46
Modular Containment Field Results:
Basic Computer Room Architecture at a Global
Financial Institution
Layout:
n
Raised floor computer room.
n
25% open area perforated tiles in a four foot wide
cold aisle.
n
Down flow peripheral CRAH units.
n
Angular Rack Top Baffles in cold aisle.
n
Bi-Directional Doors on cold aisles.
Figure 6 shows across-the-board maximum rack inlet
temperature reductions with the end aisle cabinets
showing the most significant decrease from
installation of the Bi-Directional Doors. The maximum
inlet temperatures occurred at the top front of the
rack. Recirculated exhaust air from back to front over
the top of the rack and around the sides of the end
racks was the major contributor to the increased inlet
temperatures.
Temperatures were measured at four locations evenly
spaced from top to bottom on the front of the rack. An
average of these temperatures was used for each rack
in Figure 7, which shows how the application of
Modular Containment reduced average rack inlet
temperatures across-the-board. For this site, the Rack
Top Baffles and Bi-Directional Doors had less of an
influence in the center of the row, while the most
dramatic changes were at the end of the aisles.
When examining the impact of Modular Containment
to the minimum rack inlet temperatures, the results
further reiterate that the most dramatic changes in
temperature happen at the ends of the aisles.
7X24 MAGAZINE FALL 2014
Lars Strong is Senior Engineer at Upsite Technologies. He can be reached at
Fig. 6 – Maximum Rack Inlet Temperature
Fig. 7 – Average Rack Inlet Temperature
Conclusion
Prevention of hot and cold air mixing is a key to all efficient computer room cooling strategies. Modular Containment
effectively reduces the mixing of hot and cold air and creates an environment where substantial cost reductions can
be achieved, while also allowing for increased rack, row and infrastructure utilization. Modular Containment also
allows optimization to the configuration and operations of the computer room cooling infrastructure. This includes
changes to the cooling systems such as; raising chilled water set points, increasing both water and air side
economizer hours, reducing fan speeds, cycling CRAC/CRAH units, etc. The Modular Containment implementation
also has added value in significantly reduced installation complexity and costs, the ability to install in an existing
computer room without interruption to operations, and the flexibility to change the Modular Containment
configuration as the needs of the computer room infrastructure change. Other means of sealing both hot and cold
aisles include hard wall containment, soft curtain containment and other products on the market. Though these
products work well, they typically require a complex process of quoting, designing, customizing and professionally
installing, and are often unnecessary for the densities present in the typical computer room. Modular containment
provides a means to achieve similar containment results without the cost and complexity of full containment systems.
Fig. 8 – Minimum Rack Inlet Temperature
