WP#30 - Qualitative Analysis of Cooling Architectures

Overview

This document is The Green Grid's white paper number 30, dated 1 March 2011. Its editor is Bob Blough of Emerson. The paper compares popular data centre cooling architectures qualitatively. Each architecture has its own advantages and drawbacks, which affect energy efficiency and other aspects of the facility. The Green Grid is an industry consortium working on data centre energy efficiency, and this paper sits in its library. The date also reminds readers that it reflects industry thinking of that period.

The aim is to help readers choose the cooling architecture that fits their data centre strategy. Its approach is a qualitative assessment that sets the pros and cons of the options side by side, not a numerical calculation. That makes it suitable as a structure for comparing cooling options in a design tool, although it cannot replace a quantitative PUE and cost comparison.

Access to the paper requires a registration form, and only the publication date, editor and abstract from The Green Grid library page were used here; the full text was not read. Which architectures are covered and the details of the assessment criteria are therefore not stated here. Readers should consult the original for those details.

Key points

1. The paper is dated 1 March 2011; the editor is Bob Blough (Emerson).
2. It compares popular cooling architectures qualitatively.
3. Each architecture's pros and cons affect energy efficiency and other facility aspects.
4. The aim is to help choose the architecture that fits the data centre strategy.
5. Being qualitative, it does not replace a numeric PUE and cost comparison.

Using it in design

• In a cooling option matrix, present architectures (room CRAH, in-row, rear-door, chilled-water versus DX, economised) with qualitative pros and cons.
• Show this qualitative matrix next to the tool's quantitative PUE and cost comparison.
• Justify the choice by linking it to the client's data centre strategy.

Who should read it

Designers comparing cooling architecture options and those making investment decisions, as an introductory source.

Publication details

Authors

Bob Blough; John Bean; Robb Jones; Mike Patterson; Rich Jones; Rob Salvatore

Publisher

The Green Grid

Year

2011

Document number

WP 30

Document language

English

Source type

Industry body

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation