Data centre HVAC requires maximum energy efficiency
Data processing centres require special HVAC to achieve maximum energy efficiency, as these are systems that permanently operate non-stop. Confining cold and warm areas, using freecooling systems and increasing working temperatures are some of the main current solutions.
The variety of HVAC systems in data processing centres is quite high, as explained by Luis Miguel Pedraza Sánchez, Technology and Innovation Director and member of AEFYT, the Association of Cooling Companies and their Technologies. It ranges “from large rooms with equipment set up at the perimeter, that process air and send it to the equipment through a raised floor plenum, to HVAC units that are installed between the racks (metal structures), to HVAC equipment placed inside the racks themselves, and even liquid immersion systems”.
Each type covers different challenges when it comes to heating/cooling a data centre. “The trend aims to reach a goal of maximum energy efficiency, as they are systems that operate 24/7. Confining the cool and warm areas of the rooms, using freecooling systems to reduce electricity consumption in cold weather seasons, and increasing working temperatures in the rooms are current solutions to achieve maximum energy efficiency”.