A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Going Beyond Aisle Containment and Economization

Transcription

1 A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Going Beyond Aisle Containment and Economization A CONTENTS Introduction... 1 Introduction to Oil Submersion Cooling... 2 The CarnotJet System... 3 Conclusion... 6 References... 7 INTRODUCTION A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 1

2 water requirements for the data centers as well. This paper will look center operators reduce their energy and water consumption, cost effectively. Introduction to Oil Submersion Cooling Oil submersion cooling, as the name suggests is where entire servers are submerged in a mineral oil based dielectric coolant. The coolant that is a good conductor of heat but not electricity, making it ideal for the cooling of IT equipment. Such methods of cooling have been used for nearly a century in electrical transformers and industrial capacitors. Similar applications of fluid submersion cooling in the world of HPC date back to as early as the 1980s 1. But concerns regarding the cost, safety, and environmental impact of the coolants used led to limited adoption. ElectroSafe on the other hand is a non-toxic, eco-friendly, dielectric mineral oil blend. The oils used to make ElectroSafe have a history of being used in not just computing and electric power applications but in medical and domestic applications as well. The high performance, low cost oil is readily available and is rated as substance by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), meaning that it poses no risk to human health, does not ignite readily, and can be treated with any fire suppression substance, including water 2. A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 2

3 The CarnotJet System Green Revolution Cooling has brought to the data center market an industrial scale oil submersion cooling solution that works with servers from any manufacturer. The technology consists of four major components; the tank with a horizontal rack (42U), the pump module including the heat exchanger and strainer, the control system, and a cooling tower* to extract heat from the system. The tub of circulating dielectric liquid. The liquid captures heat produced by IT equipment and sends it to a heat exchanger. The open system tanks support servers manufactured by Dell, HP, Supermicro, IBM, Intel, SGI, Quanta, and more. Energy Savings = Lower Carbon and Water Footprint The CarnotJet system yields a mechanical PUE of as reported by Intel after a year of testing 3. This extremely efficient cooling is enabled by the use of the ElectroSafe coolant that has superior heat conductivity and 1,200 times the heat capacity of air. The superior heat conductivity means that ElectroSafe is much more efficient in both extracting heat from the equipment and subsequently expelling it out of the data hall. For example, 1 Furthermore, the CarnotJet system allows reduction in the power consumed by servers as well. This server power reduction is driven by the removal of server fans, and through superior thermal management allowing servers to run cooler. This improvement in energy efficiency directly translates into lower carbon foot print and reduction in the water required for cooling the data center. *The system can also be used with a dry cooler or other low water consumption alternatives A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 3

4 Emissions Reduction On average, one kilowatt-hour of electricity purchased in the United States generates about 1 pound of carbon dioxide 4. Comparing the carbon footprint of an extremely efficient traditional data center (avg. PUE = 1.21), and a CarnotJet enabled data center (avg. PUE = 1.09) of similar computing capacity reveals an annual Carbon emissions reduction of over 10,000 metric tons per annum, a 21% improvement over what is considered an extremely efficient facility. CUE or Carbon Usage Effectiveness is a metric defined by Green Grid 5. CUE is defined as follows: CUE = Total CO 2 Emissions caused by the total Data Center Energy IT Equipment Energy A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 4

5 The reduction in power directly relates to lower Scope-2 and Scope-1 (from diesel generators) emissions on the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), helping organizations achieve better scores on the CDP and reach their carbon reduction goals. Further, the improved energy efficiency and the resulting decrease in carbon emissions, can give organizations access to energy efficiency grants and programs offered by local utilities, or state and federal governments. PG&E recently published a test report regarding the energy savings with the use of the CarnotJet system and its inclusion in their energy efficiency programs 6. Water Savings designs that stop using water. Apart from the indirect water savings related with the generation of electricity, the CarnotJet system also helps directly reduce the water use and requirements at the data center. The CarnotJet system enables the use of a hybrid cooling tower or an adiabatic dry cooler, both of which only require additional water the same example as above, in a data center supporting 24,000 servers the CarnotJet system helps save close to 300 million Liters or 90% reduction in water consumption. A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 5

6 * 7 **US average of L/kWh WUE or Water Usage Effectiveness is a metric defined by the Green Grid 8. WUE is defined as follows: WUE SOURCE = Annual Energy Source Water Usage + Annual Site Water Usage IT Equipment Energy Conclusion Data center energy and water efficiency has improved drastically over the past few years. However, there is still a lot of scope for in data center efficiency, and that too cost-effectively. To learn more about how GRC can help you cut Carbon emissions, and water consumption while lowering build, and operating costs mail us at info@grcooling.com. A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 6

7 References Pfanner, E. (2014). Liquid-Cooled Supercomputers, to Trim the Power Bill. International New York Times. [online] Available at: [Accessed 11 Jul. 2014]. ElectroSafe Dielectric liquid coolant. (n.d.). 1st ed. [ebook] Available at: [Accessed 11 Jul. 2014]. Miller, R. (2012). Intel Embraces Submerging Servers in Oil Data Center Knowledge. [online] Data Center Knowledge. Available at: eral-oil-cooling/ [Accessed 11 Jul. 2014]. Stewartmarion.com, (2014). BlueSkyModel.org carbon dioxide created by one kilowatt-hour. [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 Aug. 2014]. The Green Grid, (2010). Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE): A Green Grid Data Center Sustainability Metric. Available at: ectiveness%20white%20paper_v3.pdf?lang=en [Accessed 27 Aug. 2014]. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, (2014). Submersion Cooling Evaluation. Company. 7. Miller, R. (2012). Data Center Water Use Moves to the Forefront Data Center Knowledge. [online] Data Center Knowledge. Available at -use-moves-to-center-stage/ [Accessed 27 Aug. 2014]. 8. The Green Grid, (2011). Water Usage Effectiveness (WUETM): A Green Grid Data Center Sustainability Metric. Available at: [Accessed 27 Aug. 2014]. Written by: Edited by: Graphics & Arrangement: Dhruv Varma Christiaan Best Matthew Solomon A Paradigm Shift in Data Center Sustainability Green Revolution Cooling (512) info@grcooling.com 7