Qualitative Study of Cumulative Corrosion Damage of IT Equipment in a Data Center Utilizing Air-Side Economizer

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Oluwaseun Awe ◽  
Pavan Agarwal ◽  
Iziren Akhigbe ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Evaporative Cooling ◽  
Corrosion Damage ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Single Server ◽  
Severity Level ◽  
Particulate Contamination

Deployment of air-side economizers in data centers is rapidly gaining acceptance to reduce the cost of energy by reducing the hours of operation of CRAC units. Use of air-side economizers has the associated risk of introducing gaseous and particulate contamination into data centers, thus, degrading the reliability of Information Technology (IT) equipment. Sulfur-bearing gaseous contamination is of concern because it attacks the copper and silver metallization of the electronic components causing electrical opens and/or shorts. Particulate contamination with low deliquescence relative humidity is of concern because it becomes wet and therefore electrically conductive under normal data center relative humidity conditions. IT equipment manufacturers guarantee the reliability of their equipment operating in environment within ISA 71.04-2013 severity level G1 and within the ASHRAE recommended temperature-relative humidity envelope. The challenge is to determine the reliability degrading effect of contamination severity levels higher than G1 and the temperature and humidity allowable ranges A1–A3 well outside the recommended range. This paper is a first attempt at addressing this challenge by studying the cumulative corrosion damage to IT equipment operated in an experimental data center located in Dallas, known to have contaminated air with ISA 71.04-2013 severity level G2. The data center is cooled using an air-side economizer. This study serves several purposes including: the correlation of equipment reliability to levels of airborne corrosive contaminants and the study of the degree of reliability degradation when the equipment is operated, outside the recommended envelope, in the allowable temperature-relative humidity range in geographies with high levels of gaseous and particulate contamination. The operating and external conditions of a modular data center, located in a Dallas industrial area, using air-side economizer is described. The reliability degradation of servers exposed to outside air via an airside economizer was determined qualitatively examining the corrosion of components in the servers and comparing the results to the corrosion of components in a non-operating server stored in a protective environment. The corrosion-related reliability of the servers over almost the life of the product was related to continuous temperature and relative humidity for the duration of the experiment. This work provides guidance for data center administration for similar environment. From an industry perspective, it should be noted that in the four years of operation in the hot and humid Dallas climate using only evaporative cooling or fresh air cooling, we have not seen a single server failure in our research pod. That performance should highlight an opportunity for significant energy savings for data center operators in a much broader geographic area than currently envisioned with evaporative cooling.

Experimental Description of Information Technology Equipment Reliability Exposed to a Data Center Using Airside Economizer Operating in Recommended and Allowable ASHRAE Envelopes in an ANSI/ISA Classified G2 Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Awe ◽  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
Prabjit Singh ◽  
Naveen Kannan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Operating Cost ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Single Server ◽  
Severity Level ◽  
Equipment Reliability ◽  
Free Air

Abstract Airside economizers lower the operating cost of data centers by reducing or eliminating mechanical cooling. It, however, increases the risk of reliability degradation of information technology (IT) equipment due to contaminants. IT Equipment manufacturers have tested equipment performance and guarantee the reliability of their equipment in environments within ISA 71.04-2013 severity level G1 and the ASHRAE recommended temperature-relative humidity (RH) envelope. IT Equipment manufacturers require data center operators to meet all the specified conditions consistently before fulfilling warranty on equipment failure. To determine the reliability of electronic hardware in higher severity conditions, field data obtained from real data centers are required. In this study, a corrosion classification coupon experiment as per ISA 71.04-2013 was performed to determine the severity level of a research data center (RDC) located in an industrial area of hot and humid Dallas. The temperature-RH excursions were analyzed based on time series and weather data bin analysis using trend data for the duration of operation. After some period, a failure was recorded on two power distribution units (PDUs) located in the hot aisle. The damaged hardware and other hardware were evaluated, and cumulative corrosion damage study was carried out. The hypothetical estimation of the end of life of components is provided to determine free air-cooling hours for the site. There was no failure of even a single server operated with fresh air-cooling shows that using evaporative/free air cooling is not detrimental to IT equipment reliability. This study, however, must be repeated in other geographical locations to determine if the contamination effect is location dependent.

Qualitative Study of Cumulative Corrosion Damage of Information Technology Equipment in a Data Center Utilizing Air-Side Economizer Operating in Recommended and Expanded ASHRAE Envelope

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Oluwaseun Awe ◽  
Betsegaw Gebrehiwot ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
Prabjit Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Corrosion Damage ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Severity Level ◽  
Particulate Contamination ◽  
Modular Data ◽  
American Society

Deployment of airside economizers (ASEs) in data centers is rapidly gaining acceptance to reduce cost of cooling energy by reducing hours of operation of computer room air conditioning (CRAC) units. Airside economization has associated risk of introducing gaseous and particulate contamination into data centers, thus degrading the reliability of information technology (IT) equipment. The challenge is to determine reliability degradation of IT equipment if operated in environmental conditions outside American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommended envelope with contamination severity levels higher than G1. This paper is a first attempt at addressing this challenge by studying the cumulative corrosion damage to IT equipment operated in an experimental modular data center (MDC) located in an industrial area with measured level of air contaminants in ISA severity level G2. This study serves several purposes including: correlating IT equipment reliability to levels of airborne corrosive contaminants and studying degree of reliability degradation when IT equipment is operated outside ASHRAE recommended envelope at a location with high levels of contaminants. Reliability degradation of servers exposed to outside air via an airside economizer was determined qualitatively by examining corrosion of components in these servers and comparing the results to corrosion of components in other similar servers that were stored in a space where airside economization was not used. In the 4 years of the modular data center's servers' operation, none of the servers failed. This observation highlights an opportunity to significantly save data center cooling energy by allowing IT equipment to operate outside the currently recommended and allowable ASHRAE envelopes and outside the ISA severity level G1.

Design Considerations Relating to Non-Thermal Aspects of Oil Immersion Cooling

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Syed Haider I. Rizvi ◽  
Indu Sravani Kota ◽  
Sahithi Reddy Nagilla ◽  
Dhaval Thakkar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Center ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Mineral Oil ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Cooling Fluid ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Oil Immersion

Full submersion of servers in dielectric oils offers an opportunity for significant cooling energy savings and increased power densities for data centers. The enhanced thermal properties of oil can lead to considerable savings in both the upfront and operating costs over traditional air cooling methods. Despite recent findings showing the improved cooling efficiency and cost savings of oil as a cooling fluid, this technique is still not widely adopted. Many uncertainties and concerns persist regarding the non-thermal aspects of an oil immersion cooled data center. This paper presents useful information regarding a variety of factors related to the operation of an oil cooled data center. Pertinent material property considerations such as the chemistry, flammability, material compatibility, human health effects, and sustainability of mineral oil are discussed. A general introduction as to the chemical composition and production of mineral oil is provided. A discussion of the trade-offs in thermal performance and cost of the mineral oil is presented. The dielectric nature of oils is critical to their success as a cooling fluid for electronic applications. Factors such as temperature, voltage, and age that affect this property are reviewed. Flammability of oils is a valid concern when immersing costly IT equipment and the pertinent concerns of this aspect are reviewed. The evaporation loss of oil is also mentioned as refueling and safety are important parameters in the establishment of any facility. Leeching of materials, especially plastics, is a reoccurring concern expressed regarding mineral oil immersed IT equipment. Mineral oils are by-products of petroleum refining processes and as such may bring forth sustainability concerns associated with their use and disposal. The long term stability and performance of key physical and material parameters of oils used in applications such as high voltage power are typically monitored. The similarity and implications of the longevity of oils, when used for data center applications, will be examined. Other issues related to the design, operation, and serviceability of submerged IT equipment and racks will also be addressed. Switching to an oil immersion cooled data center typically brings about several designs and operational changes compared to a typical air-cooled approach. A critical element of oil cooling often cited by opponents of the technology is the issue of serviceability of IT equipment. This paper will discuss some of the additional features a data center may need in place to help alleviate these concerns, as well as, best practices based on experience and observations by the authors. This paper also includes Cup Burner Experiment as per ISO 14520/NFPA 2001 standard to determine the minimum design concentration of fire extinguishing agent for the class B hazard of heavy mineral oil and the class C hazard of electronic equipment as a part of the safety concerns for oil cooled data centers. The visual observations of the servers after immersion in oil for 8 months are also explained for a better view of the system related issues. The discussion presented here is based primarily on literature gathered on the subject and quantifiable data gathered by the authors.

Air Flow Pattern and Path Flow Simulation of Airborne Particulate Contaminants in a High-Density Data Center Utilizing Airside Economization

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gautham Thirunavakkarasu ◽  
Satyam Saini ◽  
Jimil Shah ◽  
Dereje Agonafer
Keyword(s):  
Data Center ◽  
Carbon Particle ◽  
High Density ◽  
Submicron Particles ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Density Data ◽  
Particulate Contamination ◽  
Free Air ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Particulate Contaminants

The percentage of the energy used by data centers for cooling their equipment has been on the rise. With that, there has been a necessity for exploring new and more efficient methods like airside economization, both from an engineering as well as business point of view, to contain this energy demand. Air cooling especially, free air cooling has always been the first choice for IT companies to cool their equipment. But, it has its downside as well. As per ASHRAE standard (2009b), the air which is entering the data center should be continuously filtered with MERV 11 or preferably MERV 13 filters and the air which is inside the data center should be clean as per ISO class 8. The objective of this study is to design a model data center and simulate the flow path with the help of 6sigma room analysis software. A high-density data center was modelled for both hot aisle and cold aisle containment configurations. The particles taken into consideration for modelling were spherical in shape and of diameters 0.05, 0.1 and 1 micron. The physical properties of the submicron particles have been assumed to be same as that of air. For heavier particles of 1 micron in size, the properties of dense carbon particle are chosen for simulating particulate contamination in a data center. The Computer Room Air Conditioning unit is modelled as the source for the particulate contaminants which represents contaminants entering along with free air through an air-side economizer. The data obtained from this analysis can be helpful in predicting which type of particles will be deposited at what location based on its distance from the source and weight of the particles. This can further help in reinforcing the regions with a potential to fail under particulate contamination.

Impact of integrated hot water cooling and desiccant-assisted evaporative cooling systems on energy savings in a data center

Energy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 384-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Hwi Kim ◽  
Sang-Woo Ham ◽  
Jun-Seok Park ◽  
Jae-Weon Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Data Center ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Evaporative Cooling ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Water Cooling ◽  
Cooling Systems

Understanding the True Total Cost of Ownership of Water Cooling for Data Centers

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin W. Demetriou ◽  
Vinod Kamath ◽  
Howard Mahaney
Keyword(s):  
Data Center ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Electric Utility ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Water Cooling ◽  
Total Cost Of Ownership ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
Cost Of Ownership

The generation-to-generation IT performance and density demands continue to drive innovation in data center cooling technologies. For many applications, the ability to efficiently deliver cooling via traditional chilled air cooling approaches has become inadequate. Water cooling has been used in data centers for more than 50 years to improve heat dissipation, boost performance and increase efficiency. While water cooling can undoubtedly have a higher initial capital cost, water cooling can be very cost effective when looking at the true lifecycle cost of a water cooled data center. This study aims at addressing how one should evaluate the true total cost of ownership for water cooled data centers by considering the combined capital and operational cost for both the IT systems and the data center facility. It compares several metrics, including return-on-investment for three cooling technologies: traditional air cooling, rack-level cooling using rear door heat exchangers and direct water cooling via cold plates. The results highlight several important variables, namely, IT power, data center location, site electric utility cost, and construction costs and how each of these influence the total cost of ownership of water cooling. The study further looks at implementing water cooling as part of a new data center construction project versus a retrofit or upgrade into an existing data center facility.

Parametric Study of Hybrid Cooling Solution for Thermal Management of Data Centers

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veerendra Mulay ◽  
Saket Karajgikar ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
Roger Schmidt ◽  
Madhusudan Iyengar
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Management ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Parametric Study ◽  
Heat Load ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Air Conditioners ◽  
Hybrid Cooling

The power trend for Server systems continues to grow thereby making thermal management of Data centers a very challenging task. Although various configurations exist, the raised floor plenum with Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) providing cold air is a popular operating strategy. The air cooling of data center however, may not address the situation where more energy is expended in cooling infrastructure than the thermal load of data center. Revised power trend projections by ASHRAE TC 9.9 predict heat load as high as 5000W per square feet of compute servers’ equipment footprint by year 2010. These trend charts also indicate that heat load per product footprint has doubled for storage servers during 2000–2004. For the same period, heat load per product footprint for compute servers has tripled. Amongst the systems that are currently available and being shipped, many racks exceed 20kW. Such high heat loads have raised concerns over limits of air cooling of data centers similar to air cooling of microprocessors. A hybrid cooling strategy that incorporates liquid cooling along with air cooling can be very efficient in these situations. A parametric study of such solution is presented in this paper. A representative data center with 40 racks is modeled using commercially available CFD code. The variation in rack inlet temperature due to tile openings, underfloor plenum depths is reported.

