Data Center Cooling Issues and Prevention

Did you know that in most data centers cooling accounts for around 37-40% of total electricity use? According to Consortium of Energy Efficiency, a Preventive Maintenance program can cut that energy use by as much as 20%. Regular, planned maintenance can also help prevent costly repairs and even costlier downtime. According to a 2011 study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and Emerson Network Power, the average cost of data center downtime was a staggering $5,600 per minute. And the average incident lasted 90 minutes. Preventive maintenance, meanwhile, has been shown to prevent around 30-40% of all downtime events.

So what does this all mean?

Data Center Cooling Failures

One of the biggest threats to your data center is Thermal Runaway. This occurs when heat builds quicker than your cooling system can remove it. Depending on the technology you use, it could take an hour or more to remove just a couple degrees of heat. When your system fails, even for a short period of time, temperature can rise drastically in a matter of minutes. Even when cooling is restored, your system may not be able to handle the increased demand, allowing the temperature to continue to rise.

Any cooling failure has the potential to cause not just a single system failure but a multitude of failures as individual systems respond by drawing in air, further increasing the rate at which cool air is replaced by hotter air (positive feedback loop).

Data Center Cooling Technology

Data centers have been cooled using Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units spread around the outside of a room, pushing cold air under the floor. As data center technology improved and heat increased, many newer data centers rely on aisle containment, free air cooling, in-row cooling, water cooling, air flow monitoring, and improved room design to provide more efficient cooling. Another approach is to increase input temperature from 60.8°F to 73.4°F.

Click Hereto learn more about energy efficient cooling technology.

Your Data Center Cooling Solution

1. Model or test a complete cooling system failure and identify areas that require immediate improvement, noting when the point and temperature increases.
2. Add failover capacity for use in the event of a complete failure to avoid overheating.
3. Invest in a preventive maintenance program.

Data Center Cooling Services from Crockett Facilities Services, Inc.

At Crockett Facilities Services, Inc. (CFSI), our Emerson, Liebert and Stulz factory-trained service technicians understand the evolving complexities in managing heat loads and maintaining optimal temperatures. Our preventive maintenance programs are designed to protect your IT equipment investment and resolve critical cooling issues before they negatively impact your business.

We know that downtime is not an option!

For more information on Data Center Cooling and Preventive Maintenance, please contact CFSI by calling 301.262.2771, email sales@crockett-facilities.com, or submit a form for a service quote. Like us on Facebook; follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+.

Sources:

Thermal Runaway: The Unexpected Killer Of Your Data Center

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2014 at . Both comments and pings are currently closed.