Criteria for a High-Density Cooling Strategy
A high-density cooling system should aim to improve compute availability, maximize IT flexibility, maximize rack positions on the floor and maximize operational efficiency.
Airflow distribution patterns for various high-density cooling strategies
The following table presents four categories of criteria for making an intelligent decision about high-density cooling. Using this criteria, compare Opengate’s SiteX EC Cooling distribution System against another cooling strategy.
High-Density Cooling Strategy Decision Criteria
| Initial Expense |
|---|
| Lowest total cooling equipment cost per kW of IT load |
| Reduced piping, electrical, and sensor networks |
| Reduced and simplified engineering |
| Rapid commissioning & training |
| Maximize Efficiency |
| Eliminates over-provisioning - reducing the number of CRAC/H units in operation |
| Greatest cooling capacity per unit of power |
| Reduced maintenance and service costs |
| Allows raising air supply/return temperatures |
| Allows raising water supply temperature to improve chiller plant performance and efficiency |
| Allows additional hours of free cooling |
| Maximize Availability |
| Reduced components & interconnects |
| Eliminates all hot-spots even with very high density racks or rows |
| Single cooling system in operation to improve availability and simplify maintenance |
| Keeps water or Glycol loops at the perimeter of the facility |
| Reduces human interaction / easily maintained |
| Single failure / repair does not effect operation |
| Provides early alarm conditions |
| Can use same system in existing and new facilities |
| Installation does not cause production interruption |
| All hot-swap electronics to reduce human interaction |
| Maximize Flexibility |
| All or most IT rack load locations are divorced from cooling source locations |
| Design facility and total cooling from day one with no need to worry about IT changes later |
| Cooling reports provide clear indication of load to supply ratio |
| Reduces the quantity and fully utilize CRAC/H units on the floor |
| Rack neutral, allows IT adds, changes and removes without disrupting IT operation or environment |
| Maximizes rack spaces on the floor due to fewer CRAC/H units taking up space |
| Allows higher power per rack with no effect on intake air temps |
| Allows stable cooling environment even with low slab to slab ceiling heights |
| Extends operation during utility failure by routing exhaust heat away from rack intakes |
| System gives indication cooling supply versus cooling demand by the IT equipment |