Maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in a data center is crucial. The function of servers and other equipment depends on the appropriate monitoring of server rack temperatures. Otherwise, you risk equipment failure and the financial burden that goes with it.
But you can easily avoid downtime due to overheating. There are several different cooling technologies for data centers that can keep you up and running.
Cold Aisle/Hot Aisle Containment
A common method of data center cooling is cold aisle/hot aisle containment. Data centers use server racks organized in rows to hold servers and other equipment. Cold aisles and hot aisles are two different cooling methods; you can choose which is better for your data center.
Cold aisle cooling encases the aisles between rows to focus the power of an air conditioning unit. However, it does require added structure work, such as roofs or doors if none exist within the center. Hot aisle removes potentially damaging hot air through ductwork, sending it to the HVAC system. Usually, this method doesn’t require you to add any more structural elements. Typically, hot aisle containment is more efficient since it removes hot air, while cold aisle containment is better for retrofitting an existing data center.
Liquid Cooling
Liquid cooling is an excellent option if you’re looking for a direct cooling technique. Chilled water flows to a specific area so that you don’t need to cool the entire area. So how does liquid cooling work?
A computer room air handler (CRAH) uses fans or, in this case, a water chiller system. Water travels through the coils, absorbing the heat and depositing the warm water into the chiller. It then travels to a cooling tower, where it merges with condenser water.
Evaporative Cooling
An energy-efficient solution is evaporative cooling. In this method, either a misting system or a filter will supply the water to the area. The water then evaporates, drawing the heat away from the air. While it doesn’t use a CRAH like liquid cooling, it demands quite a bit of water. You’ll also need cooling towers to handle the level of evaporation and send the heat outside.
Immersion Cooling
Immersion cooling submerges the hardware into a safe dielectric fluid. A case encases both the hardware and the fluid. The dielectric liquid absorbs heat much more effectively than air does, and when the hot water becomes vapor, it condenses and helps with cooling.
Direct-to-Chip Cooling
In this system, pipes deliver a coolant to a cold plate that sits on the motherboard and draws off the heat. Then, the hot water travels into a chilled-water loop, which will then go to the cooling plant for disposal or reuse.
There are many different cooling technologies for data centers, many of them energy efficient. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when you need to cool your data center!
