CCE Market Trends 2022 by Annex Business Media

Installing fibreglass conduit Designing efficient HVAC systems Climate control for data closets

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ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR INSTALLS THREE MILES OF FIBREGLASS CONDUIT IN ONE DAY A large software company was in the process of expanding its data centre presence in the midwestern U.S. With the pandemic increasing reliance on data storage and processes, this company was anxious to move on this project, despite product delays and pandemic-related labour and material shortages. CHALLENGE The biggest challenge for this customer was time. They had set a project schedule and needed to strictly adhere to it. A PVC shortage added another wrinkle. This customer could not succumb to product delays. Additionally, the pandemic was causing labour shortages as businesses closed or slowed in an attempt to keep their workforces safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. SOLUTION The project owners studied fibreglass conduit and noted its low co-efficient of friction for smooth cable pulling, fault resistance for easy cable replacement and, of course, no burn-through elbows that eliminate repairs caused by repetitive grooving or piercing. The speedy installation also appealed to the customer, because Champion Fiberglass® conduit offered lower NECA man-hour rates compared to PVC. Fibreglass elbows are the standard for data centre projects, but fibreglass straight sections are not used as often as other conduit types. Typically, PVC conduit straight lengths in combination with fibreglass elbows are used for data centre projects. But

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supply issues with PVC have prompted electrical engineers and contractors to entertain alternatives to keep projects on track. That is exactly what happened on this data centre project. RESULTS After careful consideration, the customer settled on fibreglass elbows and straight lengths for the entire job. One of the biggest wins for this project was installation. The contractor was able to install three miles of conduit in underground duct banks in one day. Thanks to Champion Fiberglass’ unique gasketed connection conduit that requires no adhesive to connect the straight lengths and elbows, the installation took half the time as the same installation would with PVC conduit. Meeting project deadlines was another win. This project required carefully orchestrated collaboration between the Champion Fiberglass team for production and delivery and the electrical contractor for receiving and installation. There were multiple deliveries every week throughout the duration of the project and on-time deadlines were met. In addition to the project benefiting from fibreglass conduit’s low co-efficient of friction, no burn-through and fault resistance, this customer benefited from product availability, lower prices, fast installation and the ability to stay on schedule to hit milestones. They also benefited from Champion Fiberglass’ 30-plus years of project expertise to guide solutions. To learn more, visit championfiberglass.com.

July 2022

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BUILDINGS

Designing HVAC systems for data centres Efficiency is very important. By Andrew Snook

or companies that want to maintain complete control of their infrastructure, data centres are often a key component. That said, they are also energy-intensive and can be costly to maintain, so designing an efficient HVAC system for them is extremely

important. There are several key factors to consider when designing an HVAC system for data centres. “We see environmental impact, initial capital cost and capital cost being primary considerations when deciding on cooling methodologies,” says Dave Ritter, product manager for Johnson Controls. “Finding the right balance to meet space constraints, PUE (power usage effectiveness) and WUE (water usage effectiveness), while remaining scalable and cost-effective, has become more challenging in recent times.” Michael Strouboulis, director of business development for data centres at Danfoss, says the most important items to consider are rack density, the surrounding environment, uptime requirements and the targets for PUE. “Rack density and outside temperatures will determine whether an air or liquid cooling system should be used,” he says. “To meet uptime requirements, it is essential that the sub-components within the cooling equipment are of high quality, high reliability, highly engineered and tested components – such as compressors, heat exchangers, motors, fans, flow and automatic controls. Technologies such as oil-free compressors can eliminate known cooling system failure modes, such as failures due to loss of lubrication of oiled compressors.” 6

One of the more common mistakes is not taking the entire system into consideration as a whole.

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Since data centres are high energy users and we live in an era where businesses are expected (and sometimes legally obligated) to reduce carbon emissions and lower their energy costs by improving efficiency, there is a push toward sustainable data centres, Strouboulis says. “Increasingly, consulting engineers are expected to design for improved data centre operational efficiency and reduced power consumption and to employ equipment that decreases the carbon emissions of the data halls,” he says, adding that PUE, WUE and energy reuse effectiveness (ERE) all should be considered in the design process. “There is an opportunity to improve ERE by capturing and reusing the heat generated by the data centre using energy transfer stations and district energy loops for commercial, residential and industrial heat consumers nearby.” Common mistakes One of the more common mistakes sometimes made when designing a data centre is not taking into consideration the entire system as a whole. July 2022

