Accredited Tier Designer Technical Paper Series:

Continuous Cooling
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Abstract
This technical paper clarifies the requirements for Continuous Cooling in the context of Uptime Institute’s Tier Standard:
Topology. Tier IV is the only Tier that requires Continuous Cooling. However, Uptime Institute recommends Continuous Cooling
at densities beyond 4 kilowatts (kW) per rack, regardless of the Tier level.

The Role of Continuous Cooling

As the power densities in data centers continue to increase, the need for Continuous Cooling becomes more profound. The
risk of a loss of cooling during an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) ride-through event and the associated impact can be
catastrophic to a business. IT equipment may fail or be damaged.
Depending on the cooling or UPS technology deployed in a facility, the requirements for Continuous Cooling can widely differ.
This paper clarifies the definition of Continuous Cooling and details deployment considerations for various cooling technologies.
Continuous Cooling is defined as the ability to provide a stable thermal environment for
Continuous Cooling is defined the critical IT equipment without any interruption. Continuous Cooling requires a consistent
as the ability to provide a server inlet temperature for the amount of time it takes for the mechanical system to restart
stable thermal environment after any interruption of power to the cooling systems (including the time for a transfer to
for the critical IT equipment engine generators, if applicable). It also requires adequate maintenance of the as-designed
without any interruption. Cold Aisle temperature.
Maintaining a stable thermal environment helps mitigate the chances of sudden increases
to the UPS output load. Increases in load may occur due to increased server fan power consumption to help make up for a
temporary loss of cooling. If the load is not well managed, the increase could overload the UPS, impacting the operation of the
entire facility.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), in concert with major IT equipment
manufacturers, established Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments that include recommended computer
equipment inlet air temperatures necessary to enable reliable operation of servers, storage equipment, and network devices.
As of 2015, the ASHRAE Guideline (accepted worldwide) recommends that the device inlet be maintained between dry bulb
temperatures of 18-27°C (66-81°F), with dew point temperatures of -9°C to 15°C (-15-59°F) and relative humidity below 60% to
meet the manufacturer’s established criteria. It should be noted that the requirements of Continuous Cooling are independent of
the ASHRAE Guideline for actual server inlet temperature. Compliance with the ASHRAE Guideline for server inlet temperature
is an owner decision based on an organization’s individual needs.
However, Uptime Institute Continuous Cooling requirements are tied to the ASHRAE Guideline for allowable rate of change as
it relates to the definition of a stable thermal environment. ASHRAE Guidelines state the maximum allowable change in inlet
temperature for IT equipment. For a data center with tape storage (specifically) the maximum allowable temperature change
for typical IT equipment is limited to 5°C in an hour. All other IT equipment is limited to maximum allowable temperatures of up
to 20°C in an hour. For a data center with any kind of devices, ASHRAE limits this rate of change to 5°C within any 15-minute
period. It is important to note that this is not a rate of change, but rather a discrete temperature increase/decrease limitation.
These parameters have many impacts in application. As an example:
Consider a data center with Cold Aisle containment where chilled water computer room air handling (CRAH) units operate on
supply air temperature control methodologies and with a normal set point of 20°C. If the control deadband is set at 1°C, this
means that during normal operations the unit would provide an IT equipment inlet temperature of 19-21°C, assuming no air
mixing between the CRAH unit and the IT equipment.
If a fault or loss of utility power occurs while the unit is supplying 19°C air to the critical environment, and the fault causes the
CRAH unit to increase its temperature to 24°C at its peak, then the inlet temperature cannot, within any 15-minute period,
deviate between 19-24°C. This means that if the unit recovers within a 15-minute period, the unit cannot overcool to the point
where the supply air temperature drops below 19°C.
Maintaining this temperature range necessitates close attention to the control algorithms used to direct the cooling of the CRAH
units. Using the same example, if a fault were to instead cause a peak supply air temperature of 22°C before recovery, the
recovery could cool down to 17°C in order to stay within the 5°C deadband in any 15-minute period.
This Technical Paper supplements Data Center Site Infrastructure Tier Standard: Topology.

