London facility that had already targeted energy reduction
Recommended changes:
Phase 1
- Further air management – improved grille placement, blanking plates, and sealing of gaps in cabinets and floors
- Increased CRAC set points and free cooling
- Retrofitting of VFDs (to enable reduced fan speeds).
- Reduced fresh air volume of AHU (previously over-supplied)
- Lighting controls (previously lights were permanently on)
Phase 2
- Semi-containment (25% of the facility)
- Further increase of CRAC set points
- Reconfiguring of CRAC fan speeds in UPS room and data halls
Phase 3
- Semi-containment (remaining spaces)
- Further increase of set points
- Study of supply control and subsequent upgrade of control cards
- Removal of unrequired under floor cabling
- Solar gain window film
- Study of pump controls
Two award winning Tier III facilities wanted to make further improvements to their energy performance
Recommended changes:
Air Management
- Seal air gaps to reduce bypass (data halls), reduce flow rate (LV switchrooms), relocate poorly placed grilles (MDF), redirect air to IT intake (MDF)
Energy
- Run all AHUs at a lower fan speed (data halls)
- Reduce pressure set points (data halls)
- Replace pressure sensors with ones with a tighter range (data halls)
- Reduce flow rates in LV switchrooms
- Allow higher temperature in LV switchrooms (no batteries)
- Reduce pressure set points (MDF)
Risk
- Review and improve standard and emergency procedures
London facility. Some energy saving best practices had already been targeted
Recommended changes:
- New UPSs to replace single unit
- CRAC unit upgrades
- Ultrasonic humidification (very low energy)
- Implementation of 4 No. glycol pumps with VSDs, and lowering of fan speeds
- New PMS (power monitoring system) Front End
- Replace DAC (dry air cooler) fans with EC direct drive units
- Replacement of 3 No. chillers because of R22 gas use
Target energy savings whilst managing risk at Swindon facility
Recommended changes:
- Install blanking plates
- Curtains (for containment) and return grilles to network rows
- Reduce pressure set points
- Seal gaps in aisles where cabinets are missing
- Relocate poorly placed floor grilles
- Cold aisle containment
- Review scoop direction
- Change cabinet doors to increase open area/airflow
- Angled grilles
- Improve processes for Colo installations
Target energy savings whilst managing risk at Santiago campus hosting facility with cooling towers
Recommended changes:
Improve air management throughout the facility:
- Take temperature readings for IT and cooling equipment
- Establish levels of bypass, recirculation, negative pressure and air availability
- Install air management best practices – blanking plates, grille replacement to improve air flow, rotate backward facing equipment, cold aisle containment and sealing of cable holes.
Improve PUE:
- VFD fan installation
- Optimise humidity control
- Descaling of cooling plant
- Lighting automation
- Change set points of generator heaters
Improve teamwork:
- Better communication between teams and improved excellence, quality and compliance.
Target energy savings whilst managing risk at campus of legacy hosting facility in Chile with chilled water & DX cooling
Recommended changes:
- Improve/implement free cooling
- Descaling of cooling plant
- Improve air management
- VFD fans and reduced fan speeds (once air management has been improved)
Help low energy design reach full potential at direct air free cooling facility in Dublin
Recommended changes:
Air management
- Measure and monitor air performance metrics
- Seal air gaps to reduce bypass air in data hall
- Revise rack and hardware deployment and decommissioning processes to include air management
Energy
- Optimisation of control strategy
- Reduce fan speeds in line with flow availability requirements
- Analysis of data hall pressure profile
- Replace pressure sensors with ones with a tighter range
Risk
- Review and improve standard and emergency procedures
