Bell Products’ Core4 data center cooling system ups efficiency

SANTA ROSA – Data center cooling designers at Napa-based heating and air-conditioning contractor Bell Products have achieved greater energy efficiency than anticipated in a pilot system for Internet service provider Sonic.net in Santa Rosa and plan to take the innovation to other data center operators.

Bell’s Core4 division achieved 58 percent to 68 percent efficiency while keeping Sonic’s server room at an optimum computing climate of 68 degrees Fahrenheit and 45 percent relative humidity.

That means 5.8 to 6.8 kilowatts can be used for power-hungry, rack-mounted circuits, processors and hard disks for each kilowatt used to keep that equipment in a safe operating temperature range. Theoretically, the efficiency of the system is 8.9 kilowatts per watt under the best of conditions and 4.6 kilowatts when the temperature of the building is 105 degrees, according to Core4 energy design specialist Rick Cockrell, patent holder.

In a recent study of 22 data centers, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory experts found the average to be 1.68 kilowatts of computing per kilowatt of cooling.

Nationwide, servers and data centers consume 61.4 billion kilowatt hours a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sonic’s system cost $518,000 to install a 100-ton system, and Sonic added $100,000 in equipment to allow it to expand with another 100 tons of redundant cooling capacity. Together with a $129,000 rebate from Pacific Gas & Electric and potential for up to $12,000 a month in savings, the return on investment can be less than three years, according to Mr. Cockrell.

The Core4 server-room air system for Sonic has been running for nine months and saved the Internet provider $7,300 in August, according to Sonic system analyst Kelsey Cummings. He estimates savings will total $70,000 to $90,000 this year.

“One of the most important things this has allowed us to do is get more out of existing infrastructure,” Mr. Cummings said.

Total power consumption is reduced, so more servers are able to be put in the data center with the existing switches and electrical systems. Smaller-sized servers are allowing more servers to be put in each cabinet.

For more information, call 707-255-1811 or visit www.bellproducts.com.