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Double Your Datacentre Rack “U” Space Capacity
eCool Solutions Cold Aisle Containment offers energy savings and more.
eCool Solutions has developed an innovative vertical infill panel that allows 19 inch products to be stored vertically in the space normally wasted within a rack cabinet increasing the “U” space capacity by 57 per cent. The panel, when used for air management within the Cold Aisle Containment system, can also contribute to a drastic cut in energy consumption.
“It is not cool to be cold,” says Jeremy Hartley, founder of eCool Solutions, developers of products and services for cold aisle containment. “If servers are kept within manufacturers guidelines then the internal fans operate at optimum efficiency and hardware failures are reduced.”
Despite this, in its thermal analyses of Datacentres, eCool Solutions has found that it is not unusual to have a 40° variation in temperature between and within the aisles of a Datacentre and as a result the cold aisle is frequently overcooled to 20° below the recommended levels.
Not only is this a complete waste of energy but it could also take the cold aisle temperature below dew point, creating pools of condensation and drying the air such that humidifiers are needed to reduce static. This adds additional cost.
Hartley has developed a system of cold aisle containment – which includes a unique system of blanking panels, aisle end curtains and a special suspended aisle ceiling – to manage airflow within the Datacentre. It forces cooled air to go through the IT load and not escape through gaps. The company has retrofitted the solution to live Datacentres achieving an immediate drop in air temperature.
A new addition to this extensive product range is the vertical infill panel which, when fitted in a 42u 800mm wide rack, could add a further 24u of available storage space. It allows cable management, power and network equipment to be fitted in the vertical spaces.
“Before fitting cold aisle containment we conduct an audit and thermal analysis of the Datacentre,” explains Hartley. “We have found that most legacy Datacentres have wasted space. Often racks are fitted in an ad hoc manner with cables and other equipment stuffed into spaces that could be used for servers.
“The infill panel provides additional storage space while supporting air management, creating 57 per cent more space in the cabinet when fitted front and rear.”
Datacentres are coming under pressure to reduce their energy consumption. According to a report by McKinsey the IT industry as a whole currently consumes two per cent of the World’s energy and will generate as much CO2 as the airline industry by 2020. There are already restrictions on the location of Datacentres as a result of their energy demands.
In addition, the EU has launched a Best Practice Code of Conduct for Datacentres which aims to encourage Datacentre owners and operators to voluntarily sign up to have the energy efficiency of their operations measured, and agree to an action plan and an annual progress report.
Although it is high availability and not electricity bills that are traditionally within the remit of the Datacentre manager, improved air management can achieve both goals.
“We have found that where cold aisle containment is introduced hardware failures are reduced and correct cooling temperatures can be maintained for precious minutes after an energy failure,” comments Hartley. “In addition a company can expect to cut the energy consumption by over 20%, with savings increasing to over 30% when combined with free cooling when outside temperatures are low enough.”
“Datacentres became easier to manage and control and cheaper to run.”
