Sealing Cable Openings with KoldLok

In our first blog article “Data Centre Cooling – The Issues (Part 1)” we briefly touched on sealing cable openings in the raised floor environment with KoldLok raised floor grommets. Today we are going to take a closer look at the vital role KoldLok plays in the Data Centre.

With today’s servers generating more heat output, keeping the Data Centre cool and operating efficiently is a major consideration and getting sufficient cold air to them is vital. The answer some result to is to add to the cooling capacity by installing more cooling units. A better solution is to make the current cooling system more efficient, by reclaiming the lost cooling that leaks from unmanaged holes in the Data Centre floor. By sealing the cable openings you reduce bypass-airflow, increase the static pressure under the floor and improve the cool air delivery through the perforated tiles and floor grates.

KoldLok, from Upsite Technologies, is a range of eight specially designed raised floor grommets that provide an effective seal over the cable openings, whilst still allowing the cables to easily pass through them (an example of this can be seen on our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/edpeurope). Most of the range features a double layer of static dissipative filaments, where the thicker under layer filaments support the top layer. The static dissipative filaments prevent static build up on the cables, and the grommets themselves can be integrated with the raised floor static dissipation system, providing 1 GigaOhmn of resistance. By sealing each cable opening it is estimated that you will save about 2kW of cooling, multiple this improvement by the number of openings you have and the cost savings are easy to see.

The KoldLok Range:
KoldLok Integral Raised Floor Grommets
There are two Integral KoldLoks: The Integral and The Split Integral. Both of these provided a flush fit to the raised floor tile. They are predominantly used in new installations prior to the installation of communications or power cabling.
KoldLok Surface Raised Floor Grommets
There are three Surface KoldLoks: The Surface, Surface L and Surface XL; the Surface L and XL use the same Surface grommet but have additional metal plates that allow them to seal larger openings. Surface grommets are used to seal a variety of existing cut outs in the raised floor. The grommet consists of two interlocking halves which allow them more flexibility and ideal for use in existing installations.
KoldLok Extended Raised Floor Grommets
There are two Extended KoldLoks: The 3” Extended and 6” Extended. They are designed to seal openings around the perimeter of a room, but their black anodized aluminium alloy filament holder can be disassembled for custom modification.
KoldLok Mini Raised Floor Grommets
The KoldLok Mini is the smallest KodLok raised floor grommet, designed to seal small 6” x 4” openings. It is the first KoldLok that is fire rated and features a single, angled set of brush filaments that provide a 95% to 98% effective seal.

To find out more about KoldLok raised floor grommets and what they can offer, and the other innovative products that help improve Data Centre cooling issues, visit our website https://www.edpeurope.com/ or contact our sales team at sales@edpeurope.com.

Floor Grilles – The Part They Play In The Data Centre

In previous blog articles we have examined ways of improving and optimising existing under floor airflow, and addressing other Data Centre cooling issues. Today we are going to look at the Triad floor grille which improves how the under floor airflow is distributed in front of the racks.

For the last 40 years it has been the responsibility of the raised floor to provide the cooling to the Data Centre. Air is sent into the under floor plenum, while perforated tiles are placed in front of the server racks. The hope is that air will rise through these perforated tiles and be pulled through the servers. This system has been relatively effective as heat loads from the servers have been very low. However, over the last few years Data Centre servers have been asked to do much more with the introduction of virtualisation products (VMWare), video, digital security, IP telephony and CRM / ERP applications. This growth in server usage has seen an increase in rack power requirements, resulting in a rise in heat output. With higher heat loads within the server racks, inefficiencies in the raised floor cooling system have become highlighted. As Data Centre managers attempt to combat hot spots they often decease set points to make the room colder.

According to Eaton “As much as 30 to 60 percent of the Data Centre utility bill goes to support cooling systems”; so finding ways to reduce this cost is beneficial both on expenditure and to the effect on the environment. Poor airflow management reduces both the efficiency and the capacity of computer room cooling equipment; it can also affect the longevity of I.T. equipment.