Effect of Relative Humidity, Temperature and Gaseous and Particulate Contaminations on Information Technology Equipment Reliability

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prabjit Singh ◽  
Levente Klein ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Kanan D. Pujara
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Electronic Equipment ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Equipment Reliability ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Temperature And Humidity

The energy used by information technology (IT) equipment and the supporting data center equipment keeps rising as data center proliferation continues unabated. In order to contain the rising computing costs, data center administrators are resorting to cost cutting measures such as not tightly controlling the temperature and humidity levels and in many cases installing air side economizers with the associated risk of introducing particulate and gaseous contaminations into their data centers. The ASHRAE TC9.9 subcommittee, on Mission Critical Facilities, Data Centers, Technology Spaces, and Electronic Equipment, has accommodated the data center administrators by allowing short period excursions outside the recommended temperature-humidity range, into allowable classes A1-A3. Under worst case conditions, the ASHRAE A3 envelope allows electronic equipment to operate at temperature and humidity as high as 24°C and 85% relative humidity for short, but undefined periods of time. This paper addresses the IT equipment reliability issues arising from operation in high humidity and high temperature conditions, with particular attention paid to the question of whether it is possible to determine the all-encompassing x-factors that can capture the effects of temperature and relative humidity on equipment reliability. The role of particulate and gaseous contamination and the aggravating effects of high temperature and high relative humidity will be presented and discussed. A method to determine the temperature and humidity x-factors, based on testing in experimental data centers located in polluted geographies, will be proposed.

Development of a Technique to Measure Deliquescent Relative Humidity of Particulate Contaminants and Determination of the Operating Relative Humidity of a Data Center

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Roshan Anand ◽  
Satyam Saini ◽  
Rawhan Cyriac ◽  
Dereje Agonafer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Printed Circuit Boards ◽  
Data Centers ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Circuit Boards ◽  
Printed Circuit

Abstract A remarkable amount of data center energy is consumed in eliminating the heat generated by the IT equipment to maintain and ensure safe operating conditions and optimum performance. The installation of Airside Economizers, while very energy efficient, bears the risk of particulate contamination in data centers, hence, deteriorating the reliability of IT equipment. When RH in data centers exceeds the deliquescent relative humidity (DRH) of salts or accumulated particulate matter, it absorbs moisture, becomes wet and subsequently leads to electrical short circuiting because of degraded surface insulation resistance between the closely spaced features on printed circuit boards. Another concern with this type of failure is the absence of evidence that hinders the process of evaluation and rectification. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a practical test method to determine the DRH value of the accumulated particulate matter found on PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). This research is a first attempt to develop an experimental technique to measure the DRH of dust particles by logging the leakage current versus RH% (Relative Humidity percentage) for the particulate matter dispensed on an interdigitated comb coupon. To validate this methodology, the DRH of pure salts like MgCl2, NH4NO3 and NaCl is determined and their results are then compared with their published values. This methodology was therefore implemented to help lay a modus operandi of establishing the limiting value or an effective relative humidity envelope to be maintained at a real-world data center facility situated in Dallas industrial area for its continuous and reliable operation.

Simplified and Detailed Analysis of Data Center Particulate Contamination At Server and Room Level Using CFD

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satyam Saini ◽  
Pardeep Shahi ◽  
Pratik V Bansode ◽  
Jimil M. Shah ◽  
Dereje Agonafer
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Data Center ◽  
Particle Concentration ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Cooling Power ◽  
Air Cooling ◽  
Component Reliability ◽  
Particulate Contamination ◽  
Free Air ◽  
Particulate Contaminants

Abstract Continuous rise in cloud computing and other web-based services propelled the data center proliferation seen over the past decade. Traditional data centers use vapor-compression-based cooling units that not only reduce energy efficiency but also increase operational and initial investment costs due to involved redundancies. Free air cooling and airside economization can substantially reduce the IT Equipment (ITE) cooling power consumption, which accounts for approximately 40% of energy consumption for a typical air-cooled data center. However, this cooling approach entails an inherent risk of exposing the IT equipment to harmful ultrafine particulate contaminants, thus, potentially reducing the equipment and component reliability. The present investigation attempts to quantify the effects of particulate contamination inside the data center equipment and ITE room using CFD. An analysis of the boundary conditions to be used was done by detailed modeling of IT equipment and the data center white space. Both 2-D and 3-D simulations were done for detailed analysis of particle transport within the server enclosure. An analysis of the effect of the primary pressure loss obstructions like heat sinks and DIMMs inside the server was done to visualize the localized particle concentrations within the server. A room-level simulation was then conducted to identify the most vulnerable locations of particle concentration within the data center space. The results show that parameters such as higher velocities, heat sink cutouts, and higher aspect ratio features within the server tend to increase the particle concentration inside the servers.

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