Cooling System Challenges in Mission Critical Installations

Cooling System Challenges in Mission Critical Installations
Lifecycle Cost Challenges

Challenge Underlying problems Cooling System
Requirements
Optimize capital investment System requirements are Modular systems that grow
and available space difficult to predict and systems with the requirement.
are frequently oversized.
Accelerate speed of The planning and unique Pre-engineered solutions that
deployment engineering involved takes 6- eliminate and/or simplify most
12 months, which is too long planning and engineering.
when compared with the
planning horizon of the
organization.
Lower the cost of service Service contracts on unused Right sized systems that can
contracts or underutilized equipment are be scaled rapidly with
wasted. changing requirements would
reduce over sizing and the
wasted service contracts
associated with underutilized
equipment.
Quantify the return on The options available in the Standardized designs where
investment for cooling design of a cooling system are the system performance can
system improvements very complex and vary widely be predicted and quantified
in cost. It is very difficult to accurately.
determine the value provided
by the options. Particularly
when the realized
performance is typically much
different than the design
performance.
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Adaptability / Scalability Challenges

Requirements
Plan for a power density Industry projections of power System design that can be
that is increasing and density requirements show easily adapted, even retrofit, to
unpredictable great uncertainty but new data cool high density racks which
centers must meet might be isolated cases or
requirements for 10 years. widespread in the future.
Must take into account IT
refreshes that occur every 1.5
to 2.5 years.
Reduce the extensive This engineering is time Pre-engineered solutions that
engineering required for consuming, expensive, a key eliminate and/or simplify most
custom installations source of downstream quality planning and engineering.
problems, and it makes it very
difficult to expand or modify
the installation later.
Adapt to ever-changing Loads are frequently changed. A cooling system where it is
requirements It is difficult to know if the possible to assure that a new
cooling system must be load can be cooled, and where
changed, and difficult to cooling can be easily and
determine if the existing quickly directed to isolated
system can provide sufficient high power loads without
cooling. complicated construction and
planning
Allow for cooling capacity to Many existing spaces were not Retrofit options, which provide
be added to an existing designed for the power density additional cooling capacity,
operating space that is currently being installed possibly targeted at specific
or planned. Adding cooling racks or equipment, which can
capacity to an existing be easily installed without
operating data center or complex planning or
network room can be very engineering, and without
difficult and expensive. replacing or shutting down the
existing systems.
Availability Challenges
Requirements
Eliminate air mixing Mixing of supply and exhaust Systems that minimize the
air to IT equipment lowers mixing of the exhaust and
return air temperature to the supply air at the IT equipment.
CRAC unit and raises the
supply air temperature to the
IT equipment. CRAC units
must be set to deliver very
cold air to overcome this,
resulting in poor cooling
performance.
Assure redundancy when The failure of a CRAC unit in a Systems that, by design,
required redundant system reduces assure airflow and supply
cooling capacity but also temperature to all IT
affects the physical distribution equipment during the failure of
of the airflow. It is very difficult a CRAC unit or associated
to plan and verify redundancy. infrastructure.
Eliminate vertical The temperature up and down Systems that prevent hot
temperature gradients at the the front of a particular rack exhaust air from returning to
face of the rack can vary 10 degrees C. This areas on the front of the rack,
effect is unexpected and the and assure that cool supply air
reasons why this happens are is distributed uniformly up and
unclear to the users. This down racks.
places unexpected stress on
individual pieces of IT
equipment and results in
premature failure of equipment
above the temperature
gradient.
Minimize liquid sources in Liquid spills can damage IT Minimize the need for liquid in
the mission critical equipment and cause the the data center. If needed,
installation need for data center shut- operate the liquid system at
down. Clean up and damage low or sub-atmospheric
assessment is very difficult. pressure to prevent leaks.
Minimize human error Uniquely engineered, poorly Pre-engineered solutions that
documented systems. have comprehensive
Changing requirements documentation and mistake-
require adjusting parameters proofing features.
of live systems.
Manageability Challenges
Requirements
Management system must Cooling management systems Provide data reports, which
give a clear description of report data, which often bears better match problem
any problems little relation to the actual symptoms. Eliminate arcane
problem symptoms. Cooling terminology. Provide
management systems rarely information, which assists in
provide information that helps diagnosing faults to the
with a diagnosis to the component level. Provide
component level when a fault detailed snapshot of system
occurs. performance during problems
for troubleshooting.
Provide predictive failure Many cooling components fail Instrument the cooling system
analysis or trip unexpectedly, or in a way that provides
degrade without being noticed. advance warning of
No advance warning is component failures. In the
provided that could allow case of consumable or finite-
corrective actions that might life items, automatically notify
prevent cooling loss. regarding remaining expected
life and replacement intervals.
Adjust system performance to
accommodate degrading
consumables where
applicable.
Aggregate and summarize Cooling performance data is Graphical user interfaces and
cooling performance data often not summed from automatic notification, which
separate CRAC units, report, manage, and notify
providing poor insight into based on parameters at the
overall system performance. consolidated system level and
Operation of separate CRAC at the individual CRAC level.
units is often not coordinated. Communication between
systems to prevent demand
fighting.
Serviceability Challenges
Requirements
Decrease Mean-Time-To- Spare parts are not readily Modular systems using
Recover (includes repair available. Large systems that standardized spare parts that
time plus technician arrival, require complex disassembly are inventoried on-site or
diagnosis, and parts arrival process to diagnose and to locally. Simple repair
times) repair. procedures that do not require
complex disassembly.
Accessibility to components
which are designed for quick
replacement.
Simplify the complexity of Systems are so complex that Standardized systems with
the system service technicians and in- standardized ancillary
house maintenance staff make equipment and standardized
errors and cause malfunctions nomenclature. Pre-engineered
when operating and and pre-tested control systems
maintaining the system. Status that don’t take a lot of time to
of the system cannot be easily set up. Advanced diagnostics
determined or communicated that provide detailed
during a crisis. Third party information for
control systems are complex troubleshooting.
and unique and are never
thoroughly tested, resulting in
unexpected behavior during
fault conditions.
Simpler service Routine service procedures System should allow in-house
procedures require disassembly of staff to perform the most
unrelated subsystems. Some common service procedures.
service items are not easy to Modular subsystems with
access when the system is connector-interfaces to
installed. Highly experienced mistake-proof service
personnel are required for procedures.
many service procedures.
Minimize vendor interfaces Cooling systems often involve Pre-integrated, pre-engineered
multiple vendors and systems with minimal
contractors and it becomes contractor-sourced
difficult for in-house and even components where it is clear
vendor personnel to determine who is responsible for a
who is responsible for a problem.
problem, leading to the
wasting of time and money.
Learn from past problems Uniquely engineered systems Pre-engineered standardized
and share learning across where learning on one system systems where learning is
systems cannot be transferred to shared through manufacturer
another. No clear way that notifications and automatic
solutions for one customer’s upgrade procedures.
problem are communicated to
other similar customers.

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Cooling System Challenges in Mission Critical Installations

Lifecycle Cost Challenges

Adaptability / Scalability Challenges

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