Data Centers: Get 'Em Hotter and Wetter
Posted by
Ken Miller
November 28, 2012
Of course, this isn't all puppy dogs and rainbows. There are challenges with pushing your thermostat up to 81.5°F. Many data centers don't have air or water economizers in the design to take full advantage of outside temperatures. This means you might not reduce your mechanical cooling as much as predicted.
In addition, many data centers don't have contained hot or cold aisles, and raising your temperature without containment can lead to hot spots that climb above 81.5°F. Finally, most data centers don't have the humidity controls systems to control to dew point at these higher temperatures. Controlling relative humidity (instead of dew point) at 81.5°F is a big mistake and will take you way outside the ASHRAE standards for how wet the air should be.
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That said, these challenges don't invalidate Green Grid's recommendations or ASHRAE's new standards, though they might limit their application in existing facilities. However, if the industry is ever going to get away from poor data center designs and mythology, new facilities will need to factor in this scientific-based approach. Green Grid's report provides thought leadership for the data center industry and is a must-read for IT and facilities pros alike.
Ken Miller is data center architect with the IT Infrastructure and Operation Services division of Midwest ISO, developing mission-critical facilities.
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