D-CORRIDOR SOLUTIONS

An enormous amount of energy is used every day to maintain an acceptable intake temperature to the IT equipment. In recent years, there has been no greater positive impact on the cooling of data centers than the introduction of containment. The energy savings alone has saved hundreds of millions of dollars and has greatly decreased data centers’ carbon footprint. Data center containment has virtually changed the way IT facilities are designed and operated by fully separating cold supply from hot equipment exhaust air.

Cold Aisle Containment confines the cold supply air within the aisle so that it is only available to the equipment and cannot escape out the aisle ends or over the top of the aisle. The most common model of this containment approach is aisle end doors and roof panels on a raised floor with perimeter CRACs.

Cold aisle containment is widely used on retrofits of existing sites because the roofing approach can avoid the need to modify fire suppression and fits below existing cable trays and other obstructions. Co-location and wholesale providers like this model because it provides flexibility for layout changes. With individual contained cold aisles, it is particularly important to monitor and balance the airflow within the aisles.

Hot aisle containment consists of a physical barrier that guides hot exhaust airflow back to the AC return.

Hot aisle containment (HAC) takes advantage of the natural properties of warm air rising. The HAC system directs the upward airflow to an AC return system such as a drop-ceiling void. The HAC can increase cooling efficiency by 30% or more. Several cascading adjustments include: temperature and RH set points, lower AC fan speeds, and an increased chilled water set point.

Hot Aisle Containment focuses on isolating hot exhaust air on its return to the CRAC units or on its way out of the building. And this method of containment is clearly the trend for most new enterprise data center builds. Why do so many architects and engineers prefer and specify this method of air segregation? Three reasons. One, with the often-accompanying energy efficiency measure of airside economization designs that flood the whole room with cold air are easy to build. Two, it is much easier to achieve airflow balance with a common cold zone. Three, a common cool area in the space is more comfortable for users. For these reasons, containment on the hot side sees wide adoption in new data center builds.

Great doors make for a great user experience in a contained data center. Easy opening, smooth gliding, no threshold, auto-closing, and hold-open features are attributes of D-Corridor Aisle Containment Doors. We offer both sliding and swing doors. These doors are designed for installation flexibility.

This Hot and Cold Aisle Containment Solution is deployed horizontally across the aisles to create a tight containment barrier. The panels are made of an aluminum frame with a special translucent insert. The inserts are available in either a frosted or clear type. Panel inserts are heat sensitive and promptly move out of their setting in high heat.