Precision cooling system is designed to meet the demand of data center thermal load. It has very different service and maintenance requirements compared with the general standard building air-conditioning designed for cool comfort.
However, to maximize the performance and efficiency of precision cooling systems, proper maintenance needs to be done by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with trained and certified technicians.Trained technicians have extensive knowledge of how to implement maintenance to support key systems in data centers.Integrating cooling systems into the data center infrastructure support strategy is critical, and most non-manufacturing maintenance practices lack this experience.
1. Changes in current data center cooling
The critical nature of IT equipment and the unique environment that supports its operations require the use of dedicated precision cooling systems at data center sites.Since most data centers operate 24 by 7 by 365 throughout the day, their temperature and humidity conditions must also ensure a stable level throughout the day.
Sophisticated systems are designed to cool electronic equipment.The electronic equipment produces pure sensible heat, which has no humidity and needs continuous cooling.General air conditioners designed to provide comfort are not suitable for these types of conditions.
Computers generate heat, but not humidity
That's why about 95 percent of the energy and capacity of sophisticated cooling systems is designed to remove the dry heat produced by electronics.The cooling and cooling systems of general buildings are designed to provide people with a comfortable feeling, so only about 60% of the cooling capacity is used to eliminate the heat generated by computers.In addition, 40 percent of the cooling capacity is used to remove water that normally exists in the office environment, a requirement that does not exist in the server room or network room.Excessive humidity reduction may lead to electrostatic problems or even electronic failures.
Servers and other IT devices are often designed to operate in environments that maintain a range of temperature and humidity.Exceeding these conditions can lead to performance degradation and shorten the service life of the device.
Because precision cooling systems are designed to operate continuously, their service requirements are much more stringent than those for comfortable cooling alone.It requires maintenance at greater intervals, especially for motor lubrication and other moving parts.
Precision cooling also requires humidification, which involves another set of maintenance procedures.This is crucial because electronic devices require stable moisture levels.Improper humidity levels can actually cause processor slowdowns or electrostatic problems.
Non-oem service providers may not be familiar with maintaining this type of humidification equipment.If a unit has a humidifier to reduce potential condensate emissions and fills the entire computer room, more frequent maintenance may be required.
The service people involved must look at many things and know and understand many things at the same time.This is also true for the service requirements and expertise required to perform such maintenance because precision refrigeration is very different from comfortable air conditioning systems.
Higher density means higher thermal load
In recent years, many changes have taken place in the cooling requirements of data centers and the functions that affect operations.The most important of them is the increase of thermal load density of new technology IT equipment and the increase of thermal load.Higher density thermal loads require more complex cooling techniques.
However, with the implementation of high-density rack configuration and deployment, the original data center with the traditional precise cooling configuration is used to deliver air to the air conditioning (CRAC) unit of the large computer room under the overhead floor, which may encounter some bottleneck problems.Due to the lack of cooling capacity in some high density areas, hot spots may occur.The typical underfloor exhaust may not be enough to cool these hot spots.If the auxiliary cooling is not used, the frame with load higher than 4 ~ 5 kW will be vulnerable to hot spots.
4. Increase of thermal load of data center
Even though high cooling capacity may exist in the data center machine room, if the cooling system fails, the distribution of cooling air may cause corresponding problems.Elevated floor configurations are not always designed for optimal air flow.They may be running so close to the edge of capacity that any downtime due to maintenance problems can cause problems.
The solution to these problems is to use rack - based cooling and other target cooling systems.Key cooling technologies are developing into integrated solutions based on computer rooms and networks, not just on individual HVAC units.These different types of systems require high-level service technicians with an in-depth understanding of their operations.
V. more complex cooling methods
Precision air conditioning USES a wide range of cooling media and requires professional maintenance technicians with relevant knowledge to adjust control and test systems.These cooling methods include air, chilled water and refrigerants.In most cases, these systems are more complex than general comfort cooling systems and require more attention to maintenance to provide optimal performance.
Unique energy-saving configurations such as dual cooling systems are becoming more and more popular as a way to save energy.With this option, traditional air cooling units are converted to a dual source cooling system by adding a second coil supplied by a central building cooler.The unit can be used either as a chilled water system, as a compression system, or as a combination of both.When the coolers are available, compressor operations are eliminated, reducing energy costs.
A more efficient energy saving solution in a cold climate is the combination of an outdoor fluid cooler (dry cooler and pump unit) with a chilled water coil conversion, which provides "free cooling" when the ambient temperature permits.In this case, the cooling load will not be transferred to the chiller under peak load operating conditions.
However, it is essential to operate and inspect all components of these systems on a regular basis to ensure that they are ready when needed.This requires an experienced service technician familiar with all aspects of precision cooling to serve these complex systems.
New equipment requires a new set of skills
The new generation electronic control system improves efficiency by coordinating and optimizing the operation of various cooling units in the data center.These control systems, of course, require more expertise to implement maintenance and services.Untrained equipment service personnel may actually cause the cooling system to fail in an attempt to perform adjustment or maintenance.
The new chilled water units with advanced control systems and variable frequency drives are very different from previous models.The use of advanced control systems requires well-trained service professionals.Untrained maintenance personnel, who perform routine maintenance on these types of control systems, may invalidate the warranty of the equipment.
