Fundamentals of Cooling II - Humidity in The Data Center Outline

Fundamentals of Cooling II: Humidity in the Data Center Outline
Course Description:
Data center cooling is one of the most critical yet least understood of all IT environmental issues. A
thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of cooling is essential in order to achieve
peak performance of your mission-critical systems. This course expands upon the principles
learned in Fundamentals of Cooling, Part 1. Topics include humidity, temperature measurement
and control, humidification strategies and systems, demand fighting, and methods used to prevent
it, and appropriate operating thresholds for maximum efficiency and cost savings.
Course Outline:
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this course, you will be able to:
Understand key terms such as dew point, relative humidity, and saturation
Measure humidity and air temperature at strategic points in the data center
Identify internal and external factors for humidity control
Evaluate humidification strategies and systems
Recognize and prevent demand fighting situations
Understand the importance of right-sizing of cooling equipment
Agenda
Introduction
Cooling Related Devices for the IT Space
Humidity and Static Electricity
Relative Humidity and Demand Fighting
Dew Point Control
Humidification Systems
Factors Affecting Humidity Control
Humidity and Temperature Measurement
Operational Set Points
Short Cycling
Summary
Course Content or Material

1) Cooling Related Devices for the IT Space
a) Computer Room Air Conditioning Unit (CRAC)
i) A device that uses a self-contained refrigeration cycle to remove heat from the room
and direct it away from the data center
ii) Must be used with a heat rejection system
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b) Computer Room Air Handling Unit (CRAH)
i) A device that uses circulating chilled water to remove heat
ii) Must be used in conjunction with a chiller
c) Chiller
i) A device used to produce large volumes of chilled water that is then distributed to
CRAH units
ii) Humidity and Static Electricity
2) The Nature of Humidity
3) Humidity Control in the Data Center
a) Relative humidity, dew point and temperature are related
b) Controlling IT environment humidity can be achieved by maintaining relative humidity, or
by maintaining dew point temperature
c) Relative Humidity Control
i) Demand Fighting
ii) Uncoordinated CRACs fall short of cooling capacity and incur higher operating costs
iii) CRAC units have four operating modes:
(1) Cooling
(2) Heating
(3) Humidification
(4) Dehumidification
iv) All CRAC units should be operating in the same mode
v) Demand Fighting: Uncoordinated CRAC units operating in opposing modes (i.e.
dehumidifying and humidifying)
(1) Demand Fighting wastes energy and risks availability
d) Dew Point Control
i) Greatly reduces demand fighting
ii) As air increases in temperature in an IT environment its dew point stays the same
4) Humidification Systems
a) Steam Canister Humidifiers
i) Composed of water-filled canister containing electrodes
ii) Electrodes are powered to boil water and produce steam
iii) Can regulate the amount of steam they produce
iv) Ability to compensate for electrode fouling
v) Better humidity control, less electrical consumption and fewer maintenance
requirements
b) Infrared Humidifiers
i) Suspend quartz lamps over an open pool of water
ii) Intense infrared light causes the release of water vapor
c) Ultrasonic Humidifiers
i) Rapidly vibrate water to create a fog or mist
ii) Requires reverse-osmosis water purification system to supply water
iii) Smaller systems can use de-ionized water
5) Minimizing Fluctuations in Humidity
6) Humidity Measurement
a) Humidity maintenance begins with measurement
b) Measure relative humidity at the cooling air intake opening
c) Located in the front of most IT equipment
7) Rack Environments
a) Monitor humidity inside the front door
b) Monitoring points should be 2-inches (50 mm) from rack equipment
c) Top third of the rack enclosure
8) Temperature Measurement
a) Operational Set Points
9) Short Cycling
a) Short cycling - cool supply air from the CRAC unit bypasses the IT equipment and flows
directly into the CRAC unit air return duct
Summary
Environmental factors such as dew point, and relative humidity play an important role in data
center cooling
Humidity measurement and control is vital for proper data center management
Managing internal and external factors affecting humidity increases performance, and
decreases operational costs
Demand fighting occurs when data center air conditioners operate in competing modes, and
leads to increased wastes, and decreased efficiency
Maintaining proper operational thresholds ensures peak efficiency and maximizes system
longevity
Short cycling, a common cause of overheating, occurs when the cool supply air from the
CRAC unit bypasses the IT equipment and flows directly back into the CRAC unit air return
duct
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