Efficient server cooling with low speed ventilation

Moving air at this speed requires a lot of energy and can trigger the Venturi effect, which leads to air pressure variations and the ‘hot spots’ that can cause servers to overheat. Alfa Laval’s Low Speed Ventilation patented cooling concept delivers air at a lower speed - 1.5 to 1.8 metres per second. Reducing air speed and delivering an optimum airflow eliminates the Venturi effect, minimises pressure differences and therefore prevents problems such as ‘hot spots’. As LSV is a normal pressure technology, data centre operators only need to control air availability, not air pressure, making it far easier to achieve optimum conditions in the server room.

As significant amounts of air are required for Low Speed Ventilation, LSV coolers are larger than conventional coolers. Alfa Laval Arctigo LSV air coolers are specially designed with a large cross-sectional area. Located outside the server room, these coolers ensure the servers are supplied with sufficient temperature controlled air at all times, while consuming far less power than conventional server cooling solutions.

“Low Speed Ventilation is a unique technology that challenges current solutions for cooling server halls,” commented Mats Carselid, Marketing Manager Data Centre Cooling. “We live in an age obsessed with speed, so it may feel counter intuitive that you can improve performance by slowing something down. However, our new concept shows that if you reduce air velocity, you can avoid problems often encountered in conventional server cooling and gain a lot of benefits such as increased energy efficiency and reduced energy costs. Just the fact that Low Speed Ventilation technology allows server halls to operate under normal air pressure makes it a true innovation.”