DATA CENTRES & CABLE MANAGEMENT
mean higher operational and running costs for any ventilation equipment. Even the CRAC equipment can benefit from the inclusion of thermal breaks, with any fixture that penetrates the building envelope needing a low thermal conductivity material to prevent thermal bridging as much as possible. To reduce the energy consumption and costs of running the air conditioning machinery, it is becoming increasingly more frequent to see data centres being constructed in colder climates to mitigate the temperature issues found when they’re located in warmer parts of the world.
For example, Virginia US is known as the data centre capital of the world with nearly 300 data centres scattered across Loudoun, Fairfax, and Prince William counties. Thanks to plenty of affordable land, low-cost energy, little threat of natural disasters and a robust fibre network, Northern Virginia was soon viewed as an ideal place to host data centres.
Thermal bridging is a term coined to describe the transfer of energy / temperatures through a building envelope, at any connection where the envelope is penetrated, the opportunity arises for energy to travel through, bringing warm temperatures into cool areas and vice versa. These make it increasingly difficult to pre-empt temperatures, control them and maintain them. To combat thermal bridging, a solution known as a thermal break can be installed at each point where the envelope is compromised. Thermal breaks are materials with low thermal conductivity properties that can be incorporated within the structure of a building to
help reduce energy loss. Incorporating thermal breaks within a build will provide economic benefits too. With the innovative materials working to continuously isolate the building envelope, less money will need to be spent on running costly air conditioning or venting units, as the interior temperatures will hold more effectively with these insulation methods. Thermal breaks can be included within a number of locations, including within the foundations, roofing systems, cladding, masonry walls and more. This is a whole range of areas that would potentially allow for temperature transfer to occur which would
Colder climates haven’t always seemed feasible due to the lack of proximity to an IT team and to service end users, and the lack of available connectivity and power sources. But, in recent decades, Google and Facebook have both famously commissioned data centres in colder climates, taking advantage of the geographical location to help with keeping the inside environments cooler for the servers. Even with the assistance of cold outdoor temperatures, it’s still imperative that the interior temperatures in data centres are isolated, as its recommended temperatures don’t even fluctuate more than five degrees. Thermal breaks are an essential key to maintaining optimal operating conditions, enhancing equipment reliability, mitigating risks associated with overheating, and contributing to overall energy efficiency and economic sustainability in data centres.
Clivet hp BSEE
Mar24.indd 1 Read the latest at:
www.bsee.co.uk
6/2/24 14:50 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MARCH 2024 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
