CASE72 · Data centers · Economizer / Free cooling
Screening outdoor-air cooling alternatives for data centers
Climate, humidity, air quality and cooling architecture determine whether free cooling is useful. The diagnosis compares direct-air, indirect-air and water-side options at the system boundary.
01 · CASE ANALYSIS
Outdoor temperature alone is insufficient
The source reviews outdoor-air cooling as an alternative in data-center improvement work. Dry-bulb temperature is only one screening variable.
Include humidity, dew point, air quality, IT load, required supply conditions and reliability. Suitable outdoor conditions do not guarantee that the existing plant can use them.
02 · CASE ANALYSIS
Compare three architectures
Direct-air systems introduce conditioned outdoor air. Indirect-air systems exchange heat while keeping outdoor air separated. Water-side economizers reduce or bypass mechanical refrigeration through a water loop.
Each architecture has different fan, pump, heat-exchanger, filtration, humidity-control and changeover requirements.
| Architecture | Main boundary question |
|---|---|
| Direct air-side | Outdoor-air quality, moisture and rack service |
| Indirect air-side | Heat-exchanger effectiveness and fan penalty |
| Water-side | Wet-bulb / water temperatures and pump penalty |
03 · CASE ANALYSIS
Estimate useful annual hours
Use weather bins and actual IT-load profiles to identify feasible operating hours. Include the electricity needed by fans and pumps and any humidity-treatment penalty.
Cool dry conditions may require humidification and filtration; hot dry conditions raise water and evaporative-treatment questions; humid conditions make dew-point control essential.
04 · CASE ANALYSIS
Implement a bounded operating trial
Verify changeover stability, rack conditions, sensor quality and local fallback before extending operation. Evaluate total cooling electricity rather than compressor power alone.
The source supports feasibility and economic review; no separate final saving amount for CASE72 is established.
| Input | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Weather bins / dew point | Feasible hours |
| IT load and thermal service | Cooling demand |
| Fan / pump / humidity energy | Net system benefit |
| Mode transitions and fallback | Stable operation |
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