Transient Data Center Temperatures After a Primary Power Outage

Abstract

Maintaining temperatures below critical thresholds is particularly challenging when primary utility power fails. Typically, IT equipment continues to operate on backup power while there is a period of reduced or no cooling until such equipment can be re-started on generator power. In addition to the timing of equipment restarts and backup-power connectivity, the rate at which temperatures rise in the data center is a function of the IT equipment itself, the building envelope, the cooling system design, and external conditions. This paper describes the methodology behind a new high-level tool which in part predicts the temperature rise in a data center following a loss of primary power. A variety of data center critical infrastrcture equipment configurations may be specified. The method can estimate inlet temperatures at IT rack inlets and their rate of rise along with other key temperatures relevant to the specified architecture. The tool may be used to design a data center with a minimum emergency runtime or to estimate this for an existing facility for planning purposes.