October 6, 2009 -- With the introduction of Electrorack’s Contain-IT Aisle Partitioning System (APS), IT professionals can now cost-effectively retrofit their existing rack installations to create hot and cold aisles that prevent air mixing and improve cooling efficiencies.
When it comes to maximizing data center cooling efficiency, the company maintains that industry experts agree that one of the most critical things IT professionals can do is maintain separation of hot exhaust air from cold supply air.
“Data centers are dealing with increased heat loads and power densities as a result of faster equipment processor speeds, equipment compaction, and smaller form factors,” notes Todd Schneider, Electrorack’s director of marketing. “As a result, it’s now more critical than ever to manage the airflow in a data center. Our new Contain-IT design maximizes existing infrastructure with minimal investment by virtually eliminating the mixing of cold supply air with the hot air generated by equipment.”
The company notes that the mixing of hot and cold air within a data center exposes IT equipment to higher inlet temperatures, especially at the top of the rack, which can lead to equipment failures. In many uncontained data centers where there is no hot and cold air separation, CRAC units and other in-house cooling systems operate inefficiently as they over-supply an aisle with cool air to keep equipment from failing. This over-supply also results in cooler air temperatures going back to the CRAC, which then causes inefficient CRAC operation.
“In today’s economy, adding expensive mechanical cooling systems aren’t always an option,” continues Todd. “However, the modular design of Contain-IT is a low-cost alternative, and allows it to be retrofitted to almost any rack system. The system is comprised of two basic elements: sliding doors and overhead panels. The sliding doors consume very little footprint, and are available with an auto-closing feature to help maintain the integrity of the aisle containment.”
He adds, “Additionally, the translucent panels help to facilitate light dispersion and are built-to-size to meet individual requirements. The system really is designed to maximize existing cooling infrastructure for only a modest investment.”
To see a video of how the Contain-IT APS can help data center professionals separate hot exhaust air from cold supply air while improving the efficiencies of their equipment and existing cooling infrastructure, go to containitpartitions.com.
On the Web:
www.electrorack.com