Challenged to do more with less, data centers are seeking innovative ways to keep operating costs as low as possible — all while computer technologies may be changing as often as every three months. In a market demanding denser and more powerful electronics, data centers are pressed for cooling technology that can keep up with the times.
As data centers evolve, so do the comfort systems that protect these facilities’ vital infrastructure. One common solution lies in air handlers, which come in many configurations, shapes, and sizes.
Proper indoor air quality and adequate humidity levels are imperative to safe and efficient data center operations. Humidification in data centers is required to prevent electrostatic discharge, which can damage servers and network products, and offers the benefit of high capacity, low cost evaporative cooling.
The scale of energy consumption may be more of a surprise, though, as estimates show that data center spaces can consume up to 100-200 times as much electricity as standard office spaces. With that large amount of power being used by a growing number of data centers, the pressure is on to implement energy-efficient design measures that can save money and reduce electricity use.
With thermal risks still accounting for 29 percent of unplanned data center outages, data center optimization company, EkkoSense, has detailed how organizations need a more structured thermal approach to kick their addiction to over-cooling — cooling now accounts for 35 percent of overall data center energy consumption.
Siemens and Vigilent announced a reseller partnership in North America to jointly provide customers with a comprehensive and unique thermal optimization solution that addresses data center cooling challenges.
The global data center liquid cooling market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 16 percent from 2016 to 2020, according to the latest market study released by Technavio.
A district heating scheme in Finland has harnessed waste heat generated by a computer center to heat homes. The project uses an advanced heat pump system based on high-performance Bitzer compressors.
Emerson Network Power has introduced the iCOM CMS, a new thermal system control aimed at giving IT professionals monitoring and protection of equipment in small IT spaces supporting edge computing. The new system is available in North America.
In different parts of the country, people discuss gray-water recycling and rainwater capture to minimize the millions of gallons of water required to cool large data centers. But the simple answer in many climates, said Sandia National Laboratories researcher David J. Martinez, is to use liquid refrigerant.