Portable Cooling
Part 1: Beat the Heat: Identifying Proper Supplemental Cooling Device a Complex Process
Part 2: Computer Servers can Function as Heat Sources
Part 3: Keep Cooling Needs in Mind for Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Part 4: Cooling Equipment Needs Vary by Client
Beat the Heat: Identifying Proper Supplemental Cooling Device a Complex Process
By Dan Hounsell, Editor - February 2013 - HVAC
The heat is on in institutional and commercial facilities. As advanced technology has expanded in recent years, so has the pressure on maintenance and engineering managers to keep key pieces of equipment cool and operational. To meet this evolving need in facilities, managers often specify supplemental cooling equipment.
The task is complex. First, managers have to gather essential information on heat sources in the space to be cooled, including computer servers, telephone-switching equipment, backup power supplies, and lighting and HVAC equipment. Then they have to determine the most appropriate cooling equipment for the data center or server room. Unfortunately, moving through the process efficiently and thoroughly can be time-consuming, and managers cannot always provide complete information.
"We've seen it all, or I'd like to think so," says Clark Michel with Atlas Sales & Rentals Inc. "We've seen some managers e-mail us a spreadsheet in advance with everything in the room and the electrical consumption of it, so we have most of our homework done before we get there. Then we've seen other situations where people have no idea how to approach it, and they want us to take it from the start."
Unfortunately for managers, the stakes are high.
"If you select a unit that is too large for the application it will cycle more frequently and reduce the life of the unit, says Eddie Stevenson with MovinCool/DENSO Sales. "If you select a unit that is too small, then you will have insufficient cooling and potentially harm equipment or cause discomfort to people."
