Keeping cool in the data center: A high - efficiency modular solution

Faster, more powerful and dense computing hardware generates significant heat and imposes considerable data center cooling requirements. Traditional computer room air conditioning (CRAC) cooling methods are proving increasingly cost-ineffective and inefficient. Studies show that using the volume of room air as a heat exchange medium is wasteful and allows for substantial mixing of hot and cold air. Further, it limits cabinet/frame/rack density because it cannot effectively cool high heat density equipment that is spaced closely together. A more cost-effective, efficient solution for maximizing heat transfer and enabling higher heat density equipment frames can be accomplished by utilizing properly positioned “phase change” or “two-phase” pumped refrigerant cooling methods. Pumping low-pressure oil-free phase changing refrigerant through micro-channel heat exchangers can provide up to 90% less energy consumption for the primary cooling loop within the room. Additionally, if designed properly, a refrigerant-based system can be deployed to cool existing computing equipment, in existing IT cabinets, without extensive and expensive changes to the present data-center infrastructure. The primary benefits of such a solution include reduced energy requirements, optimized utilization of data center space, and lower OPEX and CAPEX.