Data centers and VAV design opportunities

The continuous improvements in microprocessor technology, and thus subsequently to server technology, directly impacts the HVAC design. Servers that are more resilient to a wider range of temperature and humidity levels allow the data center operators to consolidate more machines into common racks thus significantly increasing the density of the heat gain. The incorporation of variable volume airflow technology into the HVAC systems, in order to parallel the internal server cooling operation, has provided significant improvements to the stability of the process environment. Chilled water CRAH units are increasingly installed with VAV components. These applications include the use of either electronically commutated (EC) fans or variable frequency controllers on standard centrifugal fans. The introduction of the in-row cooling concepts, utilizing cold aisle containment, has proven to be a great way to utilize existing chilled water capacity such as piping services under a raised floor in order to increase the white-space efficiency of server deployment.