June 30, 2014 at 12:37Efficient energy management in the data center
Energy consumption is becoming more expensive than the filling of data centers, especially at large facilities, because the energy efficiency of data centers is becoming as important a priority as their reliability. At the same time, the main focus of methods for optimizing electricity consumption is directed to cooling systems.
Focus Optimization
In modern data center construction, a huge variety of cooling systems is used - from standard classical systems to innovative energy-efficient ones. Technology does not stand still. Many more perfect precision air conditioners, designed for round-the-clock and year-round operation, are produced by many companies from different countries. There are systems on freon and water; chiller systems where the refrigerant is ethylene glycol or water; systems with or without freecooling. Freecooling, in turn, can be direct or indirect. Modifications of such systems are known - plate heat exchangers, recuperator wheels, rotary heat exchangers.
Exotic systems using freecooling are becoming increasingly popular in the Russian market, despite higher initial investments. During the life cycle of the data center, these systems can be significantly more profitable, especially since these systems become economically cheaper and more efficient. (However, each system has its own niche of application: due to the fact that the initial investment in freon systems is the lowest of all available on the market today, they continue to be popular, especially if the task is to quickly capture valuable market shares.)
One of the energy-efficient solutions is plate-type recuperator wheels. This solution has already been implemented at many sites in the world. But this energy-efficient solution has difficulty with hydration. Usually, in conjunction with it, low-cost adiabatic humidification systems are used, which together give excellent energy efficiency with nominal energy consumption. We used a similar humidification system in combination with freon precision air conditioners in the DataPro Tver data center.
In recent years, diesel-rotary UPSs that have become widespread on the Russian market are not cheap. Before deciding on their purchase, it is necessary to calculate the cost-effectiveness of installing such a system. Unlike a stationary UPS, batteries are not required here, while classic UPSs replace batteries every five to eight years. To provide a capacity of 500 kW of such batteries in a stationary system there will be several racks. And all this must be maintained, then disposed of, re-purchased and installed. Everything takes time and money. In diesel-rotary UPSs, these costs are absent, but timely replacement of bearings and provision of fuel are required. Therefore, the benefits of use must be carefully considered. Calculations show that it makes sense to use DRUPS systems in data centers, starting from 1 Megawatt. In Russia, such objects can be read on the fingers of one hand, and in Europe they have been used for decades. These systems also require complex coordination. After all, this is an indoor unit, it is installed indoors, it requires a fuel supply. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified. it requires a supply of fuel. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified. it requires a supply of fuel. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified.
Sly figures
Efficiency of the use of electricity in the data center is usually measured by the PUE coefficient. This indicator is calculated as the ratio of the energy spent on server equipment to the total electricity consumed by the data center. But the question arises: by what method are the total costs calculated? After all, PUE can be defined as an instantaneous value, an average monthly or annual average value ...
Yes, and what kind of load is considered the total spent on the data center? After all, the data center is a collection of buildings and premises - in addition to the server ones, there are also office and auxiliary rooms. Are their electricity consumption (lighting, ventilation costs) taken into account in total costs or not?
And the issue with server consumption is also controversial. Much depends on whether the IT load is measured - at the input of the UPS or at the output? It comes to the point that some claim a PUE value of almost 1. This is the first signal to doubt the correct assessment of PUE. To get an idea of the real value of the efficiency coefficient, you need to understand the calculation method. And the comparison of PUE should be carried out on the basis of a single methodology.
Typically, for DX precision air conditioners, the average annual PUE is 1.6. The best PUE values when using chiller systems and freecooling are 1.4. Examples of data centers using recuperator wheels are known, where the PUE is less than 1.2. However, it should be remembered that a decrease in PUE for every hundredth part costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for every tenth it can be millions. Therefore, the choice of solution must be correlated with the strategy of promoting the company in the market.
