Topic — Cooling
Data Center Cooling
Cooling systems remove the heat that IT equipment converts from electrical power. The architecture chosen — chilled water, direct expansion, free cooling, liquid cooling — determines the facility's energy performance, water consumption and resilience characteristics for its entire operating life.
Modern designs are shaped by two pressures: rising rack densities pushing air cooling toward its physical limits, and efficiency requirements pushing designs toward higher water temperatures, economizer operation and variable-speed everything.
Core engineering questions
- What rack density and total IT load must the system serve, now and at build-out?
- Which cooling architecture fits the climate, water availability and density profile?
- How does the plant behave when a chiller, pump or CRAH fails?
- What supply air and chilled water temperatures maximize economizer hours?
- How is cooling continuity maintained during utility transfer events?
Key design areas
- Chilled water plant architecture: primary/secondary vs variable primary flow
- Air-side systems: CRAH, CRAC, fan walls and containment
- Heat rejection: cooling towers, dry coolers and adiabatic systems
- Liquid cooling: direct-to-chip, CDUs and immersion
- Variable-speed control of fans and pumps
Guides on this topic
Design Guide
Variable Frequency Drives in Data Center Cooling Systems
Engineering guidelines for VFD selection, integration, redundancy and operation in mission-critical cooling infrastructure.
15 min
Design GuideComing soon
Chilled Water System Architecture
Primary/secondary, variable primary flow and distribution design.
14 min
ArticleComing soon
CRAH vs CRAC: Selecting Air-Side Cooling Units
Chilled water air handlers compared with direct expansion units.
9 min
Design GuideComing soon
Cooling Towers for Data Centers
Open and closed circuit towers, fan control and water treatment.
11 min
ArticleComing soon
Dry Coolers in Data Center Cooling
Water-free heat rejection and free cooling applications.
9 min
ArticleComing soon
Air Cooling vs Liquid Cooling
Transition thresholds for high-density compute.
12 min
Design GuideComing soon
CDU Design for Liquid-Cooled Data Centers
Coolant distribution units, secondary loops and pump control.
12 min
Design GuideComing soon
Cooling Control Strategies for Data Centers
Sequencing, staging and setpoint optimization for chilled water plants and air systems.
12 min