Aisle air containment solutions
Hot, cold, horizontal, vertical, convex and
in-row aisle systems
Perfect climate - perfect control
Product overview and technical data
Aisle air containment systems
Many years of innovation and experience accumulated at USystems
producing cutting edge design solutions for data centres has been
channelled into developing the most effective and efficient aisle
containment systems currently available.
Thermodynamically advanced, cost and energy efficient, our solutions
incorporate the unique Convex aisle containment system, Horizontal
(flat roof) and Vertical solutions spanning hot aisle or cold aisle options
An example of the ColdLogik Convex Aisle Containment
all of which improve cooling efficiencies specific to your cooling
requirements. Each style of containment can be designed around
multiple height cabinets without affecting thermal performance.
All our aisle air containment options are fully retrofittable onto both
USystems and OEM cabinets for new build or existing data centres
without affecting day to day operations, where the cold or hot aisle
can be contained to maximise cooling efficiency.
An example of the ColdLogik Horizontal Aisle Containment
When used as a cold aisle or hot aisle incorporating in row cooling, aisle
air containment system provides segregation between cold supply air
and hot exhaust air.
An example of the ColdLogik Vertical Aisle Containment
Page 2
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Aisle air containment solutions
Environmental and cooling
Aisle Air Containment fully encases the corridor with a rigid enclosure which maximises the efficient use of cold air being fed in
through the raised floor. The corridor remains light as light transmission (LUX) from the data centre is let in through the
lightweight transparent ceiling panels which have a transparency of an impressive 88%.
Example of a Convex Aisle
UTelligent™ locking and environmental monitoring option
The sliding doors at either end of the aisle can be self closing and can be fitted with a choice of security levels depending
on specific requirements. Environmental monitoring options are also available.
Cost savings
Savings of up to 30% on building and operating cooling systems specifically for data centres means a full return of initial
investment from energy saving is realistic within the first year of installation.
Capacity to utilise previously unused cabinet space can be maximised due to freedom of cooling restraints, in turn extending
the life of active equipment housed within and of course reducing your carbon emissions from ongoing energy savings.
Energy Efficiency Financing is available to a wide variety of organisations which can help you save money, reduce energy costs
and your carbon footprint. There are a number of affordable financing options endorsed by the Carbon Trust available from
Siemens Financial Services which can delivery increased energy savings and earnings from the very beginning. The scheme has
been designed so that financing payments are offset by anticipated energy savings, whereby new equipment will pay for itself.
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Page 3
Why containment?
The USystems aisle air containment systems are modular in design and can be tailored
around new or existing single rows, cabinet to wall, different length and height rows and
can even fit around obstructions such as pillars, lintels and pipe work.
In an era where companies need to significantly reduce their carbon footprint especially
with data centres being one of the highest consumers of energy; the aisle air containment
solutions target the inherent design inefficiencies by preventing hot air and cold air mixing
and hot spots developing, the combined effect significantly raises the efficiency of the
entire room cooling system.
Containing the aisle significantly reduces the load on the CRAC units leading to significant
savings in operating costs.
q Thermodynamically advantageous
q Enhanced efficiency
q Hot or cold aisle versions
q Cost effective
q Low-maintenance
q Custom built
q Quick and easy installation
q Modular
q Retrofittable
q Re-locatable
q Expandable
ColdLogik aisle containment
Page 4
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Aisle air containment solutions
Hot or cold aisle containment?
The option for hot or cold aisle containment is purely dependent on an existing data
centre’s current situation and the objectives you wish to achieve with improving energy
efficiencies.
It works by separating the cold input and hot exhaust air flows of the existing traditional
hot aisle cold aisle principle and ensuring a more controlled and even cooling is achieved
within the contained aisle.
q Significantly reduces power costs supporting
Return air plenum
IT equipment
Suspended ceiling
q Increased cabinet loading without
compromise to equipment cooling
q Improves cooling for existing high density
Hot aisle
Cold aisle
Cold aisle
CRAC
unit
cabinets
q Increased life span for IT equipment
q Prevents hot spots
q Quick ROI
q Increases life span of air conditioning
equipment
An example of the airflow in a hot aisle containment
q Decreases CRAC in-efficiencies
CRAC
unit
Hot aisle
Contained cold aisle
Hot aisle
An example of the airflow in a cold aisle containment
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Page 5
®
Convex aisle containment
The Convex aisle containment system from USystems is the most thermodynamically
efficient solution available in aisle containment due to the unique registered design®
convex roof , which when compared to the traditional flat roof option is demonstrably
more efficient thermodynamically due to its enhanced airflow capability.
The Convex aisle containment system consists of clear twin wall polycarbonate
removable overhead convex roof panels, sliding access panels and sealed sliding doors
at the end of each aisle which are available in cable assisted manual and electronic
versions. The twin wall polycarbonate panels also assist with separation of cold air
within the aisle and hot air within the room, giving further energy efficiency savings.
Where cold aisle containment is required, the system combines to effectively seal off
what would usually be the ‘cold aisle’ thereby ensuring the cold air delivered from the
floor vents is sealed within the aisle and unaffected by the hot exhaust air which is
dispersed into the room. The structure is self supporting within the aisle and is not reliant
on any fixtures within the structure of the data room and it doesn’t impinge on any
services.
