Cooling Enterprise

The term "air conditioning" is often used interchangeably with cooling, but this is not entirely correct. Not all forms of cooling can be considered air conditioning. Air conditioning is a specific technology that performs not only the cooling of a space but also the control of the space's temperature, humidity, and air quality to a level that is comfortable for humans. This is a tall order for any single system, and in terms of raw energy consumed, it is the most expensive part of the modern built environment to achieve. Cooling towers, evaporative coolers, and natural ventilation are also "cooling" technologies, but they don’t necessarily achieve the same level of performance as an air conditioning system.

The cooling systems in enterprise environments are often the best example of the "energy hogs" found in the sector. This is not entirely their fault. After all, servers and server farms are basically large-scale devices that generate heat as a byproduct of their operation. What we want to do, then, is to (1) manage the process whereby heat escapes from the server itself, and (2) manage airflow in such a way that it cools the server farm as a whole and not just individual servers that happen to be on top when cooled air is forced through the farm.

A heat pump's efficiency can drop when the temperature gets very cold, which can lead to higher energy use and bills. They also have a higher upfront cost to install than traditional heating systems. If you live in a very cold climate, you might need some other sort of heating system to keep your house warm—especially during the winter. And a heat pump, which doesn't work well when the temperature goes way down, might not last as long if you don't do its maintenance.

Indoor cooling is achieved by carefully controlling heat flow and eliminating excess heat from the space to be cooled; that is, you are trying to make the air (and other materials) in that space drop in temperature and then maintain that state. Central air cooling, well-suited to large, configured spaces, uses a compressor that is located away from the space being cooled. Using refrigerants, this device first absorbs heat from the air in the destination space. After being compressed, the now high-pressure gas is sent outside to an equally robust condenser coil that projects the heat to the outside air and reverts the gas back to a liquid. The cycle then repeats, usually moving the compressed refrigerant first again to the indoors, where it is blown through, now equalized at a much lower temperature, around the coils that are next to and inside the space to be cooled.

In the context of an enterprise, the term "cooling" goes beyond mere heat removal; it encompasses the entire process of heat management and dissipation to achieve a certain desired equilibrium state in various computing environments. Whether they be offices, data centers, or something else, all computing environments have one thing in common: they must be kept cool enough to allow both the occupants and the technology within to operate at maximal levels of both efficiency and effectiveness.

Enterprises use three distinct types of cooling: air-based, liquid-based, and evaporative. Air-based systems employ fans to circulate air around a space and keep it cool. Or, they might use the opposite method: drawing the warm air out of a space and pushing in cool air. Liquid-based systems are a step above air-based systems. They use cooled liquids—most often water but sometimes chemicals too—that are circulated through pipes, either around a space or through specialized equipment, to absorb and dissipate heat. Evaporative cooling uses basic physics to drop the temperature of air. "Still comfortable" is the goal.

Air conditioning (AC) serves more functions than merely cooling the air; it reduces the humidity and filters the air. In that sense, the AC makes an indoor environment comfortable. Almost by definition, modern AC systems are outfitted with heating elements, and they are effectively heat pumps. Consequently, year-round in an enterprise setting, the AC can be maintaining control of the temperature.

A cooling system can have several issues that might make it not work properly or efficiently, but the most common one is having air in the system. Air causes all sorts of problems that basically reduce the effectiveness of the system. It can create pockets of air that block the flow of coolant, which is needed to carry away heat. Certain components can overheat, and then the whole system might get to the point where it's not providing enough heat or enough cooling. That's why regular maintenance is essential—both to keep the parts that are supposed to move free to move and to keep the refrigerant flowing like it's supposed to flow.

Your air conditioning system might be running, but it could be several things that prevent it from cooling properly. The most frequent causes include an airflow-restricting dirty or clogged filter and a refrigerant leak necessitating an inefficient pressure drop that—especially in a Texas summer!—makes the system seem like it's running but not performing its main function. A miscalibrated thermostat, a blocked or dirty condenser coil, or a failing compressor are other potential suspects and should be investigated by an HVAC professional.

The terms "air cooling" and "air conditioning" are not interchangeable. Air cooling means using systems that cool by circulating air over a cooled surface or by evaporative cooling. This method can work well in dry climates, but it’s not very effective in humid regions. Most air-cooling systems lack the capacity to offer even "spot" cooling in the way that one might expect an "air conditioner" to work. Instead, they work best in doing "functionally overwhelm" an already occupied room if it relies heavily on a fan to circulate air through the room. Conversely, air conditioning serves the much broader function of controlling temperature, humidity, and "virulence" (the ability of pathogens to cause disease) in the entire indoor environment.