Cool Solution to an Overheated Problem - a DPS case study

25th November 2009

 

Spending almost 50 per cent of datacentre energy outlay keeping IT equipment cool enough to operate effectively represents a huge cost. Metrics such as Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency (DCIE) and two most commonly applied to help datacentre managers establish energy efficiency, but they are merely indicators of the extent of the problem as opposed to offering any intelligent management solution that could lead to a reduction in costs.

 

Basic heat bank

Although the DC Manager knows how much energy is expanded on cooling, he may not be in any position to do anything about it. There is usually only one alternative, which is also the most expensive; simply maintaining a constant temperature throughout the entire data centre server room and monitoring equipment for hot-spots. However, a more intelligent and cost-effective solution is to monitor individual pieces of equipment and their local environment, as well as the room as a whole; with the ability to adjust environmental cooling requirements accordingly. Using this intelligent approach costs can be cut without compromising operational requirements or equipment longevity.

 

However, the development, testing and subsequent successful installations of such air-conditioning systems needed to achieve that desired level of control are not without their problems. Amongst others, Japanese-based Hitachi has developed a state-of-the art air conditioning solution for data centres, designed to dramatically reduce cooling costs. However, during development they came across a sticking point - namely how to test their equipment in a non-operational environment. The company contacted relevant electrical suppliers throughout Japan searching for a suitable solution without success, before stumbling across Data and Power Solution's UK website. Here they found details of a heat bank product, which they believed with modification, would be ideal for their testing purposes.

 

It was at this point that Hitachi contacted Sam Riley, head of operations at Data and Power Solutions. HEU required two heat bank units in standard rack cabinets which were to simulate racks of concentrated blade server processors. They needed to be constructed and tested before delivery to Hitachi's EU demonstration computer room at Sefton Park, where potential customers could assess the effectiveness of the Hitachi cooling solution.

 

It wasn't the sort of request that Sam Riley receives everyday but showing a great deal of adaptability, innovation and not least technical knowledge he managed to come up with the perfect solution for Hitachi. His team delivered two heat banks units capable of generating 20kilowatts and adjustment in one kilowatt increments with in-built safety to prevent overheating and ensure operation within specified periods.

 

Both heat banks hold five separate heater units comprised of four heat elements and one fan that starts automatically upon switch on. Each individual heater unit is capable of generating 4kwatts of heat using 1kwatt heat elements, fitted with separate power supplies that can be either manually switched on or off, or remotely controlled over TCP/IP. Individual heat elements cut-out for five minutes once an agreed threshold temperature is reached.

 

The technical specification for the Rack PDUs includes 16 amp 3phase units with an online meter for each phase and fitted with 12 power outlets. A total of two remotely managed PDU's per rack were installed. The 63 amp 240 Volt power supply to each rack was to be split into two 16Amp 3phase supplies to the PDUs.

 

The innovation comes with the utilisation of DPS's remotely managed PDU's within the racks as controllers for each of the heat elements. This allows test staff at Hitachi to remotely control the power supply, via software a program, to each of the heat elements allowing the setting of different combinations of heat levels to simulate different blade server set-ups.

 

The heat banks now installed at Sefton Park enable Hitachi to simulate a multitude of server environments allowing the recreation of any potential customer's rack environment. Because of DPS's ingenuity in delivering the required heat bank solution, Hitachi can now provide an accurate demonstration of how cooling costs can be controlled by utilisation of their localised air conditioning equipment and how data centre managers can cut costs and increase efficiency.

 

For more information of heat bank purchase or rental, call us on +44 1823 275100