Data Center Handbook

26Rack-Level Cooling and Cold Plate Cooling*

Henry Coles¹, Steve Greenberg¹, and Phil Hughes²

¹ Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

² Clustered Systems Company, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA

26.1 Introduction

This chapter provides a brief introduction to rack-level cooling as applied to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment support. Rack-level cooling devices are available in a wide variety of designs and capabilities. How these devices fit with existing cooling, the pros and cons of a few common types, its selection, and installation considerations are discussed.

26.1.1 Fundamentals

A data center is typically a dedicated building used to house computer systems and associated equipment such as electronic data storage arrays and telecommunications hardware. For the purpose of brevity, “server” is synonymous with ICT equipment providing services to the end user.

The variety of end use, size, and configuration of data centers is diverse. On one end of the spectrum, there are a fleet of data centers located across the globe that support large social or purchasing networks consuming tens of megawatts each. On the other end of the spectrum, an ICT cooling load may involve a few pieces of electronic equipment consuming 1 kW or less. In this chapter, when we use the term “data center,” we are referring to the entire spectrum of ICT equipment installations.

26.1.2 Energy Consumers

Data center energy consumption increased worldwide by 56% from ...