Smart Data Center Design for More Effective Cooling
The data center is one of the most dynamic and critical operations in any business. Complexity and criticality have only increased in recent years as data centers experienced steady growth in capacity and density, straining resources and increasing the consequences of poor performance. This Industry Perspective looks at a pair of design practices data center managers can carry out on the cooling side to increase efficiency, availability and capacity. Maximize Cooling Units Return Temperature to Improve Capacity and Efficiency This best practice is based on the hot-aisle/ cold-aisle rack arrangement (Figure 1), which improves cooling unit performance by reducing mixing of hot and cold air, thus enabling higher return air temperatures. A 10 degree F increase in return air temperature typically results in a 30 to 38 percent increase in cooling unit capacity and a 15-20 percent increase in system efficiency.
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