Data Center Handbook, 2nd Edition

24MECHANICAL DESIGN IN DATA CENTERS

Robert McFarlane

Shen Milsom & Wilke, LLC., New York City, New York, United State of America

John Weale

The Integral Group, Oakland, California, United States of America

24.1 INTRODUCTION

Data center mechanical design is not inherently complex, but the requirement for high reliability combined with very obvious (and expensive) failure if it is not met adds a degree of challenge not seen in common mechanical design. Further, the rapid increase in heat density produced by ever more compact and high performance IT equipment (ITE), combined with the drive for energy efficiency, results in a challenging balancing act for the mechanical designer. Against this high‐stakes design background, traditional design has leaned heavily on repeating proven legacy designs—often at the expense of innovation that can improve reliability, flexibility, cost, operating efficiency, and other aspects of design quality. The objective of this chapter is to acquaint a mechanical designer with data center design and give them the technical grounding required to move beyond replication of proven, yet often obsolete, designs and into creating optimized solutions that meet the unique requirements of their clients.

The best mechanical designs for data centers show not only skill in system design but also a clear understanding of the fundamental purpose of a data center: to make money. A careful investigation of the design criteria and consideration of their impact on the ...