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14 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com it will minimize energy needs at both the cooling coil as well as the humidifier. Data center operators would therefore be well advised to adopt ASHRAE's recommended temperature and humidity guidelines as operational yardsticks. Because of the higher power densi- ties now commonplace in data centers and the fact that cooling needs are one of the largest drains on power, special emphasis has been placed on developing new cool- ing strategies to effectively combat the in- creased heat generation. Previously, CRAC (computer-room air conditioning) units were positioned around the perimeter of a data center and blew air indiscriminately at a constant rate into an open room. Recent years have seen efforts to "contain" and isolate hot and cold air flows. Proper air management guides cold air across and through heated circuit boards and then exports it directly to the intake of the CRAC units. A carefully posi- tioned artificial ceiling and plastic sheets that form doors are frequently used to confine the spaces further. Using variable- speed (as opposed to fixed-speed) CRAC units can help in operating the units at the lowest level necessary to achieve the desired temperature, as overcooling trans- lates to overspending. Alternative designs for air-handling systems, such as thermal wheels, have also been used to effect a more efficient cooling model. In addition to air-based cooling systems, water- and other liquid-based cooling systems have made their way to the marketplace. The case foR dciM For those operators who have the time and resources available, installing monitoring hardware and soware, known collectively as data center infrastructure management (DCIM), may be of interest. e installation of thermal sensors and constant monitoring can reveal hot spots and potential vulnerabilities of equip- ment currently in place, as well as provide insights into the overall efficiency of the data center operation. Some facilities may be repurposed rather than being originally built as a data center. is situation presents its own unique challenges, such as inadequate floor-loading capacities and less-than- desirable room dimensions. New strategies involving the lat- est ideas, equipment and soware are emerging all the time, and our incredible shrinking world is seemingly accelerating the speed of change. e price of electric- ity as well as incentives can vary greatly depending on location, and they factor into a facility's overall operating costs. As no two data centers are exactly the same, no one solution to improve efficiency is universally advantageous for all. n about the author: Linda J. Morrow holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from the University of Pittsburgh. She is the Marketing Communication Supervisor in the UPS division of Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. (MEPPI), and has worked for MEPPI for four years. She previously worked in the fluid-power industry as the Marketing Supervisor for Schroeder Industries LLC. Figure 1: ASHRAE temperature and humidity recommendations for data centers.