Air-conditioning system

Rittal has launched a computer room air-conditioning system (CRAC) targeting environments in the low- and medium-density range.

Surveys have shown that in most organisations the climate control requirements in data centres still remain in the low-density range. These demands are best met by raised floor climate control using a CRAC system which can achieve an average cooing of around 5 kW per rack.

This system operates by drawing in warm air from the server enclosure at the top of the unit and then cooling it either with water or refrigerant R407c in a closed heat exchanger. The cooled air is filtered and blown under positive pressure to the false floor from where it rises into the cold aisle.

The CRAC incorporates intelligent design by positioning the fan in the raised floor itself. The cooled air can then be distributed unimpeded in the raised floor. As a result, there is more space available in the enclosure itself for a larger heat exchanger.

In addition, unnecessary diversions of the airflow can be avoided and flow resistance minimised. This method can achieve an increase in efficiency of typically 10-30% with a reduced space requirement.

The system not only cools but it also keeps the humidity at a constant level. The system is available in output ratings 17 to 125 kW effective cooling capacity and can be integrated into an existing IT infrastructure in terms of both hardware and software.