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Green IT: 'Cold aisle containment' - whatexactly is that all about?

Nicky TThompson: The term 'cold aislecontainment' has certainly caught on as the'on trend' expression, dominating hot aislecontainment, it seems. The principle whichcreates the term is simple and effective as a solution for improving efficiencies within a data centre or server room. But it’s not abuzzphrase that works for everyone. For me,a more comprehensive term to describe thesolution is 'airflow management', by meansof using 'containment' to control the airflow.

GIT: Going on from that comment, howdifficult is it to provide truly effective 'cold/hot aisle containment'?

NT: It's a tough one to get right. You needto seal off selected areas, in order tocontrol where the cool/hot air can go. Theaim is to draw the cool air through theequipment for the most effective cooling ofthe most important and temperaturesensitive areas. One of the challenges thatcold aisle containment ('airflowmanagement') providers face is dealing withdata centres that have evolved over aperiod of time. These are likely to be theleast efficient and therefore require the mosteffort to create the optimum operatingenvironment. Over time, a mixture ofcabinets and equipment has beenpurchased, usually from a variety ofsuppliers. The result is often a combinationof different dimensions - and colours, too!There is no such thing as 'one size fits all'when it comes to truly effective aislecontainment.

Q&A

3 2 Green I.T. March/April 2011 l www.greenitmagazine.com

Going with the Flow‘Cold aisle containment'. What does that actually mean - and is it theright term anyway? Green IT caught up with Nicky Thompson, business development director, Nubis Solutions, to get her thoughts

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3 3www.greenitmagazine.com l Green I.T. March/April 2011

GIT: How can you facilitate the process?

NT: Putting in some form of containmentwill make a difference to cooling, powerconsumption and, of course, appearance.However, investment needs to work harderthese days, so it is worth assessing the costof a less expensive solution, versus the %savings on power usage. It could be that,for a slightly higher investment, much

greater savings can be recognised. Thus the installation can often provide its ROI[return on investment] within a year.

GIT: So, when it comes to airflowmanagement, how is that managed?

NT: There are a number of ways in whichairflow can be directed, with varyingdegrees of success. Sometimes it isappropriate to use a curtain solution, forinstance, where a move is planned and a full containment solution is not going toprovide the necessary returns within thetimescale available. It is also an option to install doors at the ends of the aisles.However, while that saves a little money, in terms of outlay, any savings on coolingpower are proportionately lower. Thedynamics of an existing room largely dictatesome of the choices available. If there is a raised floor under which the ducting runs for cool air, then there will be floorvents between the rows of cabinets. So, bycontaining the cool air, you can now controlit. In this case, we level out the cabinetheights, fit a roof and end of aisle doors.The air is now being pushed through theserver racks and cools the equipment.

GIT: Of course, no two rooms are the same,as you say. So, what if the room has asuspended ceiling, for example?

NT: That kind of situation might lend itselfwell to the creation of hot aisle containment,where the hot air is guided upwards into the void created by the suspended ceiling(plenum). The principle is the same, in thatwe level the cabinets to create a uniformheight and then fix panels up to the ceiling,directing the rising hot air into the plenumfor cooling and re-circulation.

GIT: So 'containing' the air is the first step in controlling where you want it to go?

NT: Exactly - which is why I think that'airflow management' is perhaps a moreaccurate expression.

GIT: Does aisle containment affect theexisting fire protection system?

NT: It’s important that the installation ofaisle containment works with the existingroom design, as far as possible. To this end,we have designed two different roof panelsystems to accommodate different firesuppression systems. For water suppression,we have a drop-down roof panel system,which releases at approximately 58 degrees,allowing the water into the aisle. For a gassuppression system, our roof panels arefixed, so there is no need to relocate yourfire protection system or extend sprinklers.

GIT: Are the servers of racks compromisedin any way?

NT: We fully understand that data centrescontain sensitive, high tech equipment,which is why our design is such that we donot compromise the racks in any way. Wework on the basis that installing an aislecontainment solution must not be intrusive.Bespoke manufacturing means containmentcan be tailor-made to fit any rack and aislearrangement.

GIT: Can I gain access for cleaning andservicing?

NT: Absolutely. All our light panels aretranslucent and made of rigid lightweightmaterial. This allows ease of access tooverhead cabling for servicing andcleaning, while optimising lighting lux levels.

GIT: Can each corridor be secured?

NT: Yes, aisle security is available. Typically,we provide HID (swipe card) entry orkeypads, fitted to the end of aisle slidingdoors. Furthermore, both systems can beconnected to a building managementsystem. Sometimes the requirement is justfor a simple lock and key, in which casevarious options are available to suit.For more information, go to:www.nubissolutions.co.uk

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