Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/686088
THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL | 13 www.datacenterjournal.com chines, target the hottest or highest-pow- er-density components in servers, namely the processors. Device fans, facility fans and other infrastructure are still required to cool other components that are not covered by cold plates. Additionally, cold plates are an ineffective way to cool switches, which lack point sources of heat. Cooling efficiency for cold-plate systems can be 50% better than air. In-row cooling is essentially an attempt to make the room around the IT equipment smaller. is technol- ogy can reduce cooling energy by 60% compared with air, but it still requires all the elements of a complete data center air- conditioning system. Immersive cooling means that electronics are totally immersed in a nonconducting dielectric fluid, thereby decoupling electronics from the room and eliminating fans. A closed cycle dissipates heat. Some direct-contact systems are single phase, where the dielectric fluid remains a liquid throughout the heat- dissipation cycle. Others use a two-phase system in which the fluid boils and then condenses. Cooling efficiency for an immersive system can be more than 90% better than air. If an organization is considering liquid cooling to address capital cost, operating cost, space, reliability, noise or carbon-footprint problems, immersive- cooling systems are a logical choice. A number of technologies are commercially available, and the devil is in the details, but immersing electronics in a dielectric fluid instead of an air bath offers signifi- cant benefits: • e highest possible thermal efficiency • No rack or chassis fans to fail • No oxidation or corrosion of electrical contacts • Reduction in the thermal fluctuations that drive solder-joint failures • Much lower operating temperatures for the board and components • No fretting corrosion of electrical con- tacts induced by structural vibration caused by chassis fans • No exposure to electrostatic-discharge events • No sensitivity to ambient particulate, humidity or temperature conditions • Waste energy can be recaptured in a form convenient for recycling In addition to the obvious space and power benefits, immersive cooling eliminates the need to purchase, install and maintain chillers, room air handlers, humidity-control systems, water- treatment equipment and air-filtration equipment. It is curious that, considering its obvious advantages, immersive cooling is only now beginning to get market trac- tion. e status quo has a lot of inertia, but it's not just about power density. Steve Jobs summed it up best: "It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challeng- es and come up with elegant solutions." Liquid cooling, cleverly executed, can be an elegant solution to reducing data center energy waste, water usage, carbon footprint and cost. e brass-era generation did not trade up from a horse and carriage to a horseless carriage to go 30 miles per hour; they did it to get rid of the horse! e horse used far too much energy, took far more space and polluted the environment. Fans are the horses of the digital age, and immersive cooling is the only certain way to completely eliminate fans. n about the author: Herb Zien is CEO of LiquidCool Solutions. Previously he was cofounder of ThermalSource, LLC, a firm that grew to become the largest owner and operator of district energy systems in the U.S., including the downtown energy systems in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Kansas City and six other cities. Herb received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a Master of Science degree in thermal engineering from Cornell University, as well as a Master of Science degree in management from MIT, where he was editor of the Sloan Management Review. 3 PREVECTRON N L P ATIONAL IGHTNING ROTECTION 1-800-628-2816 .N L . WWW ATIONAL IGHTNING COM E @NLP . STIMATES CORP COM Ÿ The world's first UL certified ESE air terminal. Ÿ Field & laboratory tested . Ÿ Fewer parts means fewer roof penetrations and fewer maintenance issues. Ÿ Over 100,000 Installations World Wide. Ÿ Millions of successful service h o u r s o n a l l t y p e s o f facilities. Ÿ F r e e r i s k a s s e s s m e n t , d e s i g n , & b u d g e t i n g services. LIGHTNING PROTECTION is a critical safety system. On average there are 20 million cloud to ground lightning strikes per year in the United states. An unprotected data center is at serious risk of catastrophic damage. The Prevectron 3 is an advanced low maintenance, easily deployed protection solution to help you weather the storm. C E R T I F I E D ESE Terminal 3 PREVECTRON