Digital scroll compressor, using advanced electronic control and modulation to achieve more efficient operation.However, the operation of a digital vortex unit is different from that of a standard scroll compressor.The maintenance technician trained by the equipment supplier knows how to correctly diagnose the potential problems of compressor and how to carry out daily maintenance.
The unique aspect of precision cooling affects service demand
The differences between today's sophisticated data center cooling systems and those that generally provide comfort have created very different maintenance requirements in order to maintain the normal and efficient operation of data center equipment.Proper maintenance of precision cooling systems throughout their lifetime is undoubtedly important: if the precision cooling system in a data center cannot operate at its highest level, it cannot benefit the data center completely.
For example, a non-oem service source may not fully understand the complexity of cooling under the floor.The migration of IT equipment and the movement of perforated tiles that transport cooling air to the service area machine room may result in inefficient implementation of cooling equipment.Improper positioning of perforated tile may even lead to short circulation of compressor.
Humidity in the machine room may be affected by maintenance problems.Dirty air filters can affect humidity levels by acting like sponges and absorbing water.Once the clean air is fed through the filter, humidity levels can be restored to their optimum levels.Service personnel must also be able to implement other adjustments including humidifier panels and drain pipes.
The ability to make proper set-point adjustments is also important for the operation of precision cooling systems.It depends on the size of the room and how the heat load is distributed.
If the drain pipe from the evaporator coil is blocked, condensate water problem will occur, resulting in water overflow.Condensate deposited on the coil can also cause impurities to accumulate.Periodic inspection is required whether the pump or gravity drain is used for condensing water or not.If the humidifier drainage is not maintained properly, steam from the humidifier may cause moisture problems.A lack of adequate air flow through these cells may result in a buildup of condensation within the unit.
The use of forward/backward running cooling units is becoming standard practice.The cell network helps with this setup and helps prevent one cell from operating more frequently than another, causing maintenance problems.
A leak detection system is another unique element of a data center.These systems need to be checked regularly to make sure they work properly.
Service personnel trained professionally by equipment vendors know what to look for on these types of systems to prevent any problems.
The manufacturer's engineering changes, including component rework and recall, were also immediately communicated to maintenance personnel trained by the equipment manufacturer.So that they can also access any product upgrades or changes immediately.Not knowing about these updates can lead to too many replacement parts or other problems.
Service providers also need to be familiar with the types of oils and refrigerants used in precision units.Changes in the type of refrigerant used over the past few years have highlighted the importance of proper maintenance and treatment in this area.
Better equipment manufacturer training and certification services
While non-oem service providers may have the knowledge required to install precision cooling equipment, they may not necessarily have the service expertise required to ensure the best performance of these systems after installation.
The level of knowledge required to maintain a comfortable cooling system in a standard building is different from that required for an accurate cooling system in a data center.
The service technicians supported by the manufacturer are professionally trained to handle all aspects of the service.They have the knowledge and experience needed to identify areas of concern where data centers can cause problems in cooling units.
The proper functioning of a data center is critical.Technicians trained by equipment manufacturers have the resources to quickly access key service components.This access allows these technicians to quickly bring disabled units back online with minimal disruption.
Comparison of precision air conditioning and comfortable air conditioning
Unlike a comfortable cooling service, service maintainers are not allowed to leave the data center at night during maintenance and return to work the next day.The maintenance technician's goal is to minimize downtime for the unit.At the data center site, technicians can work on other units to ensure efficient operation of the data center.
OEM based services are also professionally trained to provide up-to-date software and firmware installation to help ensure proper control.Complete firmware upgrade knowledge will ensure that precision refrigeration units operate at maximum efficiency.Only maintenance technicians trained by the OEM factory can access and execute the knowledge required for these software/firmware changes.
OEM factories provide all-weather emergency services and preventive maintenance for precise cooling systems.In most cases, the service staff supported by the OEM factory can reach the data center site in about half the time required for other service providers.The service is available 24/7 in emergencies.
As a trained technician supported by an OEM factory, I have obtained differentiated service product design to help enterprise customers improve performance and energy efficiency.These include enterprise remote monitoring, control networks/upgrades, thermal assessment and computational fluid dynamics modeling.
10. Data center cooling assessment to track changing requirements
With the development and change of data center, precision cooling system will develop continuously.To ensure the best performance of the cooling system, this evolution should follow the relevant indicators collected by the service provider during the thermal assessment.
Understanding the performance of the data center cooling system is the key to planning proper maintenance.Customers need to evaluate the cooling performance of their data centers during peak capacity operation to truly understand their cooling needs.
This type of detailed analysis is the key to optimizing data center cooling.This level of research requires people with the tools to determine where the hot spots are and how to correct them.
Different types of cooling require different services
Because precise cooling systems are designed in a way that makes them very different from the comfort air conditioning of a typical building, service providers without specific knowledge of how to maintain equipment may not be ready to handle the work.Inexperienced service providers greatly increase the risk of equipment delivery failures, and service providers trained with OEM factories help ensure accurate cooling systems operate at their best performance and efficiency points.
The continuous operation of precision cooling is necessary for the normal operation of data center IT equipment.This makes its maintenance extremely important.It also makes no sense to use services from service providers that may not have the expertise to maintain their performance levels, or to potentially undermine investment in precision air conditioning in enterprise data centers.
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