In a study of ‘Airflow in the Data Centre’, Dr. Bob F. Sullivan and Kenneth G. Brill, of the Uptime Institute, estimate that only 28% of the air in the raised floor airflow system actually gets to the servers. This means 72% of the air is wasted, and is only present so as to guide the other 28%. We are, in effect, using air to divert air. As a result it often means that Data Centres are using on average 2.6 times more cooling than is necessary, but can still be suffering from hot spots.

One of the causes of this inefficiency is the standard flat bottom floor grilles used in the cold aisle, which cause short cycling. As air passes under the grille it creates a pull on the hot air above and drags it into the plenum causing a mix of hot and cold air (known as the Venturi effect). Another issue flat bottom grilles have is that they have no dissipation; this means the cool air can not break through the boundary layer of heat across the front of the racks. The fact that the air can not break through the boundary layer leads to poor stratification resulting in temperature discrepancies between the bottom and top of the racks – the result hot spots.

This inefficiency has lead some companies to move away from raised floor cooling to more active solutions such as liquid cooling. These systems are often 10 times more expensive than there passive counterparts. So, from a capital outlay perspective the ideal solution would be a passive cooling system that’s able to supply air to the front of the servers, and capable of delivering it to the top of the rack. Could this be possible? The simple answer is Yes!

The Triad floor grille is different from standard flat bottom floor grilles. It is constructed in such a way that it ensures a positive airflow out of every part of the tile; the result is no short cycling. The design of the Triad floor grille diverts the air to the servers and creates a greater dispersion pattern that enables the air to penetrate the boundary layer of heat.

So why is the Triad grille so different? The Triad floor grille features a unique Hi-Plume Stratification fin which redirects and concentrates the available airflow into the front of the racks far better than standard flat bottom grilles. It also enables the air to stratify to the top of the racks, so ensuring that the servers at the top of the rack are correctly cooled. The curved shape of the fin creates a greater dispersion pattern that has the effect of “bending” the air outwardly so that it can flow into the servers and up to 7’, the result allows the Triad grilles to be deployed in a chequer board layout, resulting in less grilles being required. The effectiveness of the Triad floor grille allows the Data Centre to be cooled at much higher temperature set points; the result - Savings in energy costs.

Apart from the Hi-Plume fin the Triad grille also features TopSat leveller adjusters that enable the level to be adjusted both vertically and horizontally, allowing the Triad grille to fit flush to the existing raised floor. It also has dual Lift-n-Lock integrated handles that enables the grille to be lifted without the need of suction cup lifters. There are also optional dampers and baffles that can be fitted for greater airflow control.

To find out more about the Triad floor grille please visit http://www.edpeurope.com/ or contact our sales team by e-mailing sales@edpeurope.com.

Data Centre Cooling - Cold Aisle Containment

So we have already looked at ways in which Data Centre cooling can be improved by correctly laying out the Data Centre floor, sealing cable openings using KoldLok raised floor grommets, blanking unused rack space with EziBlank, HotLok & PlenaFill blanking panels, and channelling the flow of cold air directly to your cold aisles with PlenaForm under-floor air baffles. All of these solutions will help improve the cooling efficiency of the Data Centre. The next area we will look at is Cold Aisle Containment systems.

Cold Aisle Containment Systems are recognised as a simple, yet highly effective means of keeping servers cool whilst at the same time reducing the amount of energy used to cool the Data Centre. Maintaining the correct temperature in your Data Centre results in fewer equipment failures and so improves business continuity. Cold Aisle Containment concentrates cold air exactly where it is needed so, instead of cooling the whole Data Centre you only need to cool specific areas within the room. The rest of the room can be maintained at higher temperature set points, which significantly improves the efficiency of your cooling system, while reducing energy costs and, subsequently, your carbon footprint.

