Case Study: Reducing the Ecological Footprint of Data Center Cooling
APPLICATION
Use of Fan Arrays for Supply Air and Exhaust Air in Data Center Cooling
CHALLENGE
- Reduce Ecological Footprint of Data Center
- Increase Static Efficiency in Operating Point
- Lower Operational Cost of Data Center
SOLUTION
- Fan Wheel optimized for operational area of Data Center Cooling
- Aluminum Fan Wheel
- Airfoil Blade Geometry
RESULTS
- 10% higher efficiency
- 1.4 dB[A] quieter
- 12% less operational costs per year
- lower fire load of fan wheel
- 100% recyclable fan wheel
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Cooling data centers generates enormously high energy costs. Around 30% of the energy consumption of a data center, which is not generated by the actual IT, is accounted for by the fans used for cooling. The correct selection of the fans used can therefore make a significant contribution to reducing the operating costs of a data center. However, most of the fans do not achieve their maximum efficiency in the aerodynamic operating area of data center cooling.
punker has developed a fan wheel that achieves significantly higher efficiency in the actual aerodynamic application area of data center cooling than competitor products. It can therefore contribute to a significant reduction in operating costs. Compared to plastic impellers, punker’s aluminum impeller is also 100% recyclable and has a lower fire load.
APPLICATION
In the case considered here, a data center is to be supplied with a constant 70° F supply air temperature by means of a fan array in order to ensure optimum functionality. The fans arranged in a fan array are to dissipate a large amount of heat without additional cooling, i.e. a high volume flow rate has to be realized with low pressure. The operating points are therefore typically on the right-hand side of the fan curve.
CHALLENGE
Increasing packing densities and higher performance capabilities of data centers generate enormous amounts of waste heat, with even greater heat quantities to be expected in the future due to the ongoing further development of this trend. In order to ensure the optimum functionality of data centers, they must be cooled with efficient concepts in order to keep the extremely high energy consumption and thus the operating costs as low as possible.
The fans used play an enormously important role here: around 30% of the energy consumption of a data center, which is not generated by the actual IT, is accounted for by the fans used for cooling. The correct design of the fans used can make a significant contribution to reducing the operating costs of a data center.
However, most of the fans used for supply and exhaust air in data centers do not achieve their maximum efficiency in the aerodynamic operating area of data center cooling. Most standard HVAC fans reach their maximum efficiency towards the left of the fan curve. The fans arranged in a fan array, however, are to dissipate a large amount of heat without additional cooling, i.e. a high volume flow rate has to be realized with low pressure. The operating points are therefore typically on the right-hand side of the fan curve.
punker aimed to develop a fan wheel specifically for data center cooling applications, in particular by means of fan arrays, which could make a significant contribution to reducing operating costs and the data center’s environmental footprint.
SOLUTION
punker developed a fan wheel specifically for supply and exhaust air in data centers, where very high volume flows of up to 30,000 cfm are required at low pressure. The new data center impeller achieves significantly higher efficiency than competitor products in this area of application. The following case study shows how the operating costs of a data center can be reduced by around $US 7,000 per year with the new Data Center fan wheel by punker. Another positive side effect is a possible reduction in noise emission of 1.4 dB[A].
Assumption:
Data Center shall be supplied with constant 70 °F tempered supply air using a fan array to ensure optimum functionality.
Operating Point: 0.8 inWG | 9,420 ft³/m
Electricity rate: 0.15 USD/kWh
Power consumption in operating point:
New punker Data Center Wheel: 1,585 W = 2.12 hp | rpm = 791 1/min
punker Dprime AWA: 1,707 W = 2.29 hp | rpm = 909 1/min
Competitor: 1,936 W = 2.56 hp | rpm = 886 1/min
| Product: | punker Data Center Wheel | punker Dprime AWA | Competitor |
| Speed | 791 rpm | 909 rpm | 886 rpm |
| Power consumption in operating point: |
1,585 W | 2.12 hp | 1,707 W | 2.29 hp | 1,936 W | 2.56 hp |
| Operating cost p.a. | $US 31,240 | $US 33,645 | $US 38,158 |
| Sound power level | 82.2 dB(A) | 83.6 dB(A) | no data |
The new Data Center Cooling Fan Wheel
- blower wheel for use in data center cooling / computer room cooling
- suitable for Fan Arrays, Plug Fans
- very high efficiency in actual operating area
- airfoil blades for optimum sound
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