Server Room Cooling Las Vegas

Ensuring that the server room caters to the cooling requirements and works under good temperature conditions is one of the most critical tasks if you want to maintain the equipment in optimal condition for a long time. The most precise measurements that we took recommend trying to maintain a temperature range between 68 and 77 °F—that’s around 20 to 25 °C—with the relative humidity between 40% and 60%. This is well within the comfort zone for humans working in the severe heat conditions of Las Vegas. However, it is at the very low end of the recommendations for server room operation. In this experiment, different air conditioning configurations that might better suit the room and its inhabitants were trialed.

In Las Vegas, the necessary conditions for an effective server room dictate that the temperature must remain between 68-77°F (20-25°C) and the humidity level must be 40-60%. The cooling system must take into account the high temperatures found in the environment; therefore, the use of energy-efficient cooling systems is preferred. The most commonly used system is the Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC), which uses an air conditioner designed for the high density found in a server room. The CRAC unit is usually placed in the hot aisle of the room. From there, cool air is sent to the cold aisle, thus serving the servers directly.

In the server room, anything above 80°F (27°C) is way too hot and possibly life-threatening for the equipment. The desired range is between 68°F and 77°F (20°C and 25°C). Keep in mind that the upper and lower ends of that range have different effects on what's inside the box you call a server.

Computer room air conditioning (CRAC) or computer room air handlers (CRAH) preciously cool server rooms. Their commands are not to be like the "swamp coolers" or "chillers" of the past that merely maintained an ambient room temperature. Moreover, the coolers of today must be as efficient as possible due to the amount of heat generated by high-density computing devices. "In-row" cooling, for example, is a strategy to improve cooling efficiency by placing the computer room air conditioning system in close proximity to the heat-producing devices.

The standard method for estimating server room cooling loads is to use between 350 and 500 BTUs per hour per square foot. While this can vary with the amount and kind of equipment present (not to mention the efficiency of that equipment), it's safe to say that ambient conditions in the lab (and in the server room) need to be tightly controlled to keep the server rack and any other laboratory equipment in optimal operating condition.

Generally, a server's low temperature limit is approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That is about 10 degrees Celsius. But most server manufacturers will tell you that for really good performance and reliability, they would like to see the temperature held between 64 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18 to 27 degrees Celsius.

To find the right cooling capacity for a server room in Las Vegas, you have to begin with some basic calculations. First, you need to get the total power draw for all the equipment in the server room. This includes not just the servers themselves but also storage devices and all sorts of networking gear. You're looking at a wattage sum that can easily go well above 10,000 watts. Then, you take that wattage sum and convert it to a heat load sum. That's where the fun really begins. The basic rule of thumb for this is that 1 watt equals 3.412 BTU/hr (in English, that's "British Thermal Units per hour"). And what is a BTU?

The temperature in a tiny server room located in Las Vegas needs to be just right for the equipment to function reliably and efficiently. That temperature, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, should fall between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, or 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.

To estimate the cooling costs for a server room in Las Vegas, several key factors must be taken into account. The first is the total heat output from the servers and associated equipment. This is normally expressed in BTUs or watts. The standard means of determining this has always been to take a close look at the server power specifications and perform some careful calculations. The next factor is the local climate. Las Vegas, of course, has very high ambient temperatures, and this has a profound effect both on the server room cooling system efficiency and, in many cases, on the types of cooling systems that can be used in the first place. The third major factor is the actual cooling system used in the server room. Different systems have very different characteristics. Finally, the energy rates in Las Vegas and the system maintenance costs must be considered. Once all these factors have been assessed, AoA can provide a reasonable estimate for the server room cooling system costs.

Determining the BTU requirements for a server room is more complex than just calculating the heat that the servers themselves produce. One must consider all the equipment in the room—even additional occupants—and how much heat they emit. To make things simpler, let us break it down into steps.First, calculate the equipment heat load. This means you're going to find the total wattage of all the equipment in the room. When it comes to data equipment, such as servers, this is usually pretty well documented. Once you have that, convert it to BTU. Do not forget that 1 watt = 3.412 BTU per hour.2. **Determine the Heat Generated by People**: You need to account for the occupants of the room. They are not necessarily cooling room. An average person gives off about 400 BTU per hour when doing nothing. 3. **Determine the Heat Generated by Lighting**: Now look at the light. Find the total wattage of the lighting in the room and convert that to BTU using the same conversion factor (1 watt = 3.412 BTU/hr). 4. **Sum It All Up**: Add all those numbers together and you get your total BTU needed to cool the server room.5. **Take Account of Local Conditions**: Nevada's high desert daytime temperatures can exceed 100° F, even in spring and fall. In Las Vegas's HVAC cooling zone (with a peak design ambient warm air temperature of 115°F), try and consult cooling specialists who know this climate, both in and out of a server room, when figuring your high noon conditions and the BTU calculations needed to choose the right compressor size.