ENERGY SAVING
setpoint. When commissioned the supply or return air temperature is fixed to achieve the SLA requirements.
However, load in a data centre can fluctuate with the addition/removal of different server types. Conditions change but systems are not usually recommissioned to meet the new requirements.
Software allows dynamic setpoint adjustment to accurately maintain the temperature at the server with the inclusion of strategically placed temperature sensors. This can lead to a reduction in compressor load and increase the availability of ‘free cooling’ (using ambient conditions outside to meet cooling demands inside, without the need for the refrigeration cycle). So going back to the model: Data – temperature sensors report temperatures. Information – Software monitors fluctuating temperatures vs. a fixed setpoint. Insight – software deduces that a higher equipment setpoint will still keep server inlet temperatures within allowable envelope. Action – software automatically adjusts setpoint to meet criteria, compressors are turned down.
It is not only temperature that can be adjusted. A lot of HVAC equipment can be
selected with Electronically Commutated (EC) fans which have incredibly low input power if controlled properly with airflow and void pressures optimised. If intelligent software is deployed it can monitor the air pressure and the temperature, creating an opportunity to reduce fan speeds dynamically.
Taking HVAC optimisation even further, modern software systems such as the Airedale ACIS system not only track the internal conditions and dynamically adjust the CRAC units for optimum efficiency, they also bridge the gap between the indoor and outdoor units with a dynamic or ‘floating’ chilled water
setpoint control tracked against outside ambient temperature.
With the combined monitoring and central intelligence, it is possible to dramatically increase the free cooling potential of a system and reduce the electricity consumption massively. Going one step further it is possible to
introduce heat pumps and the intelligent control of mixing valves connected to the same central intelligence to ensure waste heat/chilled water is not wasted. For example, in the winter months when building heating requirements peak, heat pumps are working hard to deliver efficient
heating. As a by-product these heat pumps are rejecting water at temperatures as low as 6°C to an evaporator.
Intelligent software connected to mechanical systems such as mixing valves allows this rejected cold water to be redirected and utilised in the data centre (or other coolin g application) a nd the water cycled back to the heat pump at similar or even slightly more elevated temperatures than can be realised from the ground or air source, reducing overall building electricity consumption.
It is clear that air conditioning is here to stay and it is clear that manufacturers like Airedale must take responsibility in ensuring the products and systems it produces minimise its impact on energy bills and, more importantly, the environment.
The growth in IoT is partly responsible for the increasing share of energy that HVAC is taking; data centre construction is at unprecedented levels. The opportunity for end users and
manufacturers alike is to take advantage of these great strides forward we have made in sensors, analytics and software and use the tools available to optimise HVAC systems in order to reduce their impact on the planet.
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