News
Natural Airflow Design Cuts Data Center Carbon Footprint
By: Ted Johnson
Source: IDC Architects
PORTLAND, 28 April 2008 — In designing a scientific research computing facility for a world-class research university in the San Francisco Bay Area, IDC Architects (IDCA) studied the local climate and wind profiles, making a unique discovery.
Incorporating airflow from the natural environment in the design dramatically decreases the carbon footprint and operational costs.
The university's sustainable data center relies only minimally on cooling towers, as "sensible" cooling is required only when the outside air temperature rises above 75 degrees F (24 degrees C)—less than 10% of the time. IDCA engineers applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to the thermal challenge posed by high-density server racks operating 24x7x365. The concept leverages the local climate, where outside temperatures average between 55 and 65 degrees F (13 to 18 degrees C).
IDCA recommended a multi-phased approach for modularity, allowing the university flexible expansion as needs and budgets allow. Scope includes the server room and support spaces, utilities, shipping and receiving, and a central utility plant, with a total area over 243,000 SF covering two parcels. Total computing facility will be constructed in four phases. Each phase includes two modules. Each module contains 3,000 SF of white space (server area) within a building whose total area is 9,000 SF. Each 3,000 SF area of white space contains 90 server cabinets with each capable of 35 KW of electrical power, or 3.15 MW per module. Computing and building systems are targeted to achieve a Tier III level of redundancy per the Uptime Institute.
IDCA's innovative ventilation concept and a completely "chiller-less" design results in a 6 million kilowatt-hour (kWh) savings annually per module, reducing the total carbon footprint by 3,650 tons per module per year.