DATA CENTRE COOLINGDA A CENTRE COOLING
Air of confidence
With worsening air pollution throughout the world, many data centres in urban areas are experiencing an increase in mechanical failures due to poor air quality. This highlights the pressing need for an eff ective air fi ltration system, says Mark Taylor of Camfi l.
T
here are now more internet-connected devices than there are humans on planet Earth and global internet traffic is projected to rocket from 2,000GB per second in 2007 to a whopping 150,700GB/sec by 2022. The mission-critical data centres needed to service this colossal demand are under relentless pressure to perform uninterrupted. One of the biggest threats to this is an increase in mechanical failures caused by poor air quality which highlights the need for effective air filtration.
Indeed, cooling is one of the most important considerations the UK data centre market. It is estimated at 6.4GW of power annually accounting for about half the energy consumed. The good news is that the extraordinary stresses placed on data centres caused by pollution can be prevented from the outside in by providing air purification at a molecular level. Indeed, the ravenous appetite for power of heating and ventilation systems can be dramatically reduced by installing low energy air filters which have the least air flow resistance, cut power consumption and reduce filter change frequency.
Filtration products keep the air clean and maintain reliability of electronics while also preventing damage caused by air pollution, decreasing running costs and lowering the carbon footprint.
44 November 2019
To remain operational, data centres must be cooled to a specific temperature, and the physical equipment must be protected from the elements to avoid costly breakdowns. The most remorseless threat to the sustainability of a data centre is the corrosion of electronic components, which can lead directly to a mechanical or system failure. Pollutants that are drawn in from the outside through ventilation systems and through doorways that open when employees enter or depart the facility typically cause this corrosion.
Although a variety of noxious gases can lead to corrosion, the most common contaminants that infiltrate data centres are sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and particulate matter, also known as PM.
PM comprises a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. Its major components are sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust and water. PM10 is the fraction of all airborne particles =/< 10 microns (µm) in size.
PM2.5 is the fraction of all airborne particles =/< 2.5µm in size.
PM1 is the fraction of all airborne particles =/< 1µm in size (1µm = 1/1000th of a millimetre).
PM contaminants can corrode key electrical components inside data centres and that can cause electrical shortages, discharges and physical deterioration of equipment. They can also break down computer circuitry as well as metal, and they can also cause malfunctions in the flow of electricity, which can lead to blackouts, or burn out the electronic components in a data centre due to electricity flowing through the wrong circuit. One little-known fact about air pollution is that it accelerates the accumulation of salt in the air. Salt is a main generator of corrosion, which is why poor outside air quality can cause problems in the deterioration of electronic components in data centres. Of course, data centres are built to rely on components working together at the same time, so any disruption of one function will have negative consequences on the entire system.
One of the biggest problems with poor air quality in data centres is the fact that indoor pollutants can compromise the cooling system. This either means that the cooling system breaks down, or that more power is required to generate cooling air to keep the components functioning.
That’s why any company operating a data centre must act pre-emptively to negate the effects of poor indoor air quality with an
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