How do you calculate cooling load for a server room?

Useful BTU Cooling Formulae:

1. Equipment BTU = Total wattage for all equipment x 3.5.

2. Lighting BTU = Total wattage for all lighting x 4.25.
3. Total Occupant BTU = Number of occupants x 400.
4. Room Area BTU = Length (m) x Width (m) x 337.
5. Total Heat Load = Room Area BTU + Total Occupant BTU + Equipment BTU +
Lighting BTU.

How many watts per square foot does a data center use?

How Much Power Does a Data Center Use Per Square Foot?

Generally speaking, this can vary. However, the typical power density can be roughly 150 watts
per square footage. But it can also be as high as 300 watts.

 1ft² = 150Watts, but 1ft²=0.0929m²

 0.0929m² = 150Watts

Therefore, 1m² = (150/0.0929) Watts

1m² = 1,614Watts
1m² = 1.61Kw

Datacenter Cooling Standards

Thermal and humidity recommendations for data centers are developed and published by the
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Based
on the equipment categorization, the current version describes the temperatures and humidity
levels at which a data center can safely be run.

According to the most recent ASHRAE recommendations, IT equipment should be utilized with
the following parameters:

 Temperatures between 18°C and 27°C

 Dew point of -9°C to 15°C
 Relative humidity of 60%.

The classification A1 to A4 of IT equipment determines the suitable environment for it, which is
based on the type of equipment and how it should run. Enterprise servers and other storage
systems classified as A1 require the most stringent environmental controls. A4 covers PCs,
storage goods, workstations, and volume servers, and offers the widest temperature and humidity
range.

Previous versions prioritized uptime and dependability over energy costs. ASHRAE produced
lessons that better explained the environmental and energy implications as data centers grew
more aware of energy-saving strategies and efficiency.

Cooling Load Calculation

You will need several pieces of information to calculate the data center cooling load such as:

 Total heat output of equipment

 The floor space in square feet (ft2)
 The facility architecture
 The electrical system power rating

One issue to keep in mind is that some older equipment may have been built to ASHRAE
cooling requirements that are no longer valid. If the data center has a variety of equipment, it
needs to determine an acceptable temperature and humidity range for all of it.

To determine the British thermal unit (BTU) cooling size, use the following formula:

(Room square footage x 20) + (IT equipment watt usage x 3.14) + (Active people in the room x
400)

Heat Output Special Cases

Because some devices generate heat in ways that depart from the general rule of “power
consumption equals heat output”, they must be computed separately:

 Lighting

The watt output of lights, like that of IT equipment, roughly equals the heat output. Calculate the
lighting BTU by multiplying this value by 4.25. Reduce this sum by one-third to get LED lights.

 Windows

Windows in datacenters also play a role in this. A typical cooling load calculation is 60
BTU/hour per ft2 of the window, but for exact figures, consult ASHRAE’s particular formulas
for window calculations. Location, hours of sunlight, building materials, window materials,
refraction rates, and other factors are taken into account.

 External Heat On Walls, And Roofs

The total heat output in a data center, especially a large one, might be affected by externally
facing walls or roofs. 

 People

To calculate the total occupant BTU, multiply the maximum number of individuals who would
be in the facility at any given moment by 400.

 Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

Even if these systems and equipment aren’t typically used at full capacity, utilize their maximum
capacity when estimating heat output because it may be a factor if they are.

 Power Distribution Systems

Because these systems only emit a part of their indicated power consumption as heat, apply the
following cooling load calculation to estimate their heat output:

(0.02 x power system rating) + (0.02 x total IT load power)

 Voice Over IP (VoIP) Routers

Because remote terminals consume up to one-third of a VoIP router’s power, divide its
maximum power output by one-third for cooling load calculations.

 HVAC And Other Cooling Systems

Cooling fans and compressors in air conditioning systems generate a lot of heat. They can be
ignored because it is virtually instantly released outside rather than inside the data center.

Calculating The Total Heat Output

After gathering all of the information, simply add it all up to establish the data center’s total
cooling load.

Using BTU as the base unit, multiply the total by 3,412 to get the total cooling needed in
kilowatts (kW).

Other Environmental Factors

Aside from the particular environmental conditions discussed above, a few more factors can
affect the heat output calculations of a data center. Ignoring them could result in an undersized
cooling system and a higher overall cooling cost.
Air Humidity

HVAC systems are frequently built to regulate humidity and remove heat. They should, in
theory, maintain a constant humidity level, however, the air-conditioning function frequently
causes significant condensation and humidity loss. As a result, many data centers use extra
humidification technology to compensate for heat loss.

Supplemental humidification is usually required in large data centers with extensive air mixing.
The cooling system must adjust for the hotter air moving through the facility. As a result, many
data centers must oversize their cooling systems by up to 30%.

In smaller data centers or wire closets, condensation isn’t usually a concern, thus the cooling
system may be able to handle humidification on its own using the existing return ducting. The
return ducts are designed to prevent the risk of condensation, allowing the HVAC system to run
at full capacity.

Oversizing Cooling

Because the cooling load of a data center can alter over time, oversizing the cooling system to
accommodate future development must be considered. Oversizing provides the extra benefit of
providing redundancy in the event that a component of the cooling system malfunctions or needs
to be shut down for maintenance. HVAC professionals often advise adding as much redundancy
as the budget permits, or at least one extra unit than the estimated requirement.

To allow for future development, HVAC specialists often double the heat output of all IT
equipment by 1.5.

Cooling Load Calculation In Data Center Sample

Here are a few examples of cooling load calculations using common measurements.

1. An Overall Data Center Cooling Load Calculation

Consider the following scenario for a typical data center:

Photo Credit: www.qtransform.com

Because most HVAC systems are sized in tons, we can use the standard conversion equations
(watts x 3.41 = BTU/hour) and (BTU/hour / 12,000 = tons of cooling):

 76 kW = 880,760 W x 3.41 = 3,003,391.6 BTU/hour

 3,003,391.6 BTU/hour / 12,000 = 250.28 t of max cooling needed
This diagram shows how components, systems, people, and other factors interact.

Even at maximum utilization, the UPS system in this data center produces so little heat that it
accounts for less than 1% of the total heat production. The majority of it is generated by the rest
of the IT equipment.

Cooling load often remains the same as the modern data center grows from the massive,
centralized data center of a decade ago to the small, flexible edge computing data center many
firms are establishing today. With so much technology concentrated in one place, it’s crucial to
have efficient monitoring to keep the cooling system and other factors within the facility in
check.