The benefits of thermal imaging for data centres

Author: Simon Rowley

Data centre maintenance teams have a big share in safeguarding the critical resource that customers and businesses depend upon. However, by utilising thermal imaging products from FLIR enable them to spot issues at an early stage before they turn into major problems.

Guaranteeing uptime has become increasingly complex for data centres. With so much mechanical, electrical and electronic infrastructure under one roof, overheating is a major concern – not only because the infrastructure is not using the energy efficiently, but also because overheating can cause a complete shutdown of servers, impacting users around the world, or even data or equipment loss.

The maintenance of a data centre today involves much more than IT operations. Power distribution systems and cooling infrastructure are also essential for keeping the data centre up and running, and for preventing mechanical or electrical failures and resulting outages.

Many systems that are critical for the data centre’s operation heat up before they fail. Temperature is an important indicator of energy consumption and equipment operation, which is why infrared thermography (thermal imaging) is an ideal tool to inspect power consumption, electrical installations, cooling equipment and computing hardware.

Periodic inspections with a thermal imaging camera have become indispensable in predictive and preventive maintenance programs. Thermal cameras help maintenance staff to detect problems in electrical switchgear, motors, HVAC infrastructure, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), power distribution units (PDU), batteries and generator equipment, and all electrical devices that feed the server systems, before these problems turn into serious failures or downtime.

With cloud computing becoming the new normal, and as data centres are growing to great scales, the need for higher computing density and power efficiency is growing as well. Data centre owners are seeking ways to increase their capacity, but they also want to reduce costs and energy. Thermal imaging can give them important information on how to optimise energy and space requirements, without causing overheating.

In short, regular inspections with thermal imaging cameras can help maintenance staff to:

• • Find and fix hidden problems before they turn into unplanned downtime.
  • Reduce the chance of component degradation going unnoticed due to overloaded circuits or loose
  connections.
  • Prevent equipment breakdowns.
  • Optimise energy management and space allocation.

What is thermal imaging?

A thermal camera is a non-contact device that detects infrared energy (heat) and converts it into a visual image. Infrared radiation lies between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Any object that has a temperature above absolute zero (-273.15°C or 0 Kelvin) emits radiation in the infrared region. Even objects that are considered to be very cold, such as ice cubes, emit infrared radiation. Thermal cameras turn this invisible energy into something that can be seen on a screen and measured.

The benefits of thermal imaging

Although there are other technologies available to help measure temperatures – infrared thermometers or thermocouples to name only two – FLIR tells us that no other tool is as powerful and efficient as its thermal imaging cameras.

Unlike IR thermometers or thermocouples, thermal imaging cameras enable users to scan large areas for hot spots or temperature differences. Without a thermal camera, it’s easy to miss critical parts like air leakages, areas with insufficient insulation or water intrusion. A thermal imaging camera can scan entire electrical installations, buildings, heating or HVAC installations. FLIR claims that it never misses a potential problem area, no matter how small this might be. They also allow users to compare temperatures of components in the same environment more easily.

Maintenance of data centre installations can be labour-intensive, but because thermal imaging cameras can easily see larger surfaces, they can potentially reduce maintenance time, speed up inspection rounds, and still see all impending failures before they turn into costly defects.

Also, thermal imaging is a non-contact technology. This is a safe method, because maintenance personnel can keep a distance without having to touch hot items. But it also means that inspections can easily be carried out while the equipment is still running or under load, so there’s no need to foresee costly downtime. Some inspections, for example rotary UPS systems, can only be done during operation, which makes the thermal imaging camera an ideal tool for online inspections.

Thermal imaging cameras allow users to make professional, more insightful reports of their inspections that also look great for management and customers. Users can compare current inspections with historical data and discover trends, while features like templates, batch processing, image editing and route planning further enhance the user-friendliness of today’s reporting solutions.