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“The components in a data centre HVAC system must work together; therefore, the entire system must be considered in the design process,” Strouboulis says. “For example, specifying a balanced chilled water hydronic loop in the data centre is just as important as the chiller or cooling tower or variable speed pump specifications. Pressure-independent control valves and smart actuator specifications help eliminate hotspots, a very common issue, by delivering chilled water where it is needed most, in the racks with the highest loads, and help reduce commissioning time significantly. And if they are equipped with sensors that collect data about the hydronic loop, they can dynamically optimize its operation in real time.” Another pitfall is going with a design that does not permit flexibility in allowable rack density. “As IT equipment is replaced and upgraded over time, rack density will change. Data centre operators will be at a major disadvantage if the racks are not re-configurable for different rack density, potentially resulting in inadequate cooling,” Strouboulis says. “A future-proof design will use components that can ccemag.com

There is a push toward sustainability for data centres.

automatically adjust operational characteristics based on the local rack needs. And pay attention to cable management. An incorrect configuration could cause unintended blockage of air flow in the rooms.” Ritter adds that some components in HVAC systems have a 15- to 30-year life, which far exceeds the useful life of the IT equipment in the data hall, so it’s important to ensure HVAC investments are future-proofed. “For example, as thermal guidelines and rack density continues to expand, consider if designs are adaptable to take advantage of a changing landscape,” he says. Another common mistake is when companies take any unoccupied room in their office (mailrooms, empty office, janitorial closets), convert it into a data closet and rely on the existing HVAC infrastructure for climate control. “This approach may be the right choice in terms of square footage needed, but when it comes to proper climate conditions for sensitive IT equipment, it could not be more wrong. At best, these spaces are cooled using only the building’s AC system. At worst? An open window,” says Herb Villa, senior applications engineer at Rittal (see article on page 9). “A building’s existing air conditioning system—or combined heat and air conditioning system—is designed to create comfortable environments for employees; the reason they are sometimes referred to as ‘comfort systems.’ When IT racks need to be placed somewhere on-site, it’s thought that ‘any old room’ will do because AC ductwork usually terminates in these spaces. However, the reality is that even if you were to add ducts to supplement the building’s AC, relying on a system designed for humans is not a good solution for IT equipment.” Villa says there are five enclosure climate control challenges to consider that create hidden risks when relying on a building’s HVAC system: 1. Contaminants: A repurposed space can be exposed to airborne dust, gases and moisture that seep into the room and compromise the quality of the air and the performance of the equipment; these may not be adequately removed from the room using only the existing AC. 2. Reliability/redundancy: Even a short interruption in power supply to computer equipment can lead to loss of data and the same is true for interruptions in cooling. Most buildings do not have redundant cooling in place and often an AC system breakdown can last hours, a costly risk for IT equipment. 3. Comfort systems cycle on and off: The temperature in the closet will decrease when the cooling system is on and increase when it is off, resulting in temperature swings throughout the day that can stress the equipment more than a consistent MARKET TRENDS

BUILDINGS

“Increasingly, consulting engineers are expected to design for improved data centre operational efficiency and reduced power consumption,” says Michael Strouboulis of Danfoss.

Design tips Strouboulis offers the following recommendations for designing the system to be as energy efficient as possible: • Keep current and future energy density in mind. This will aid in selecting the right equipment initially and help avoid unnecessary and often sub-optimized expansion later. • Consider free cooling, to benefit from higher operating temperatures allowed by IT equipment manufacturers. • Centralize the cooling instead of using multiple modular units to increase overall energy efficiency. 8

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•

However, this must be analyzed against the need for varying cooling needs over different racks. Use adiabatic cooling to provide cooling without compression. This needs to be done with due consideration of water usage (for example, using oil- free high-pressure pumps with very-fine-misting nozzles instead of water spray grids).

Sustainable solutions Since data centres need to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, they are extremely energy intensive. Strouboulis says to create more sustainable data centres, engineers must consider PUE, WUE and carbon usage effectiveness (CUE). “With the trend toward low-GWP and low-density refrigerants, Danfoss and other manufacturers have developed compatible compressors, heat exchangers, sensors and flow controls,” he says. “Regions with favourable climate conditions are ideal for the adoption of free cooling techniques. Danfoss and others have gasketed plate heat exchangers for liquid-to-liquid free cooling as well as components for evaporative and adiabatic coolers for data centres, using specially designed oil-free high-pressure pumps and nozzles for very fine water misting that saves water.” Recovering heat from data centres and providing this heat for industrial or district energy needs is an important step in sustainability, Strouboulis adds. “Avenues for simple heat recovery with liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers or heat pumps that provide useful heat to district heating or water heating applications are worth considering when designing data centres.” July 2022

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higher temperature. Moreover, the issue is not only related to daily temperature swings, but more sustained periods that put the equipment outside the zone. Comfort cooling systems are often programmed for higher temperature set points on weeknights and weekends to conserve energy. The average temperature within a server closet will generally increase by the amount the temperature set point is increased. Combined heating and cooling HVAC systems deliver heat in winter: The same ductwork that supplies cool air to the IT closet in warmer months will deliver heated air in colder months. This almost guarantees overheating of the equipment and increases the risk of equipment failure. Inability to scale: Every kilowatt of power used by the IT equipment creates a kilowatt of heat that must be removed. If you were to add an additional rack and more equipment, the existing HVAC system would be even less capable of maintaining the ideal temperature.

