Technology

Maintaining Efficiency with Data Center Cooling

Data centers tend to get easily overheated. With the amount of IT equipment and computers located in server rooms, heating is an unavoidable effect. Effective cooling is one of the means by which data centers can achieve efficiency and avoid wasting power. The PUE (power usage effectiveness) is a measurement used by the data center industry to determine efficiency. For instance, a PUE value of 2.0 implies that for each watt of IT power, another watt of energy is required for the cooling and power distribution of the IT equipment in the data center. Thus, if the PUE value is low, such as 1.0, it means that all energy consumed is used for computing. A low PUE value implies high energy efficiency.

Regular and constant maintenance of the equipment and server racks is required to ensure that efficiency is maintained. Poorly aligned cabinets, tangled cables or the accumulation of dust might affect the performance of the data center. Environmental monitoring is also crucial to maintain efficiency. Server room air conditioner systems are used to create cold corridors in order to maintain a constant temperature in the server rooms. These systems also improve the circulation of the air going through blanking panels. Server rooms are also equipped with sensors to monitor the temperature and determine any fluctuations in the level of humidity. Additional cooling can also be achieved through portable AC units.