AN-04-09-1 - Evolution of Data Center Environmental Guidelines PDF

Recent trends toward increased equipment power density in data centers can result in significant thermal stress, with the undesirable side effects of decreased equipment availability, wasted floor space, and inefficient cooling system operation. In response to these concerns, manufacturers identified the need to provide standardization across the industry, and in 1998 a Thermal Management Consortium was formed. This was followed in 2002 by the creation of a new ASHRAE Technical Group to help bridge the gap between equipment manufacturers and facility designers and operators. "Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments" the first publication of TC9.9, is discussed in this paper, along with a historical perspective leading up to the publication and discussion of issues that will define the roadmap for future ASHRAE activities in this field.

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