Originally posted on DEEP
DEEP (Data Center Efficiency Evolution Program) is a certification program that assesses and certifies data center’s sustainability, evaluates facilities and scores against 70+ best practices through airflow management, electrical systems, mechanical systems and processes. DEEP’s program makes the implementation of sustainable solutions simple for data center managers and recognizes those data centers that are employing best practices in sustainability. As one of the most important areas, and often the lowest hanging fruit for a return on investment, DEEP has a strong focus on airflow management. Assessment criteria includes containment, rack inlet temperatures, perforated tiles, temperature monitoring and more. While mechanical and electrical improvements involve high costs for the data center, airflow management improvement costs are far less, while some can be done with no financial investment at all.
A data center’s airflow management involves directing and blocking cold and hot air within the facility. This can be done through a variety of ways including containment, perforated tiles, efficient design elements and temperature monitoring. Airflow management controls the facility’s temperature in and around the IT equipment to maintain and increase efficiency of the data center. Without proper airflow management, data center equipment and HVAC systems will have to work harder than necessary to maintain ideal data center conditions, causing increased costs and diminishing data center productivity.
DEEP will take a deep dive into a few key principles of airflow management within a data center.
Containment
Data center containment is the division of cold supply air and hot air produced from the IT equipment. By effectively separating the air, data center owners and operators are able to reduce costs and improve overall equipment performance and efficiency. Hot and cold aisle containment keeps data center equipment cool and functioning properly by removing the waste heat and increases cooling capacity while reducing energy consumption.
Rack Temperature Monitoring
DEEP analyzes the data center’s rack temperature monitoring, a major component in airflow management. Rack temperature monitoring prevents inadequate cooling and poor airflow while providing quick identification of a heat problem within the facility. Proper rack temperature monitoring prevents hotspots which occur when equipment has a higher air intake, causing the temperature of the server to rise. With proper rack temperature monitoring, data centers can maximize their equipment life span as well.
Perforated Tiles
The utilization of perforated tiles in a data center is a vital aspect of proper airflow management. Perforated tiles are used to deliver the supply air to the cold aisle and to the inlets of the facility’s IT equipment. The airflow through the perforated tiles fulfills the proper cooling requirements of the data center. The use of perforated tiles is a simple design approach that is efficient and well suited for today’s sustainable, modern data center.
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