Efficient energy management in the data center
Energy consumption becomes more expensive than filling data centers, especially at large sites, because the energy efficiency of data centers is becoming just 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 TSODostroenii applies a huge variety of cooling systems - from standard classic systems to innovative energy efficient. Technology does not stand still. More and more sophisticated precision air conditioners, designed for round-the-clock and year-round work, are produced by many firms from different countries. There are systems for freon and water; chiller systems where ethylene-glycol or water is a refrigerant; systems with or without free cooling Freekuling in turn can be direct or indirect. Modifications of such systems are known - plate heat exchangers, recuperator wheels, rotary heat exchangers.
Exotic systems with the use of free cooling are becoming more and more popular on 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 use: 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 most effective solutions is plate heat recovery wheels. This solution has already been implemented in many sites around the world. But this energy-efficient solution has difficulty with moistening. Usually, inexpensive adiabatic humidification systems are used in conjunction with it, which together provide excellent energy efficiency with nominal energy consumption. We used a similar humidification system in combination with freon precision air conditioners in the Data Center “Tver”.
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Received in recent years, the spread of diesel rotary UPS in the Russian market are not cheap. Before making a decision on their purchase, it is required to calculate the profitability of installing such a system. Unlike stationary UPS, batteries are not required here, while classic UPSs replace batteries every five to eight years. To ensure the power 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. These costs are not available in diesel rotary UPSs, but they require timely bearing replacement and fuel supply. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the benefits of use. 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, while in Europe they have been used for decades. These systems also require complex coordination. After all, it is a unit of internal use, it is installed indoors, it requires a supply of fuel. Fire authorities are negative about this, coordination is difficult, so it's best 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 must be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified.
Crafty numbers
Energy efficiency in the data center is usually measured by the PUE ratio. This indicator is calculated as the ratio of the electricity consumed by the 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, monthly average or annual average ...
Yes, and what the load is considered the total spent on the data center? After all, a data center - a set of buildings and premises - in addition to the server there are also office and auxiliary facilities. Is their electricity consumption (lighting, ventilation costs) accounted for in their overall costs or not?
And the issue with the consumption of servers is also ambiguous. Much depends on where the IT load is measured - at the input of the UPS or at the output? It comes to the fact that some claim the value of PUE is 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 method of calculation. And the comparison of PUE should be carried out on the basis of a single methodology.
Usually for precision air conditioners DX average annual PUE = 1.6. The best PUE values ​​when using chiller systems and free cooling is 1.4. There are examples of data centers using recuperator wheels, where PUE is less than 1.2. However, it should be remembered that the reduction of PUE for every hundredth part costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for every tenth it can be millions. Therefore, the choice of the solution must be correlated with the strategy of promoting the company on the market.
Innovation
Most of the investment in 2014 is likely to 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, there have already been announced encouraging results in the creation of high-temperature servers and air conditioning systems, servers with reduced energy consumption, more efficient rechargeable batteries, the application of the new cooling principle of servers with their placement in coolant, which requires only a small amount of electricity to operate a small pump. Today, the data center life cycle is laid for 8-15 years. But the future may come much earlier in the form of innovations, the introduction of which, perhaps, will make it possible to completely eliminate the use of air conditioners in the data center.
Focus Optimization
In modern TSODostroenii applies a huge variety of cooling systems - from standard classic systems to innovative energy efficient. Technology does not stand still. More and more sophisticated precision air conditioners, designed for round-the-clock and year-round work, are produced by many firms from different countries. There are systems for freon and water; chiller systems where ethylene-glycol or water is a refrigerant; systems with or without free cooling Freekuling in turn can be direct or indirect. Modifications of such systems are known - plate heat exchangers, recuperator wheels, rotary heat exchangers.
Exotic systems with the use of free cooling are becoming more and more popular on 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 use: 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 most effective solutions is plate heat recovery wheels. This solution has already been implemented in many sites around the world. But this energy-efficient solution has difficulty with moistening. Usually, inexpensive adiabatic humidification systems are used in conjunction with it, which together provide excellent energy efficiency with nominal energy consumption. We used a similar humidification system in combination with freon precision air conditioners in the Data Center “Tver”.
')
Received in recent years, the spread of diesel rotary UPS in the Russian market are not cheap. Before making a decision on their purchase, it is required to calculate the profitability of installing such a system. Unlike stationary UPS, batteries are not required here, while classic UPSs replace batteries every five to eight years. To ensure the power 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. These costs are not available in diesel rotary UPSs, but they require timely bearing replacement and fuel supply. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider the benefits of use. 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, while in Europe they have been used for decades. These systems also require complex coordination. After all, it is a unit of internal use, it is installed indoors, it requires a supply of fuel. Fire authorities are negative about this, coordination is difficult, so it's best 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 must be taken into account. But the solution is very effective and in some cases can be economically very justified.
Crafty numbers
Energy efficiency in the data center is usually measured by the PUE ratio. This indicator is calculated as the ratio of the electricity consumed by the 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, monthly average or annual average ...
Yes, and what the load is considered the total spent on the data center? After all, a data center - a set of buildings and premises - in addition to the server there are also office and auxiliary facilities. Is their electricity consumption (lighting, ventilation costs) accounted for in their overall costs or not?
And the issue with the consumption of servers is also ambiguous. Much depends on where the IT load is measured - at the input of the UPS or at the output? It comes to the fact that some claim the value of PUE is 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 method of calculation. And the comparison of PUE should be carried out on the basis of a single methodology.
Usually for precision air conditioners DX average annual PUE = 1.6. The best PUE values ​​when using chiller systems and free cooling is 1.4. There are examples of data centers using recuperator wheels, where PUE is less than 1.2. However, it should be remembered that the reduction of PUE for every hundredth part costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and for every tenth it can be millions. Therefore, the choice of the solution must be correlated with the strategy of promoting the company on the market.
Innovation
Most of the investment in 2014 is likely to 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, there have already been announced encouraging results in the creation of high-temperature servers and air conditioning systems, servers with reduced energy consumption, more efficient rechargeable batteries, the application of the new cooling principle of servers with their placement in coolant, which requires only a small amount of electricity to operate a small pump. Today, the data center life cycle is laid for 8-15 years. But the future may come much earlier in the form of innovations, the introduction of which, perhaps, will make it possible to completely eliminate the use of air conditioners in the data center.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/228109/
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