Provides updated liquid cooling guidelines for data centres

Saying that data centre rack heat loads are steadily climbing, creating a need for liquid cooling solutions to reduce the volume of airflow needed, as well as lower processor temperatures for better computer performance, ASHRAE has introduced “Liquid Cooling Guidelines for Datacom Equipment Centers”. The recently published second edition also provides best practice guidance for implementing liquid cooling systems in data centres, ASHRAE added.

ASHRAE gave further details:

• Fourth in the ASHRAE Datacom Series and authored by ASHRAE TC 9.9., the guide bridges the liquid cooling systems by providing guidelines on interface requirements between the chilled-water system and the technology cooling system and on the requirements of liquid-cooled systems that attach to a datacom electronics rack to aid in data centre thermal management.
• Also included are updated references and further information on approach temperatures and liquid immersion cooling, plus guidance on water quality problems and wetted material requirements.
• It covers definitions for liquid and air cooling, as they apply to IT equipment, along with an overview of chilled water and condenser water systems and other datacom equipment cooling options.

“There is an increasing interest in liquid cooled IT equipment at the rack, equipment and component levels,” Don Beaty, Publication Chair of Technical Committee 9.9., Mission Critical Facilities, Data Centers, Technology Spaces and Electronic Equipment, said. “There is also increased interest in reuse of the heat rejected from IT equipment. One of the more important changes to the second edition is the addition of supply water temperature classification.”

Beaty claimed that the addition of liquid classes can have a similar effect on the industry as the creation of supply air temperature classes did, which was the critical enabler to the use of economisers in data centres.

“There are five water temperature classes with the highest temperature class being >45 C (113 F), which opens up possibilities for using the rejected heat for building heating systems,” he explained.

ASHRAE gave purchasing details: The cost of “Liquid Cooling Guidelines for Datacom Equipment Centers,” second edition, is $54 ($46 ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Contact Center at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 678-539-2129, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.