Rack & Enclosure Systems

Knürr CoolFlex®
Energy-efficient use of existing cooling power in data centers,
with new installations or as installation-friendly upgrades for all brands.
Knürr CoolFlex®
Cold aisle containment in data centers
for energy-efficient cooling for servers in racks

The challenge – heat loads mically with capacity! Of course Special feature: as a result all in-
Heat loads in data centers are con- you could always donate more stalled servers are provided with
stantly on the rise. space to servers, i.e. install fewer consistant cold air over the entire
Thermal management is now often servers in the rack or put fewer height of the cabinet.
overburdened with trying to effec- racks in your server room. Needless
tively remove heat loads. However to say, these options entail both This containment means that the
structural conditions often mean costs and structural restrictions. usual heat mixing on the data
that a changeover to a water cool- center ceiling no longer has any ef-
ing system cannot be simply or im- The smart way is Knürr CoolFlex® fect on the cold aisle, and hot air
mediately implemented. One future-proof and cost-effective short cuts are no longer possible.
Thermal management equipment option is to constantly separate the This significantly improves cooling
is therefore often already working cold air zone from the warm air efficiency, resulting in the reduc-
at its full capacity, and conse- zone. This “Cold Aisle Contain- tion of cold air required. This in
quently consumes enormous ment” ensures that the cold air turn then means that energy costs
amounts of energy. Consider also – flowing though the raised floor is also fall considerably!
energy requirements rise logarith- channelled through the cabinets.

Conventional ≈ 22 ... 24°C

data center

Recirculation

Server rack Server rack

≈ 20 ... 30°C

Air circ. cooling unit

M1
V1 100%

≈ 16 ... 20°C

12°/18°C ≈ 16 ... 20°C

High volume flow ≈ 4,0 ... 6,0 m/s High pressure ≈ 40 ... 80 Pa
The Knürr CoolFlex® principle This, of course, has advantages for The higher intake air temperature
essentially means a constant sepa- both the operator and the environ- also allows the inflow water tem-
ration of cold zones and warm ment (lower energy costs for driv- perature to be increased, which re-
zones, and incorporates the follow- ing fans in the CRAC equipment, sults in further energy savings.
ing factors: suitable air temperature intake for Plus, higher inflow temperatures
•Raised floor sealing: servers, more pleasant working provide more time for cooling
Cable entries in the cabinets can conditions). through free cooling.
be effectively sealed with
Koldlok® brush systems; perfo- The Knürr CoolFlex® has two
rated panels are only used in the basic variants:
cold zone •Upgrade (with Knürr and com-
•Cabinets sealing with trims and petitor racks)
19” blanking panels •New installations (package with
racks and other products)
•Customised cold aisle contain-
ment using standard components The CoolFlex® Package
– compatible with all manufac- features various products and
turer cabinets. services:
•Knürr CoolFlex®
Cold aisle containment produces a •Products for sealing the raised
consistent temperature over the floor and rack
entire height of the cold aisle. •On-site measurements
This significantly reduces the air •Solution planning
speed intake, and the air tempera- •Design and construction planning
•On-site installation
ture intake can be increased
•Thermal assessment
(20 - 25°C).