HVAC

Climate control for data closets

I M AG E COU RT E SY R I T TA L .

Server rooms need targeted cooling. By Herb Villa

nformation technology (IT) managers working for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often find themselves searching their buildings for unused space to house their server enclosures. Mailrooms, empty offices, janitors’ closets—all have been ccemag.com

repurposed as data closets, holding one to a few racks. This approach may be the right choice in terms of the needed square footage, but when it comes to proper climate conditions for sensitive equipment, it could not be more wrong. At best, these spaces are cooled using only the building’s air-conditioning (AC) system; at worst, an open window. A building’s heating, ventilation and AC (HVAC) system is designed to create a comfortable environment

Most buildings do not have redundant cooling in place.

for tenants. When IT racks need to be placed somewhere on-site, it is commonly thought that any room will do, because AC ductwork usually terminates in these spaces. However, even if engineers were to add ducts to supplement the building’s AC, relying on a system designed for people is not a good fit for IT equipment. Server rooms need more targeted cooling to keep the temperature within a specific range and prevent the equipment from overheating. MARKET TRENDS

According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the appropriate range for server rooms is between 18 and 27 C (64.4 and 80.6 F). This calls for a discrete cooling system, capable of monitoring and managing the temperature of both the equipment and the room. The same system must also be capable of regulating humidity within the precise margins required by the sensitive equipment. A building’s HVAC system will not provide sufficient airflow volume for heat removal from the installed appliances; the requirements in cubic feet per minute (CFM) for comfort cooling are significantly lower than the airflow required to remove heat from the IT devices. The following are some of the hidden risks of relying on HVAC: Contaminants A repurposed data server space may be exposed to airborne dust, gases and moisture that seep into the room and compromise the quality of the air and the performance of the equipment. These may not be adequately removed from the room using only the existing AC. Reliability/redundancy Even a short interruption in power supply to computer equipment can lead to loss of data. The same is true for interruptions in cooling. Most buildings do not have redundant cooling in place. An AC system breakdown can last hours, posing a costly risk to IT equipment. Cycling on and off The temperature in the data server room will decrease when the building’s comfort cooling system cycles on and increase when it is off, resulting in temperature swings throughout the day. These fluctuations can stress the equipment more than a consistent, higher temperature would. 10

This issue is not only related to daily temperature swings, but also to more sustained periods that put the equipment outside its own comfort zone. By way of example, HVAC systems are often programmed with higher temperature set points on weeknights and weekends to help conserve energy, but server temperature should be kept more consistent. Winter heating The same HVAC system’s ductwork that supplies cool air to the IT closet in the warmer months of the year will deliver heated air in the colder months. This almost guarantees overheating of the equipment and increases the risk of equipment failure. Inability to scale Every kilowatt (kW) of power used by the IT equipment creates a kW of heat that must be removed. If the IT manager were to add an additional rack and more equipment, then the existing HVAC system would be even less capable of maintaining the ideal temperature. Liquid cooling To support midsized installations and 10 to 30-kW thermal loads in a

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Specifying a proper server room is preferable.

A system designed for people’s comfort is not a good fit for IT equipment.

small space, liquid cooling has proven one of the most effective go-to options for data closets, IT rooms and other confined areas that would otherwise rely on the building’s HVAC system. Rather than mixing massive amounts of cold air with the heat emitted from the IT equipment to achieve the appropriate temperature, liquid cooling is targeted and wastes less energy. A closed-loop configuration can maintain rack temperatures completely independently of room conditions, while an open-loop configuration can instead maintain a constant room temperature by cooling both the rack equipment and other equipment in the same room. A set point temperature is maintained as heat loads vary, ensuring precise climate control. These server rack cooling units are adaptable to a variety of applications and locations, require only a small footprint and are generally easy to maintain. Optional features include ongoing monitoring, remote notifications, tool-less fan replacement and variable capacity for heat loads. Herb Villa is a senior applications engineer with Rittal. For more information, visit www.rittal.ca/datasolutions.

July 2022

I M AG E: G ORODE N KOF / A D OB E STO C K

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