Airflow Management Solutions to Maximize Data Center Energy Efficiency | Legrand
As Internet traffic and demand for data center services continue to soar, data center operators face the delicate balancing act of building more data center capacity to meet the explosive demand, while simultaneously working to reach net zero targets and adhering to new and emerging government sustainability standards and regulations.
Fortunately, data center owners and operators can reduce their data centers' environmental impact and energy costs by adopting a few measures to manage cabinet airflow better and prevent the mixture of hot and cold airflows at the cabinet level.
Two Data Center Air Circulation Challenges
According to a new Legrand white paper, data centers face two problems when it comes to cooling IT equipment in cabinets. The first is “bypass airflows,” which is when cold, conditioned air goes through gaps in and around the cabinet instead of going through IT hardware to cool it down. That results in wasted energy.
The second issue is “recirculation airflows,” which occurs when cold, conditioned air cools IT equipment, picks up heat as it passes through the equipment and then goes out the back into the hot aisle. But because of gaps in the cabinet, the hot exhaust air recirculates back to the front of the cabinet, making the IT equipment hot again —causing hot spots.
Five Measures to Optimize Airflow in Data Center Cabinets
To prevent bypass and recirculation airflow, data center operators can deploy the following solutions that seal gaps and open spaces in and around cabinets, resulting in more efficient use of conditioned air and improved energy efficiency.
Solutions are as follows:
1. Cabinet airflow package. These sealing packages create a perfect seal that eliminates gaps between equipment rails and a cabinet’s exterior and significantly improves cabinet airflow efficiency.
2. Blanking plates. These plates, also called blanking panels, fill the empty space in a cabinet and separate cold and hot air. They are placed on the front rails of cabinets, directing cold air to flow through IT equipment to cool them down and prevent hot exhaust air from recirculating back into the cabinet.
3. Cable Entry Seal for Roof Layouts. These airtight seals enable cable entry while preventing hot air from seeping through the top of the cabinet. This new cable entry system works much better than brush-based alternatives and can be used in existing cabinets or as part of new data center designs.
4. Air Sealing Plinth (for raised/leveled cabinets). This eliminates gaps between the cabinet and the data center floor.
5. Sealing strip for bayed cabinets. These strips seal gaps between cabinets that are installed side by side. Research shows using these seals can provide a 53% benefit or decrease in airflow loss.
Legrand’s Family of Cabinet Airflow Optimization Solutions
Legrand offers these five airflow management solutions as part of its new cabinet airflow optimization platform.
Data center operators that use these cabinet airflow measures, combined with a hot aisle or cold aisle containment solution such as Legrand’s Nexpand Cabinets, will not only reduce power consumption and reduce their energy bills, but they will also help them reach their data center sustainability goals.
The white paper will explore new industry guidelines and government regulations on data center sustainability, such as the updated European Union Energy Efficiency Directive, which goes into effect in 2024. It will also explain the big return on investment data center operators can gain from deploying these new airflow management solutions.
Legrand offers these five airflow management solutions as part of its new cabinet airflow optimization platform.
Data center operators that use these cabinet airflow measures, combined with a hot aisle or cold aisle containment solution such as Legrand’s Nexpand Cabinets, will not only reduce power consumption and reduce their energy bills, but they will also help them reach their data center sustainability goals.
The white paper will explore new industry guidelines and government regulations on data center sustainability, such as the updated European Union Energy Efficiency Directive, which goes into effect in 2024. It will also explain the big return on investment data center operators can gain from deploying these new airflow management solutions.