Thermal Management Challenges of the Data Center

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Thermal Management Challenges of the Data Center
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• It is an established fact that managing the
  airflow within the data center is an important
  step in planning of the data center.
• The placement strategy of the server racks
  depends on how the cooling equipment will be used
  for the data center infrastructure.
• However, when it comes to the thermal management
  planning for a data center, there are quite a few
  challenges.
• The challenge starts with the fact that there is
  no one size fits all when it comes to a thermal
  management strategy. Every data center has its
  unique set of challenges governed by factors
  like

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• Type of equipment used
• Quality of the equipment
• Cost and budget allocation
• Location of the data center
• Climate of the area of the data center

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• Still, considering that these are some of the
  common challenges when it comes to thermal
  management strategy, a rough plan can be devised
  consisting of the steps to access the capacities
  of the equipment used and their maximum density
  capability.
• Therefore, when it comes to planning a data
  center, the following capacities should be
  considered
• Source Whitepaper Determining the Power,
  Cooling, and Space Capacities when Consolidating
  Data Centers

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• Bulk capacity of the data center Measure of
  usable capacity of power systems in the data
  center generators, UPS systems. The aim is to
  identify the power systems with the lowest usable
  capacity.
• Bulk capacity of the cooling equipment Measure
  of usable capacity of cooling equipment in the
  data center chillers, cooling towers. The aim
  is to identify the minimum capacity of the
  cooling equipment.
• Power distribution capacity Measure of the
  usable capacity of the PDUs within the data
  center. The aim is to identify the capacity per
  row or pod and then the total capacity.
• Cooling distribution capacity Measure of the
  usable capacity of the cooling distribution
  systems such as CRACs. The aim is to identify the
  capacity per row and then the total capacity.
• Data center capacity Total minimum capacity
  calculated from the above 4 capacities.
• Data center load The IT load that a data center
  can take up over a period of time, keeping the
  maximum capacity in mind.

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Energy Efficiency of Data Centers

• The growing usage of data centers across the
  globe has raised a concern regarding the
  increased energy consumption.
• The reduced size of equipment has given rise to a
  new challenge in the form of increased energy
  consumption. Better the equipment, more the
  energy it consumes and that is the norm.
• Typically, in a data center, 50 of the energy is
  consumed by the IT equipment, 33 by the cooling
  equipment and 17 is taken up by the power
  distribution equipment Source White paper
  Thermal Management Challenges in
  Telecommunication Systems and Data Centers.
• And with the growing cost of energy and the
  rapidly increasing size of data centers, the cost
  of electricity is almost 12 of the total
  expenditure incurred by the owning organisation.

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Total Cost of Ownership

• The cost of building a data center is a major
  factor when it comes to managing the heat and
  cooling of the equipment.
• Which is why a smaller data center has more
  concentrated heat fluxes, increasing the need for
  the cooling system and air flow management.
• A smaller data center may also be affected with
  the increased acoustics of the operating
  equipment, leading to high noise levels, not fit
  for human maintenance.
• The cost saved on floor space may be later used
  up in the increased and more effective cooling
  techniques.

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• Challenges to thermal management start right from
  the component level of the equipment and go up to
  the system level of the data center.

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Components

• The challenge here starts from the transistors
  and the heat emitted from them when the equipment
  is in use. Even a small data center can consist
  of number of transistors which may culminate into
  major emission of heat, not to mention power
  leakage. Denser packaging of transistors and
  leakage of current from effective cooling
  techniques pose a major challenge in energy cost
  savings.

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Placement of Equipment

• The transfer of heat caused by the placement of
  equipment places a challenge in the thermal
  management strategy of a data center. There have
  been efforts to reduce such heat transfer for
  better energy efficiency.

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Cooling Equipment Standards

• Every company has its own set of guidelines when
  it comes to cooling equipment used. This lack of
  all-encompassing standards for the usage of
  cooling equipment causes varying costs of
  equipment and messy budget. An industry-wide set
  of standards can definitely help in managing the
  cost of cooling equipment for a data center.

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• The data center strategy for any company is
  driven purely by revenue. Therefore, it is
  imperative that companies research clever
  techniques for thermal management while investing
  in the right equipment for the right purpose
  keeping all the other factors in mind such as the
  climate and the humidity of the location. Taking
  these factors in mind can contribute to smart
  thermal management with low costs. A win-win
  situation.