
Master data center mechanical essentials by analyzing white space air conditions, heat rejection paths, and CRAC/CRAH equipment, with emphasis on the psychometric chart, humidity, and dew point.
Learn how data centers cool with air: hot and cold aisles, raised-floor distribution, diffusers, dampers, and sensor-driven control of crawl units and air handling for efficient cooling.
Learn how data centers use computational fluid dynamics to model airflow, temperature, and pressure, predict cooling performance, identify hotspots, and support ASHRAE-compliant design and capacity planning.
Explore data center water cooling, detailing chilled water and condenser water loops, chiller and cooling tower roles, pumps, piping, valves, and thermal energy storage for reliable, efficient heat rejection.
Explore how data centers optimize water-side cooling and chilled-water plants through primary-secondary and variable primary schemes, EMS and DDC-based controls, and waterside economize operation to maximize energy efficiency.
In the next section of the Data Center Essentials courses, we cover the mechanical cooling systems that support data centers and prevent them from overheating. As the data center power and density has increased every year, the need to remove the heat generated has become a more important factor for the design and operation of the facility.
Because the cooling systems are a major consideration when aiming for efficiency, we will cover many of the diverse solutions that have been successfully implemented to save energy and water. We will start with the common terminology, standards, guides and operating conditions for data centers before moving on to more complex components, operations, and controls. And whether you are walking through a data center every day or only once in a while it is important to understand how the cooling and mechanical systems are operating to keep the internet up and running.
During these five lectures we will cover:
Concepts, definitions, operating conditions - the typical mechanical terms, cooling operations, and redundancy levels
Air cooling solutions - air cooling and operating parameters for typical and atypical data centers
Computational Fluid Dynamics - what it is, how these tools are used, and what to look for when analyzing a data center flow model
Water cooling solutions - water cooling components, circulation, and typical arrangements for modularity and redundancy
Water system operations - operating the data center cooling systems efficiently and effectively, including water cooled servers and immersion cooling