Overview

In April 2023, a Colocation provider managing a 40,000+ square foot facility planned to implement a cold aisle containment solution to enhance cooling efficiency. Before proceeding, the client sought to conduct a comprehensive before-and-after thermal survey to assess the impact of the containment on the facility's environmental uniformity. Purkay Labs' Thermal Survey Service was employed to execute this evaluation, utilizing their unique Uniformity Metric to analyze temperature variations across the data center.

The Project

The client aimed to understand the baseline efficiency of their facility and the expected improvements from installing cold aisle containment. In April 2023, prior to the installation, and again in May 2023, after the installation, Purkay Labs conducted detailed thermal surveys. The surveys were intended to capture a comprehensive snapshot of the environmental conditions across the facility's 132 aisles and 887 cabinets. This extensive data collection was crucial for assessing the effectiveness of the new containment strategy.

To achieve this, Purkay Labs deployed six AUDIT-BUDDY systems to conduct 1 minute scans per rack across both floors. The measurement took a week, providing detailed insights into the temperature dynamics within both contained and uncontained aisles.

The Results

The initial survey in April revealed significant temperature variations across the uncontained aisles, indicating inefficiencies in air distribution and potential risks to equipment stability and performance. Following the installation of cold aisle containment in May, the subsequent survey showed markedly less variation in the contained spaces, suggesting improved efficiency and reduced risk of hot spots. This image above shows the difference. The Static Maps with rectangle show the spaces without containment.

Purkay Labs utilized their proprietary Uniformity Metric to quantify these observations, providing a clear and measurable comparison of environmental uniformity before and after the containment installation. The metric confirmed that the containment significantly enhanced the cooling uniformity across the facility.

Summary

The thermal surveys conducted by Purkay Labs provided the colocation provider with critical data to validate the effectiveness of their cold aisle containment solution. The use of AUDIT-BUDDY systems across a broad section of the facility ensured that the data was comprehensive and representative of the overall environmental conditions. As a result, the client could confidently proceed with their containment strategy, equipped with evidence that it would significantly improve thermal management and energy efficiency within their data center.

This case study underscores the value of detailed pre-implementation assessments and the utility of Purkay Labs' Thermal Survey Service and Uniformity Metric in facilitating data-driven decisions in data center environment.

About Purkay Labs

Purkay Labs specializes in providing simple, standalone, and cost-effective portable environmental monitoring systems. Our products, including the AUDIT-BUDDY system, offer data center operators quick, reliable, and independent assessments of their environments, helping them manage airflow, reduce Scope II emissions, and optimize cooling efficiency.

About the Thermal Survey Service

Purkay Labs' Thermal Survey Service provides an exhaustive evaluation of data center environments, using advanced tools like the AUDIT-BUDDY system to capture detailed temperature, humidity, dew point, and delta-T data across multiple facility locations. This service is designed to support data center operators in their efforts to optimize infrastructure and ensure efficient operation without disrupting daily activities.