Data center ≈ 30 ... 40°C

with CoolFlex®
in use
Knürr CoolFlex®

Server rack Server rack

≈ 20 ... 25°C

Air circ. cooling unit

M1
V1 30 ... 100%

≈ 20 ... 25°C

>12°/18°C ≈ 20 ... 25°C

Low volume flow ≈ 1 ... 2 m/s Low pressure ≈ < 10 Pa
 capacity temperatures above 30°C
can often be generated in the cold
aisle with the recirculation of the
warm air out of the warm aisle and
into the cold aisle.
Thermography:
The thermal image cam- Air circulation equipment
era takes two pictures at When Computer Room Air Condi-
the same time and there-
tioning units (CRAC) are operated
fore shows an instanta-
neous exposure of the at full load, their efficiency de-
local thermal situation. creases! At a speed of 50% or less,
CRAC units can be operated sev-
eral times more energy-efficiently.
To date data centers have usually
been equipped with n+1 cooling
units. However as most CRAC units
are bought early in the life of a DC
it often makes sense to buy 2n.
CRAC units can then be operated
at a lower speed, more efficiently.
The procurement costs are often
Thermography:
amortised quickly, due to the sig-
Cold aisle example in
a classic data center. nificantly reduced energy costs.
Changing the number of CRAC
units from n+1 to 2n not only pro-
Our experience a DC reaches its full capacity). duces much lower energy costs – it
“Every data center is different!” Many DC operators therefore in- also provides improved redun-
With the Knürr CoolFlex® we pro- crease the volume flow and reduce dancy, and therefore reliability for
vide individual, customised solu- the intake air temperature, until the entire data center.
tions. Using standard Knürr compo- the desired temperature is
nents cost are kept as low as possi- achieved in the cold aisle. This con- Emerson Network Power offers a
ble. sumes huge amounts of energy. well-tuned and tested total pack-
The result: at the bottom of the age: Knürr with its server rack plat-
Energy-saving cold aisle there is a temperature of forms and CoolFlex® cold aisle
Knürr CoolFlex® saves “tonnes” of 16 - 20°C; at the top there is a tem- containment; Liebert with regu-
energy costs, and therefore makes perature of 22 - 30°C. At a DC’s full lated air circulation equipment.
a massive contribution to environ-
mental protection.
Better work conditions
In conventional data centers (DCs), Conventional DC DC with CoolFlex®
high volumes of cold air, which Raised floor High pressure Lower pressure
must be below 18°C in places, are High volume flow Lower volume flow
blown from the raised floor into Low temperatures Pleasant temperature
the cold aisle.The reason for this is Cold aisle High volume flow (storm) More pleasant,
that the cold and warm air in the High temperature differences lower volume flow
DC frequently mix (especially when (cold at bottom, warm at top) Pleasant temperature
Warm aisle Pleasant to high temperature Somewhat increased
temperature
All other areas Pleasant temperature High temperature
Knürr CoolFlex® – strong points

- Increased cooling capacity to max- Blanking elements

imise the use of existing data centers close off the areas between racks
- Life extension of the conventional with different heights.
data center by several years
- Cost-effective solution 3 Door systems and
- Higher Delta T and therefore more safety/security
cooling power with thermal manage- Double doors or sliding doors can be
ment system airflow remaining con- chosen for the front,and close with
stant automatic door closers. In the event
- Predictable cooling capacity for each of an emergency, the cold aisle can
cold aisle; can be adjusted by modify- be quickly exited be simply pushing
ing or replacing perforated floor the doors open. The doors can be fit-
1 SON20135
plinths ted with glass or Plexiglas windows.
- Scalability with the aid of additional
cooling (e.g. water cooling or cooling Early fire detection
with cooling agent) and extinguishing: Knürr CoolFlex®
- Double doors and sliding doors with does not cause any disadvantages
automatic door closers for most of the early fire detection
systems on the market. On the
1 Service contrary! In conventional DCs the
- Solution consulting, calculation, mixing of cold and warm air can
simulation cause delays in alarm systems.
- Easily upgradeable (regardless of With regard to fire extinguishing,
existing server cabinet run) various systems must be consid-
- Integration into new building (es- ered when installing the Knürr
1 LUF20236 pecially with regard to the cooling CoolFlex®.
requirements of very varied data
centers)
- Temperature and volume flow
measurement, and on-site
measurements
- Installation

2 Top covers
are transparent in the standard op-
tion, so that the room's lighting is
used. Halogen-free Plexiglas is used
to keep the thermal load as low as
2 LUF20245 possible.With more detailed fire pre-
vention regulations, laminated safety
glass can be used as required by the
project.
The top covers are easy to remove
for servicing.

2 The cross braces

are used for sealing areas off and
precise positioning, and also pro-
vide stability as tilt restraint.

3 LUF20254 3 LUF20246
Emerson Network Power is a consistent global technology leader and
recognised expert that helps to secure business-critical processes, and Knürr AG
by doing so contributes to a “business-critical continuity”. Global Headquarters

A series of the most diverse applications, including the tried, tested and Mariakirchener Straße 38
proven Knürr rack system solutions and the thermal management 94424 Arnstorf • Germany
Tel. +49 (0) 87 23 / 27 - 0
connected with them, ensure the required network stability with the Fax +49 (0) 87 23 / 27 - 154
highest technological adaptability at the same time. [email protected]

Knürr system solutions in the world of information and network techno- Local contacts, please visit:
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which flexibly adjusts to all changes concerning security/safety, high-
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impressive reduction in investment and operating costs.

09.997.821.9 • 5MI308 • Printed in Germany • Idea, Graphic, Editor: Gropp/Huber • Specification subjects to change without notice.
Knürr AG is recognised around the world as one of the leading develop-
ers, manufacturers and distributors of rack and enclosure platforms in
the indoor and outdoor area, including all relevant active/passive com-
ponents of 19” structures and the technologies connected with them.

Knürr is certified in accordance with EN ISO 9001 and the EN ISO 14001
standard. Knürr’s quality management continuously guarantees the
While every precaution has been taken to ensure accuracy
highest level of quality in all areas of the company. and completeness in this literature, Knürr AG assumes no
responsibility, and disclaims all liability for damage resulting
from use of this information or for any errors or omissions.

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