Computer and telecommunications equipment room cooling: a review of literature

Due to technology compaction, the Information Technology (IT) industry has seen a large decrease in the floor space required to achieve a constant quantity of computing and storage capability. However, the energy efficiency of the equipment has not dropped at the same rate. This has resulted in a significant increase in power density and heat dissipation within the footprint of computer and telecommunications hardware. The heat dissipated in these systems is exhausted in the room and the room has to be maintained at acceptable temperatures for reliable operation of the equipment. Cooling computer and telecommunications equipment rooms is becoming a major challenge. This paper reviews the literature dealing with various aspects of cooling computer and telecommunications equipment rooms. Included are papers on experimental work analyzing cooling schemes, numerical modeling, energy saving schemes, natural convection room cooling, forced convection room cooling, cooling raised floor versus non-raised floor type installations, and other related areas. This compilation of literature will hopefully spur and help others to take a critical look at the factors that affect the cooling design of computer and telecommunications equipment rooms, improve or develop new schemes for cooling, and hence improve the reliability of the equipment.