Airflow characteristics of a Convex ‘cold’ aisle containment
Page 6
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Aisle air containment solutions
®
Convex aisle basic design
The unique sliding roof panels move to one side up to 400 mm each, allowing for easy access to overhead services
from within the enclosed aisle.
Convex roof access points
The convex shape of the roof provides superior airflow and cooling capability than
a standard flat roof design
Thermal benefits
Over 70% of server failures occur in the uppermost third of the rack where the heat rises overheating
the upper equipment. Cold Aisle containment assists with delivering an even and controlled
temperature across all servers no matter where they are housed within the rack by reducing the
airflow speed within the aisle. The convex roof prevents air buffeting and thus improving its
thermodynamic efficiency. This assists in providing an even column of cold air over the full height
of the cabinet.
Cold aisle
The convex curve prevents air buffering and smoothly
redirects back into the aisle
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Page 7
Horizontal aisle containment
q Thermodynamically advantageous
q Enhanced efficiency
q Hot or cold aisle versions
q Cost effective
q Low-maintenance
q Custom built
q Quick and easy installation
q Modular
q Retrofittable
q Re-locatable
An example of a horizontal aisle containment
All our Aisle Air Containment options are fully retrofittable onto both
USystems and OEM cabinets for new build or existing data centres
without affecting day to day operations, where the cold or hot aisle can
be contained to maximise cooling efficiency.
CRAC
unit
Hot aisle
Contained cold aisle
Hot aisle
An example of horizontal ‘Cold aisle’ containment
Page 8
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Aisle air containment solutions
Ve r t i c a l a i s l e c o n t a i n m e n t
q Thermodynamically advantageous
q Enhanced efficiency
q Hot or cold aisle versions
q Cost effective
q Low-maintenance
q Custom built
q Quick and easy installation
q Modular
q Retrofittable
q Re-locatable
This is an example of an actual ColdLogik vertical aisle containment project which utilised
‘Uni-struts’ to independently support the vertical aisle. This was to allow cabinets to be slotted
in and out in accordance with the customers specific requirements, - in this instance the cabinets
were being transferred from an existing data centre to the new facility with the aisle containment.
Return air plenum
Suspended ceiling
CRAC
unit
Cold aisle
Hot aisle
Cold aisle
Vertical containment allows for the integration
of raised floor air-conditioning into the stand
alone warm aisle containment - this way both
rows are climatically neutral against the rest of
the data centre.
Example of vertical hot aisle containment
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
Page 9
In-row cooling and containment
An example of Convex aisle containment with In-row cooling
Conventional data centre cooling relies on the room being flooded with cold air which works well at minimal power
densities. In row cooling offers increased capacity and power efficiencies by focusing cooling at the actual load perimeter
of the aisle containment rather than relying on the air conditioner from the room itself.
In row units comprise and a heat exchange coil which utilises chilled water as the cooling medium which is supplied by
the external chiller system.
In row cooling is an efficient and ideal solution for high density data centres without affecting the baseline cooling and
humidity control of room based CRAC units.
Page 10
+44 (0) 1767 652 817 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
from
ColdLogik rear coolers
ColdLogik rear coolers economically maintain the ambient air temperature within
a data and communications room while minimising the energy required to cool IT
equipment.
The coolers are fitted to the back on an enclosure typically being IEC297 and EIA
310 compliant. They have been designed to remove heat generated by the IT
equipment directly at source thus preventing hot air entering into the room.
ColdLogik DAX
Directional airflow exhaust system or ‘DAX’ is an energy efficient heat removal and
redistribution system designed to fit on top of 19” cabinets. This results in a
substantial reduction in power consumption as it allows the room ambient air to
remain at a fixed temperature by removing the hot exhaust air out of the room with
the assistance of EC technology fans and environmental controls.
ColdLogik CAP system
To improve the efficiency of a CRAC based data centre design, USystems ColdLogik
controlled air path CAP units isolate and guide hot air out of the top of the cabinet
into a ceiling plenum.
Removing hot air from each cabinet by ducting the air through funnels on the top
of the cabinet - in a controlled manner through to the ceiling plenum - is a logical,
simple and highly cost effective improvement to managing data centre cooling.
USystems Limited
Unit 5 Green End Business Park, Green End, Gamlingay, Bedfordshire, SG19 3LF, England
T +44 (0) 1767 652 817 F +44 (0) 1767 651 983 sales@usystems.co.uk www.usystems.co.uk
USystems shall not be liable for any damages resulting from misapplication or misuse of its products. The company reserves the right to update its products without notice.
© USystems Limited, April 2014 Issue 2. ™ The USystems logo and UCoustic, ColdLogik, UTelligent and USpace are trademarks of USystems Limited.
Page 11
The USystems family
Unit 5 Green End Business Park, Green End, Gamlingay, Bedfordshire, SG19 3LF, England
T +44 (0) 1767 652 817 F +44 (0) 1767 651 983
sales@usystems.co.uk
www.usystems.co.uk
USystems shall not be liable for any damages resulting from misapplication or misuse of its products. The company reserves the right to update its products without notice.
© USystems Limited, April 2014 Issue 2. ™ The USystems logo and UCoustic, ColdLogik, UTelligent and USpace are trademarks of USystems Limited.