Most Cold Aisle Containment Systems are designed to work with specific manufacturers’ own racks. EDP Europe’s aisle containment system is a non-intrusive, bespoke retrofit to existing Data Centre installations, regardless of the cabinet make, height or width.

In the past, difficulties have arisen when trying to integrate aisle containment systems with existing fire suppression systems. Our containment has been designed to work in conjunction with both water and gas fire detection and suppression systems via a choice of roof panel options. stableAir’s unique fusible link system avoids the considerable cost and disruption of extending existing sprinklers into the contained aisle. In a fire situation, the links melt at 58°C, causing the panels to drop into the aisle, allowing unhindered sprinkler access directly into the aisle. Other stableAir roof panel options are compatible with existing gas fire suppression systems.


stableAir Features & Benefits
• Retrofits to existing cabinets no matter their height, width or make.
• Lightweight roof panels can be easily demounted for maintenance access.
• Release mechanism releases roof panels at 58°C to allow sprinklers to distribute water.
• Gas fire protection system also available.
• Savings of up to 30% of current Data Centre cooling costs.
• Power savings on room hardware.
• Increases equipment reliability and longevity
• Reduces carbon emissions.
• Typical payback within less than 12 months.

To find out more about Cold Aisle Containment please visit www.edpeurope.com or e-mail us at sales@edpeurope.com. In future blogs we will be looking at other products that can help improve the day-to-day operation of the Data Centre.

Data Centre Cooling - The Issues (Part 3)

In the first two parts of our Data Centre Cooling - The Issues blog we looked at adopting a cold aisle / hot aisle configuration, sealing cable openings using KoldLok brush strip grommets and the importance of blanking unused cabinet space with blanking panels.

Today we'll look at a product designed to eliminate isolated hot spots. Even if your data centre is correctly laid out, and your cooling optimised, you may still find that specific racks may still be suffering from hot spots. These hot spots can sometimes be caused by insufficient cold air coming from the floor grill. This can be caused by under floor obstructions such as cable trays, pipe work etc blocking the airflow. To rectify these EDP Europe offers the HotSpotr™.

HotSpotr™ is a family of powered airflow improvement products that move chilled Data Centre air to precisely where it is needed most, and remove heated exhaust air directly back to your computer room air conditioners (CRACs). Top-of-the-line HotSpotr™ models are thermostatically controlled by the included temperature sensors; less expensive models are operator controlled to run as and when required.

Proper airflow distribution is the key to providing cooling to ever higher density server racks. Most Data Centres have 2-3 times more cooling capacity than they need for their server load, according to the Uptime Institute, but failure to deliver enough cooling air to rack intakes causes recirculation of hot air and overheating of servers. Under floor obstructions such as pipes, cabling, cable trays etc. can cause low static pressure and reduced flow from some perforated tiles and grates. Racks placed too close or too far away from CRAC units also face issues with low and even negative static pressure. The result is many data centres are overcooled just to manage a few hot spots.

HotSpotr™ underfloor air mover delivers cold air to server racks. The HT-510 consists of a redundant matrix of high performance DC fans that are controlled by an intelligent thermostatic controller and delivers cooling air where and when it is needed, and in the right amount. Correct distribution of cooled air will save on energy costs and reduce carbon footprint as CRAC units will work less hard but more efficiently.

HT-510 Features:

• Thermostat maintains selectable temperatures
• Supports 10-12Kw racks
• Mounts directly to popular grates
• Adaptors for all 24" and 600mm floor and tile types
• VFD control of fan speed
• EPO option
• Certified to IEC-60950-1
• Can be installed in 30 minutes or less with no downtime involved
• Measurable results within minutes
• Operates in two modes Stand Alone or in networked "Room Scale Intelligent Cooling" mode where several tiles can be networked to a central controller to manage the entire room.

To find out more please visit www.edpeurope.com or e-mail us on sales@edpeurope.com. Next time we will look at another cooling solution Cold Aisle Containment.

