Data centers use a significant amount of power. In fact, the power density of a single data center is equivalent to nine small-sized shopping malls, and that power runs at full capacity for at least nine years. Because of this intense amount of energy, many facilities struggle with cooling management and data center environmental control.

Fortunately, there are a few simple ways you can improve your data center’s airflow management so your facility can run at full capacity. Here’s how you can boost airflow management for proper data center environmental control:

  1. Don’t leave cabinet spaces empty. Empty cabinet spaces cause skewed airflow and poor data center moisture control. When your airflow balance is skewed, it causes exhaust air to recirculate into the cold aisle. It can also cause the cold aisle to lose cool air. This process can lead to your cooling management system to overwork itself in an effort to compensate for the loss of cold air.
  2. Change the layout of your racks. When you’re placing your racks, you want to place them in long hot-aisle/cold-aisle configurations. When you have a small island of racks without a specific orientation or when you orient your racks front to back, you can end up doing more harm to your airflow than good.
  3. Seal your racks properly. When you have empty cabinet spaces, it’s good to put blanking panels inside the space for proper airflow management. However, if you have a space between your mounting rails and the sides of your cabinet, it’s important to make sure those openings are sealed. Seal any potential openings that could be under the cabinet as well. This will help to prevent your airflow balance from becoming skewed.
  4. Calibrate your temperature and humidity sensors. Nothing causes an ill-managed data center air conditioning unit quite like an uncalibrated sensor. Make sure to regularly check both your data center’s temperature sensors and the facility’s relative humidity sensors for calibration. You want to do this about once every six months. Adjust the sensors if you need to to help keep your cooling units working properly and not against each other.

Looking for more ways to exercise data center environmental control? We’ve got you covered. LDP Associates offers data center energy management services and hot and cold containment systems to help keep your data center running at full capacity. For more information about how to improve airflow management, contact LDP Associates today.