Innovation
Most of the investments in 2014, apparently, will be directed to the purchase of optimized equipment that already exists on the market, which will help save up to 10% of electricity consumed. As for the use of innovative cooling technologies, encouraging results have already been announced in the creation of high-temperature servers and air conditioning systems, servers with reduced energy consumption, more efficient new type of batteries, the application of the new principle of cooling servers with their placement in coolant, a method in which only a small amount of electricity is needed to operate a small pump. Today, the data center life cycle is laid out for 8-15 years. But the future may come much earlier in the form of innovations, the implementation of which, perhaps,
Focus Optimization
In modern data center construction, a huge variety of cooling systems is used - from standard classical systems to innovative energy-efficient ones. Technology does not stand still. Many more perfect precision air conditioners, designed for round-the-clock and year-round operation, are produced by many companies from different countries. There are systems on freon and water; chiller systems where the refrigerant is ethylene glycol or water; systems with or without freecooling. Freecooling, in turn, can be direct or indirect. Modifications of such systems are known - plate heat exchangers, recuperator wheels, rotary heat exchangers.
Exotic systems using freecooling are becoming increasingly popular in the Russian market, despite higher initial investments. During the life cycle of the data center, these systems can be significantly more profitable, especially since these systems become economically cheaper and more efficient. (However, each system has its own niche of application: due to the fact that the initial investment in freon systems is the lowest of all available on the market today, they continue to be popular, especially if the task is to quickly capture valuable market shares.)
One of the energy-efficient solutions is plate-type recuperator wheels. This solution has already been implemented at many sites in the world. But this energy-efficient solution has difficulty with hydration. Usually, in conjunction with it, low-cost adiabatic humidification systems are used, which together give excellent energy efficiency with nominal energy consumption. We used a similar humidification system in combination with freon precision air conditioners in the DataPro Tver data center.
In recent years, diesel-rotary UPSs that have become widespread on the Russian market are not cheap. Before deciding on their purchase, it is necessary to calculate the cost-effectiveness of installing such a system. Unlike a stationary UPS, batteries are not required here, while classic UPSs replace batteries every five to eight years. To provide a capacity of 500 kW of such batteries in a stationary system there will be several racks. And all this must be maintained, then disposed of, re-purchased and installed. Everything takes time and money. In diesel-rotary UPSs, these costs are absent, but timely replacement of bearings and provision of fuel are required. Therefore, the benefits of use must be carefully considered. Calculations show that it makes sense to use DRUPS systems in data centers, starting from 1 Megawatt. In Russia, such objects can be read on the fingers of one hand, and in Europe they have been used for decades. These systems also require complex coordination. After all, this is an indoor unit, it is installed indoors, it requires a fuel supply. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified. it requires a supply of fuel. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified. it requires a supply of fuel. Fire departments react to this negatively, coordination is difficult, so it is better to worry about this side of the issue in advance. In addition, the system takes up a lot of space, it is not easy to fit it into an existing building - the load capacity of the floors should be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified.
Sly figures
Efficiency of the use of electricity in the data center is usually measured by the PUE coefficient. This indicator is calculated as the ratio of the energy spent on server equipment to the total electricity consumed by the data center. But the question arises: by what method are the total costs calculated? After all, PUE can be defined as an instantaneous value, an average monthly or annual average value ...
Yes, and what kind of load is considered the total spent on the data center? After all, the data center is a collection of buildings and premises - in addition to the server ones, there are also office and auxiliary rooms. Are their electricity consumption (lighting, ventilation costs) taken into account in total costs or not?
And the issue with server consumption is also controversial. Much depends on whether the IT load is measured - at the input of the UPS or at the output? It comes to the point that some claim a PUE value of almost 1. This is the first signal to doubt the correct assessment of PUE. To get an idea of the real value of the efficiency coefficient, you need to understand the calculation method. And the comparison of PUE should be carried out on the basis of a single methodology.
Typically, for DX precision air conditioners, the average annual PUE is 1.6. The best PUE values when using chiller systems and freecooling are 1.4. Examples of data centers using recuperator wheels are known, where the PUE is less than 1.2. However, it should be remembered that a decrease in PUE for every hundredth part costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for every tenth it can be millions. Therefore, the choice of solution must be correlated with the strategy of promoting the company in the market.
Innovation
Most of the investments in 2014, apparently, will be directed to the purchase of optimized equipment that already exists on the market, which will help save up to 10% of electricity consumed. As for the use of innovative cooling technologies, encouraging results have already been announced in the creation of high-temperature servers and air conditioning systems, servers with reduced energy consumption, more efficient new type of batteries, the application of the new principle of cooling servers with their placement in coolant, a method in which only a small amount of electricity is needed to operate a small pump. Today, the data center life cycle is laid out for 8-15 years. But the future may come much earlier in the form of innovations, the implementation of which, perhaps,