INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centres
After North ’ s summer record , Vertiv issues hot weather advisory for African datacentres
Warmer weather in the southern hemisphere has just started , but already heatwaves have washed over many parts of the region , with extreme weather warnings , for both abnormally high temperatures and fire risks , being issued in many countries including Argentina , Australia , Bolivia , Botswana , Brazil , Namibia , Peru and South Africa over September and October .
The datacentre cooling experts at Vertiv , have issued updated guidance for managing the extreme heat . The sizzling outdoor temperatures and their aftermath create significant challenges for datacentre operators who already wage a daily battle with the heat produced within their facilities . However , there are steps organisations can take to mitigate the risks associated with extreme heat .
These include :
Clean air filters
For datacentre operators , the recent fires in both Brazil and Australia should serve as a reminder to clean or change air filters in their datacentre thermal management systems and HVAC systems . Those filters help to protect sensitive electronics from particulates in the air , including smoke from faraway wildfires .
Accelerate maintenance
Extreme heat and poor air quality tax more than datacentre infrastructure systems . Electricity providers often struggle to meet the surge in demand that comes with higher temperatures , and outages are common . It is therefore imperative to be proactive with maintenance of uninterruptible power supply , UPS systems and cooling units . Cleaning condenser coils and maintaining refrigerant charge levels , for example , can help to prevent unexpected failures .
Activate efficiency tools
Many modern UPS systems are equipped with high-efficiency eco-modes that can reduce the amount of power the system draws from the grid . Heatwaves like those we ’ ve seen recently push the grid to its limits , meaning any reductions in demand can be the difference between uninterrupted service and a devastating outage .
Alternative energy
Not all datacentres have access to viable alternative energy , but those that do should maximise their use of off-grid power sources . These could include on- or off-site solar arrays or other alternate sources , such as off-site wind farms and lithium-ion batteries , to enable peak shifting or shaving .
The use of generators is discouraged during heat waves unless an outage occurs . Diesel generators produce more greenhouse gas and emissions associated with climate change than backup options that use alternative energy . In fact , organisations should postpone planned generator testing when temperatures are spiking .
“ These heatwaves are becoming more common and more extreme , placing intense pressure on utility providers and datacentre operators globally ,” said John Niemann , Senior Vice President for Global Thermal Management business for Vertiv .
The recommendations issued supplement previous guidance from Vertiv , which included :
• Run as many cooling units as possible to reduce the load on each individual unit , and save energy through teamwork controls .
• Consider different types of cooling systems , including liquid cooling , closed-loop chilled water cooling , and evaporative free cooling systems , all of which are designed for hightemperature environments .
• Use predictive modelling for thermal impacts rather than historic data . As extreme heat events increase in frequency , historic metrics often fall short of capturing modern risks . p
58 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com