Why resilient cooling systems are critical to reliability
Author: Joe Peck
In this exclusive article for DCNN, Dean Oliver, Area Sales Manager Commercial (South and London areas) at Spirotech, explores why uninterrupted operation of data centres – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – is no longer optional, but essential. To achieve this, he believes robust backup systems, advanced infrastructure, and precision cooling are fundamental:
The importance of data
In today’s digitally driven economy, data is the backbone of intelligent business decisions. From individuals and startups to multinational corporations and financial institutions, the protection of personal and commercial information is more vital than ever.
The internet sparked a technological revolution that has continued to accelerate – ushering in innovations like cryptocurrencies and, more recently, the powerful rise of artificial intelligence (AI). While these developments are groundbreaking, they also highlight the need for caution and infrastructure readiness.
For most users, the importance of data centres only becomes clear when systems fail. A 30-minute outage can bring parts of the economy to a halt. If banks can’t process transactions, the consequences are immediate and widespread.
Data breaches can have a significant impact on businesses, both operationally and financially. This year alone, several high-profile companies have been targeted. Marks & Spencer, for example, reportedly suffered losses of around £300 million over a six-week period following a cyberattack.
These and other companies affected by such problems underline just how dependent our society is on digital infrastructure. Cyberattacks, like denial-of-service (DoS) assaults, are a real and growing threat.
But even without malicious intent, data centres must operate flawlessly, with zero downtime. Central to this is thermal management, including cooling systems that maintain optimal conditions to prevent system failure.
Why cooling is key
Data centres generate significant heat due to dense arrays of servers and network hardware. If temperatures are not precisely controlled, systems risk shutdown, data corruption, or permanent loss – an unacceptable risk for any organisation.
Cooling solutions are mission-critical. Given the security and performance demands on data centres, there’s no room for error. Cutting corners to save on cost can have catastrophic consequences.
That’s why careful planning at the design stage is essential. This should factor in redundancy for all key components: chillers, pumps, pressurisation units, and more. Communication links between these systems must also be integrated to ensure coordinated operation.
The equation is simple: the more computing power you deploy, the greater the cooling demand. Cloud infrastructure consumes enormous amounts of energy and space, requiring 10s of megawatts of power and covering thousands of square metres.
If the cooling system fails – whether from chiller malfunction or control breakdown – data loss on a massive scale becomes a very real possibility.
That’s why backup systems must be immediately responsive, guaranteeing continued operation under any condition.
Keeping systems operating
Today, there are innovative control systems available, like those offered by Spirotech, that offer detailed insights into system performance and which capture operational data from pumps, valves, pressurisation units, and vacuum degassers. This enables early detection of potential issues and provides trend analysis to support proactive maintenance.
For example, vacuum degassers can show how much air has been removed over time, while pressurisation units monitor pressure levels, leak events, and top-up activity. These systems work in tandem, ensuring balance and continuity. If a fault occurs, alerts are instantly dispatched to relevant personnel.
A poorly designed or maintained pressurisation system can result in negative pressure, leading to air ingress via vents and seals – or, conversely, excessive pressure that causes water discharge and frequent refills.
Air and dirt separators are also crucial to system health, preventing build-up and ensuring smooth operation across all pipework and components.
Conclusion
Effective cooling is essential for data centre systems due to the high demands on security and performance; there’s no tolerance for failure. Inadequate or poorly designed cooling can lead to disastrous outcomes, including potential large-scale data loss.
To prevent this, detailed planning during the design phase is crucial. This includes building in redundancy for all major components like chillers, pumps, and pressure units, and ensuring these systems can communicate and function together reliably.
As computing capacity increases, so does the need for robust cooling. Modern cloud infrastructure uses vast amounts of power and physical space, placing even greater stress on cooling requirements.
Therefore, backup systems must be fast-acting and fully capable of maintaining continuous operation to avoid downtime and protect data integrity, regardless of any component failures.
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