WP#65 - Data Center Airflow Management Calculators

Overview

WP#65 is a Green Grid white paper dated 22 July 2015; its editors are Ted Brown (Seattle City Light) and Bob Landstrom (Interxion), and many authors contributed. It presents calculators that estimate energy savings from airflow-management (AFM) measures such as containment and blanking panels, and directs them at utility incentive programmes. Access requires signing in with a free Green Grid account; the record rests only on the abstract on the public page.

The paper notes that US data centre electricity use is roughly 2% of national consumption. It stresses that AFM unlocks fan energy reductions, higher cooling efficiency and more economiser hours. These three gains show that airflow management is not just a matter of tidiness but a measure that directly affects energy cost. Airflow management is the general name for measures that aim to get cooling air to IT equipment and keep hot air from recirculating; containment and blanking panels are typical examples.

The target audience is small to mid-sized data centres designed for up to 750 kW of critical load, for which custom engineering studies are not cost-effective. The paper notes that no widely accepted method for quantifying AFM savings existed; the calculators aim to fill that gap. Utilities and operators can thus use a common calculation basis in incentive applications. This audience definition also sets the usage limit of the calculators; larger facilities may need custom engineering studies.

The record does not contain the calculators' formulas, inputs or typical savings percentages; these appear only in the full text. The paper dates from 2015 and, being designed for small and mid-sized facilities, should not be applied directly to large-scale ones. Its value for a designer is a framework for how the effect of reducing bypass and recirculation on fan and chiller energy can be calculated.

Key points

1. The white paper is dated 22 July 2015; editors are Ted Brown (Seattle City Light) and Bob Landstrom (Interxion).
2. US data centre electricity use is cited at roughly 2% of national consumption.
3. AFM unlocks fan energy reductions, higher cooling efficiency and more economiser hours.
4. It targets small to mid-sized data centres designed for up to 750 kW critical load.
5. It notes that no widely accepted method for quantifying AFM savings existed.
6. The calculators are aimed at utility incentive programmes.
7. Access requires a free account sign-in; the record rests on the public page abstract.

Using it in design

• In the airflow advisor, estimate fan and chiller savings from containment and blanking (bypass and recirculation reduction).
• Expose the calculation transparently so it can be used for utility incentive applications.
• State the calculator's target audience (up to 750 kW critical load) as a usage limit.
• Present fan energy, cooling efficiency and economiser hours as separate items in the savings estimate.

Who should read it

Small and mid-sized data centre operators, utility energy-efficiency programme managers and airflow designers.

Publication details

Authors

Ted Brown; Bob Landstrom; Christa Ansberg; Victor Avelar; Stephen Bryant; Wenshu Fan; Magnus Herrlin; Michelle Lichtenfels; Jessica Rose; Ian Seaton; Enrique Castro-Leon; Lars Strong; Eloise Young

Publisher

The Green Grid

Year

2015

Document number

WP 65

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