info on datacenters and servers?

[nounou]

Hi,
I'm starting a little project about cooling datacenters with something less power hungry than air conditioning...
Does anybody have figures of quantity of energy used by air conditionning in datacenters, maximum temperature that servers can stand, and any data, info, advices regarding this subject...
The other question is: could a datacenter be cooled by renewed air from outside and not recirculated air, and is there any problem as consequence of it (need filters for air and what size of particle must it filter? ) ...
thank you
noun'

[countach44]

Here's some guidance for you:

72F degrees is the highest I've heard - but that's hot. I know we like ours at 60-65.
Regarding outdoor stuff: temperature isn't the only factor to consider. One thing you need to control heavily in a datacenter environment is humidity. Outside air is probably more humid than your servers would like. Thing is, a dehumidifier runs with a compressor and condenses the air, just like an air conditioner. The thing about recirculated air is that you basically create a heat cycle (think thermodynamics). If you've ever been in a datacenter, you'll notice they have hot and cold aisles. Basically, what happens is they send chilled air through a cabinet and then collect the same air at the back, send it through the ceiling and rechill it in the process. If you bring outside air in, you're adding a lot of complexity to the cycle.

All that being said, I am by no means a data center infrastrucute expert. So if someone else tells you something I said was wrong, there's a good chance it is.

[nounou]

thanks countach44,
I still move forzard on my project and each info is valuable.
well obviously there are more and more datacenters from the datas I gathered that are ready to go higher in temperature as the cost of energy for each degree is to be taken very seriously.
Some are now allowing up to 82ºF The system I think about cost only 10% of the cost of normal air conditioning but reduces the air only at 77º for an air taken at 104º and work much better with air taken from the outside , not so much on recirculated. The humidity is brought up to 60-70% with this process or more if the outside air is already carying a lot of humidity.
This system on normal working conditions reduces air temp by 50ºF
Do you think this would be compatible with datacenters conditions?
the more I have datas the more I think it is, and really much more economical and ecological....

[countach44]

http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.c...261265,00.html

Honestly, if the humidity in our datacenters gets above 60%, people start getting all kinds of emails and pages - I don't actually remember the threshold since it's only happened once. But I was getting emails every minute when it was 65% or so.