chiller system to remove the data center's heat. A CRAH differs from a CRAC (computer room air conditioning) that uses a refrigeration system to accomplish the same thing.
Air Cooling
Air cooling systems use the CRAC technology mentioned in the last section. This technology can be positioned to create east paths that direct the heat out of the data center.
Raised Floor Platforms
Raised floor platforms create space underneath the servers where you can place a computer room air handler or air conditioner to dispel the heat from beneath the server. This creates “cold aisles,” which we’ll discuss later in this blog.
Temperature and Humidity Control
Temperature and humidity controls act like an HVAC system to control how cool the server room stays. In fact, you can use an HVAC system for this very purpose, although other technologies are available.
Hot and Cold Aisle Containment Controls
As mentioned earlier, you can create cold aisles through raised floor platforms. But you can also use a technique referred to as Hot and Cold Aisle Containment Controls. This system allows hot aisles to feed onto cold aisles throughout the server room.
This technique requires airflow, a raised floor system, and liquid cooling or HVAC to support the hot and cold aisles. In other words, this system can be used in conjunction with other systems but not on its own.
Get Your Data Center Cooling System from J.Mark Systems.
No matter how large or small your data center is, keeping it cool is vital for the longevity of your servers. Keeping your data center in optimal condition will help you optimize your industrial footprint, saving you time and money.
J.Mark Systems has the cooling system you need for your industrial data center. Whether you know exactly what you want or are shopping for the right cooling system, J.Mark Systems will guide you through the process.
Let’s get you what you need and protect your data center from overheating. Contact us today to get started!