A 19-page white paper from APC by Schneider Electric explains the ABCs of economizers used to cool data center facilities. Authored by John Niemann, product line manager for row and small systems cooling products; John Bean Jr., director of innovation for racks cooling solutions; and Victor Avelar, senior research analyst; the paper provides terminology and definitions for the various types of economizer modes and compares their performance against key data center attributes.
"In certain climates, some cooling systems can save over 70 percent in annual cooling energy costs by operating in economizer mode, corresponding to over 15 percent reduction in annualized PUE [Power Usage Effectiveness]," the paper's executive summary says. "However, there are at least 17 different types of economizer modes with imprecise industry definitions making it difficult to compare, select, or specify them." The paper provides readers with insight into these modes, and includes the following sections.
- Purpose and function of economizer modes
- Types of economizer modes
- Comparison of the different economizer modes
- Factors that impact economizer mode operation
- Eliminating or reducing non-economizer modes in cooling systems
You can download the paper directly from the Schneider Electric site, here.