 Data
Centre Thermal Design Service |
EPI Professional
Services is proud to offer a Data Centre Thermal
Design Service used to help design new data
centres or upgrade and manage existing ones.
Using powerful 3-dimensional computational
fluid dynamics modelling software, EPI Professional
Services create a virtual model of the existing
facility, from the walls and floor to the
racks and equipment in them.
The software uses mathematical modelling to
validate design assumptions and can assess
of the thermal and environmental impact of
future equipment deployments within the facility
prior to installation.
>>
Download Datasheet PDF |
 |
|
|
Problems within a Data Centre |
The present condition
of any data centre when compared to that of its
first commissioning is everchanging due to the relocation
of existing equipment and the addition of new technology.
Ever increasing power density has resulted in high-end
blade arrays capable of dissipating 15kW over a
7U space. Older data centres were not designed to
house such equipment and when installed can lead
to very high levels of local heat dissipation. This
presents an ever increasing challenge for the data
centre manager who may only posses a nominal level
of air conditioning and data centre cooling.
Server chipsets and chassis are designed to be cooled
by an optimised air flow of a specified temperature.
When a data centre houses equipment with a higher
power rating than it was designed for, these server
cooling specifications may not be met. When this
happens, it becomes increasing difficult to prolong
the effective life of a data centre..
Currently there is only one solution to resolve
these issues:
THE VIRTUAL FACILITY
|
| The
Virtual Facility |
The Virtual Facility
is a fully interactive data centre model incorporating
design, ongoing thermal optimisation and asset management.
It provides mathematical predictions and verifications
throughout the life of the real facility allowing
the data centre manager to foresee any potential
problems.
At the design stage, the virtual facility focusing
on the following:-
- Floor or ceiling plenum depths
- Rack layout and air flow containment
- AC unit positioning
- Redundancy within the facility
During the life of the data centre, its performance
can be continually maximised by focusing on the
following:-
- Providing a virtual representations of air
flow and heat dissipation at server, rack and
room level
- Tracking changes to equipment layout and specification
- Evaluating the thermal and environmental impact
of proposed changes
|
| Design |
The Virtual Facility
allows several design options to be considered,
each with their own mathematically determined outcomes
before any building work is even considered. As
a result, the final design is not based on a tentative
approach, but is a result of a professional design
process considering several options and selecting
the optimum solution. This can lead to savings on
capital and operational costs by selecting the correct
cooling and power equipment for the application
as well as avoiding costly mistakes during commissioning.
The facility is designed using the following methodology:-
- Architectural Shell
- Map Obstructions
- Raised Floor & Suspended Ceiling Layout
- Computer Room Air Conditioner Methodology
- Computational Fluid Dynamics Model
- Model Analysis & Update
|
| Problem
Solving |
Established data
centres often suffer from areas where the heat dissipated
by the equipment cannot be siphoned away by the
air conditioning units. These areas are known as
hot spots. As a data centre approaches the end of
its design life, installation and configuration
management become paramount.
In order to take an accurate snapshot of the current
performance of the data centre, a detailed survey
is undertaken, and is followed by the creation of
the Virtual Facility. The Virtual Facility is then
used to simulate several different solutions to
find the most effective before implementation. In
conjunction with 6Sigma Manager operational asset
management software, the Virtual Facility can be
used to prevent future thermal problems. |
| Future
Proofing |
|
Action
One: Creating the Virtual facility |
Action Two: Predict the Future |
Fully
interactive 3D data centre model
Inventory Log
Thermal & Environmental characteristics |
Track
historical/future inventory movement
Predict thermal impact of equipment |
|
To find out more, please call one of our consultants
on 01993 708855 or
email sales@epi-uk.com |
|
|
