Cooling Systems for IT Environment Heat Removal in (Internet) Data Centers

Abstract

Internet Data Center (IDC) heat removal is one of the most essential yet least understood of all critical IT environment processes. The cooling of data centers has emerged as a significant challenge as the density of computing equipment increases. In this research, environmental aspects of energy consumption and load-profile were studied through the survey of domestic data centers that need all year round cooling load. The energy-using patterns of cooling system combined with real power density are compared and energy saving effects of data center is reviewed. All cooling systems use CRAC or CRAH units of some kind, which come in various capacities and remove the heat from the room. There are five heat removal methods and two common physical equipment arrangements that can be combined to create ten basic types of cooling systems. Air supply and air return systems each have three and four different configurations that can be combined to create thirteen basic types. An understanding of the many types of cooling/air distribution systems and their attributes can be used to develop guidelines for when each type should be used, and such guidelines are provided in this study for both raised floor and hard floor applications. The design criteria of cooling and air distribution systems were analyzed using quantitative data acquired by surveying 20 multi-megawatt data centers in Korea. It provides the best configurations and design criteria for different IT environments and common practices and equipment options that may increase cooling system availability.