Data Centre Cooling - The Issues (Part 2)

The Importance of Blanking Panels

In the first part of our Data Centre Cooling - The Issues blog, we looked at adopting a hot aisle / cold aisle configuration and sealing floor and cable openings using KoldLok grommets. Today we are going to explore the importance of blanking panels and the part they play in improving airflow management within the Data Centre environment.

Air-intake temperature is a known significant factor in the reliability of IT equipment, with raised intake temperatures leading to equipment failure and expensive downtime. A major cause for this rise in temperature is hot exhaust air recirculating from the back of the server rack, and finding its way to the intakes at the front through open, unused rack space.

Upsite Technologies, Inc commissioned an independent, third party organisation - Innovative Research, Inc - to perform a study using two-dimensional, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The results proved that not only did the use of blanking panels have an effect on air-intake temperatures, but the type of panel used also had an effect.

The results* showed that:

• The servers in the cabinet without blanking panels drew in 40% of their total required airflow volume from the hot exhaust air originating in the back of the server cabinet.
• Blanking panels with horizontal gaps between adjacent blanking panels, and between blanking panels and IT equipment, reduced the volume of hot exhaust air recirculation to 19%. A 53% improvement over a server cabinet with no blanking panels.
• HotLok blanking panels that have no gaps between them reduced the volume of hot exhaust air recirculation to 0%. A 47% improvement over a server cabinet using blanking panels with a horizontal gap, and a 100% improvement over a server cabinet with no blanking panels.
• Blanking panels with horizontal gaps reduced the average temperature by 20% over the use of no blanking panels.
• More significant, blanking panels with no horizontal gaps reduced the average temperature by 37% over the use of no blanking panels. The average air temperature at the air intake was the same as the conditioned air from the floor grate. All air drawn into the equipment was conditioned air.

* Taken from the white paper, Two-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of Blanking Solutions by Lars Storng, P.E., Kailash C. Karki, Ph.D., and Berkeley T. Merchant.

EDP Europe offer three blanking panel solutions EziBlank, HotLok and PlenaFill, for more details on these please visit our website www.edpeurope.com. If you would like to discuss blanking panels further or obtain a copy of the Blanking Panel White Paper commissioned by Upsite Technologies, Inc please e-mail us at sales@edpeurope.com. In the next part of our Data Centre Cooling - The Issues blog we will look at a product designed to eliminate isolated hot spots.

Data Centre Cooling - The Issues (Part 1)

With today's servers generating higher heat loads, keeping the Data Centre cool and operating efficiently has never been more important. Poorly cooled Data Centres often suffer from hot spots, which left unmanaged can result in equipment failure. Higher heat capacities generated by servers require more cooling capacity, but a lot can be done to improve Data Centre cooling before adding additional CRAC units. With A properly cooled Data Centre it will not only work more efficiently, but can also save valuable company funds.

So where to start. The first point of call is to switch to a proper Hot Aisle / Cold Aisle configuration, ensuring that all perforated or vented tiles are positioned in front of the server racks (in the cold aisle). Whilst the back of the racks face each other ensuring that no hot exhaust air is sucked into the air intakes on adjacent cabinets.The next step would be to ensure that all openings in the floor are permanently and effectively sealed to stop the cooled air from escaping (bypass air), doing so increases the under floor static pressure and reduces bypass airflow.

Cable openings should also be sealed with KoldLok raised floor grommets. KoldLok grommets are designed to seal cable openings in raised Data Centre floors. They feature dual layer brushes (except the Mini KoldLok) and filaments that are static dissipative. The KoldLok product range consists of eight specially designed grommets that seal various size openings in the raised floor.
By sealing each cable cut out you will save about 2kW of cooling!

In our next posting we will look at the importance of Blanking Panels. In the meantime if you would like to know more about the ways EDP Europe can help solve your airflow issues please e-mail us or vist our website at www.edpeurope.com.