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 Consideration must also be given to the time required to restore mechanical cooling. While
ASHRAE uses 15-minute periods to define the maximum allowed temperature changes,
A Continuous Cooling solution
the Tier Standard: Topology additionally requires that a Continuous Cooling solution is
must be capable of providing
capable of providing the stable thermal environment for the entire amount of time it takes
the stable thermal environment
for the mechanical cooling system to restart following any interruption of the cooling
for the entire amount of time
production or the loss of utility power. The mechanical system restart time is measured
it takes for the mechanical
from the moment of the loss of utility up until the engine generators (or other on-site power
cooling system to restart.
production systems) start and close into the critical load, when the mechanical system has
power restored, is in operation, and is providing rated cooling in a steady state operating
condition. For example, a chiller is not officially operational until it is restarted and running with normal supply and return water
conditions and flow rates.
Although manufacturers are reducing equipment restart times, the interval between the loss of power and a resumption of the
system’s ability to produce stable cooling needs to be incorporated as a data point in determining the ride-through time. For
example, if it takes 10 minutes to resume stable mechanical cooling after a loss of power, then the thermal energy storage (TES)
must be able to provide 10 minutes of chilled water storage.
Although Tier IV is the only Tier level that requires Continuous Cooling, data centers with higher than average IT load densities
should consider Continuous Cooling to mitigate large temperature increases due to a loss of utility power or component
failure. As a point of reference, Uptime Institute conducted a demonstration on a 6-kW/rack average computer room. Intake air
temperatures in the computer room exceeded the top value in this range within 60 seconds after a loss of cooling or even after
just loss of air movement. Additionally, this demonstration showed that a 1-minute loss of cooling required 20 minutes to recover.
Consider the scenario of a public utility failure during which the UPS continues to power
the IT devices, but mechanical plant operation is interrupted. Depending on the technology Continuous Cooling provides
of the cooling deployed, this interruption may continue for several minutes. During this the bridge to enable the thermal
time, any elevation in temperatures in the computer room may damage IT equipment. environment to remain stable
Continuous Cooling provides the bridge to enable the thermal environment to remain stable until the mechanical or other
until the mechanical or other cooling system resumes. A properly designed Continuous cooling system resumes.
Cooling solution will prevent any increase in the average server inlet air temperature.

Application of Continuous Cooling Requirements

Tier IV is the only Tier that requires Continuous Cooling. The following are a few examples of ways to achieve Continuous
Cooling. The Tier Standards are not prescriptive but provide outcome- and performance-based standards, thus other methods
may exist to accomplish the goal of Continuous Cooling beyond those described below.
Example 1:
Continuous Cooling for a chilled water system is generally accomplished with TES capability (also known as chilled water
storage). Secondary pumps and CRAHs are required to be on Fault Tolerant UPS power sources as well. The power
source can be the IT UPS or a separate, Concurrently Maintainable and Fault Tolerant UPS system that is dedicated to the
mechanical systems. If the cooling system is in a primary-direct configuration, then the primary pumps are required to be
on a UPS. Additionally, consideration must be given to the thermal storage tanks and how they are connected to the chilled
water distribution. Depending on the tanks’ connection to the chilled water distribution system, supply and return (hence
warmer) chilled water might be mixed, thereby potentially decreasing the amount of time that a chilled water storage tank can
support a stable thermal environment for the IT equipment.
Example 2:
Continuous Cooling for direct expansion (DX) systems requires both the computer room air conditioners (CRACs) and the
external condensers to be on a Concurrently Maintainable and Fault Tolerant UPS system. Additionally, DX systems may
require some additional engineering analysis to meet Continuous Cooling requirements. Compressor cycling during the
normal operation of CRACs can cause the compressors to pause operation for several minutes for compressor protection. In
higher than average density environments, these gaps may cause large temperature swings during both normal operations
and during faults and loss of utility power, making the stable thermal environment more difficult to achieve.
Example 3:
Continuous Cooling for evaporative systems such as direct evaporative or indirect evaporative heat exchangers, requires the
water pumps (secondary or system circulating) and the distribution fans to be on Fault Tolerant UPS power sources.

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 Example 4:
Continuous Cooling for 100% outside air systems that can provide cooling throughout the year require the fans (or the
system that delivers the air to the computer room) to be on Fault Tolerant UPS power sources.
When rotary UPS systems are deployed as the IT UPS, and the cooling systems are on a no-break bus, additional
Continuous Cooling measures may not be needed because the mechanical system would not experience an interruption
during a transfer from utility to engine-generator (or other on-site) power. If there is a chilled water system deployed in
tandem with a rotary UPS with no batteries, the site must demonstrate that the average server inlet temperature will not
increase beyond the limits stated previously if there is no TES installed.
Each specific case should be reviewed to ensure the requirement for a stable thermal environment will be met during a loss of
power event.

Conclusion
By providing thermal stability to the IT environment during any interruption in the cooling Continuous Cooling is a
system, such as the transition from utility outage to engine-generator power, Continuous justifiable safeguard for any
Cooling ensures that a utility event does not result in costly heat damage to IT hardware or facility with average densities
critical equipment, nor increase the UPS output load to the point of overload. Continuous above 4 kW in light of the
Cooling is a requirement only for Tier IV Certification, but is a justifiable safeguard for any potential damage to facilities
facility with average densities above 4 kW in light of the potential damage to facilities and and IT assets.
IT assets.

Modifications
ATD Technical Paper Series: Continuous Cooling. All updates specific to this version are
effective October 2017.

Related Publications
Tier Standard: Topology
Accredited Tier Designer Technical Paper Series
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