Life in the Data Center

Keeping it Cool – The Mechanicals

So you have a data center.  Is it really a data center?  LAN Closet?  Telco Closet?

How do you keep it cool?  There are many ways to keeping these areas cool.  And unfortunately some work, and many do not, and not everyone knows how.  Most professional engineers (PE) can keep a small IT space cool.  But throw in a cabinet with unique cooling requirements, shape the room a little weird, or just plain have significant cooling requirements, it all goes out the window. You need a PE with data center experience.  You need a GC with data center experience.  You need a mechanical firm with data center experience.  In other words, data centers are not run of the mill stuff.  So unless you are not interested in 24/7, you need specialized partners who know how to work in a LIVE data center.  Because once it is built, there will be changes, and most people can not shutdown a data center.  I know we can not.  And if it’s not done right the first time.  Then you get to do it all over again.

Over the next few months, I’ll post on a project where we did all of the following.  With no downtime!  Lots of planning  and coordination.  It was a bunch of all nighters and lots of weekend work.  But the payoff was worth it. We have awesome data center and it’s exactly what we wanted from day one.  Just took us longer to get it.  Almost two years.  Most was done in the 1st year, but end to end it was two years.  The key was no downtime.  downtime=bad=resume generating event!  DOOH!

In a nutshell we….

1. Moved into a newly acquired and renovated building.  Part of the renovation was the built out of a new data center.  Noticed numerous hot spots within the data center at approximately 1/3 of the room’s load.  Not a good first sign.
2. After going live, we analyzed the data center and figured out we had issues with the cooling system.
3. We hired another PE, not the one who did the original design, and we identified the issues.
4. The computer room air handlers (CRAH’s) were undersized and in the wrong spot.  Air was not moving where we needed it.  The hot air was mixing with the cool air.
5. The PE’s report was excellent and we formulated a new plan.
6. Built a new mechanical room next to the data center.
7. Built a new chilled water supply and return to the mechanical room.  Tied it into the existing riser.
8. Installed two new CRAH’s.
9. Installed new supply ducting.
10. Created a common header for the chillers.
11. Added a new pump to the chillers supplying the cold water.
12. Now the cold air and hot air were moving as expected.  Hot spots are gone.
13. Tied everything into the existing fire control system.  Tested it.
14. Installed a new building management system just for the critical IT systems.

I am tired just typing it.  But it was worth it.