APC Launches Modular Data Centre Cooling

Power specialist APC has launched a pre-packaged cooling system for data centres, which uses outside air temperature where possible, and other methods where necessary.

The EcoBreeze system combines recent advances in data centre cooling, including evaporative cooling and the use of outside air temperatures, packaged to create an off-the-peg cooling module which can be placed alongside new and existing data centres. Launched at DataCentreDynamics, from APC by Schneider Electric

Goodbye Raised Floors

The new system is intended to replace existing cooling systems and simplify data centre buildings.  “We recommend no raised floor in a data centre,” said John Bean Jr, director of racks and cooling solutions at APC. “We recommend you use a wall diffuser.”

Outside air cooling, provided by “economisers” or “minimisers”, is now mandated by the US ASHRAE 90.1 building regulations – a decision which caused controversy amongst data centre owners such as Google, who want the freedome to use whatever cooling technology they like.

However, outside air can reduce the amount of energy required, compared with the “CRAC” air conditioning units normally used in datacentres, although it will not be usable all year round outside the colder climates of the Northern hemisphere.

Until now, economisers have been built to order, said Bean, who claimed EcoBreeze will be the first pre-packaged version of the system, offering up to 400kW of cooling in a standard 40ft long shipping container, which can be placed outside a data centre and plugged into the wall.

“A lot of people are providing economisers using components bolted together,” said Bean. “We have an all-in-one, factory-built assembly.”

Closed loop air cooling

The EcoBreeze system does not circulate outside air within the data centre itself, but keeps outside and IT air in separate systems. IT air is in a closed loop of air, which is cooled by outside air in a heat exchanger, so dirt does not get in. “If you kill two-tenths of one percent of your servers with outside air, you will offset all the savings you make by improving efficiency,” said Bean. “Is shaving a few PUE points worth that risk?”

The heat exchanger can use water to moisten on the outside of the IT system’s air pipes, allowing the system to reach the “cold bulb” temperature of the outside air and increasing the temperature difference it achieves without turning on any refrigeration.

EcoBreeze keeps the water it circulates, and kills any microbes in it using electromagnetic pulses, to avoid fouling and health hazards. Since water circulation systems add to the risks in a cooling system, that part of EcoBreeze turns off automatically when the outside temperature is low enough, said Bean.

“In dry operation, we drain the system and run on air exchange only.” said Bean. As well as reducing the operating power, this also removes any risk of the system freezing on a cold day.

Although clearly inspired as a means to help companies meet the US ASHRAE standards, EcoBreeze will sell well in Europe, Bean expects. “We notice more progressive thinking in Europe,” he said, adding that the European climate allows more hours of outside-air cooling here.

The system is not available until the first quarter of 2011, and will be “comparable with existing system” the basis of  euros-per-kW-of-cooling, said Bean.