Cold Aisle Containment

Cold Aisle Containment consists of a physical barrier that allows the supply air to pool inside the aisle.

Cold aisle containment (CAC) typically consists of aisle end doors and a roof system to contain the supply airflow to the intake of the IT equipment. Most CAC roofs are no higher than the top of the rack. In most cases, this avoids running into obstructions such as cable trays. CAC ensures a uniform and predictable air temperature at the IT intake.

Energy Efficiency

The natural properties of cold air require doors to prevent it from flowing out from the aisle ends. Cold aisle containment (CAC) ensures that the IT equipment is being cooled within the manufacturers’ specifications. A hot spot, like a weak link in a chain, impacts the ability to achieve the efficient operating conditions recommended by the new ASHRAE TC 9.9 guidelines. CAC creates a uniform and predictable airflow that eliminates hot spots, ensuring optimal operating efficiencies.

Cabinet Space Efficiency

Data center space is expensive. Many companies do not populate the top 15% of the rack due to inconsistent supply air temperature. The area at the top of the rack is typically affected by hot exhaust air recirculation. Cold aisle containment systems are designed to eliminate these hot spots, allowing data centers to get more out their space. Under populating the rack increases the space cost per server ratio (Sp ~ SerR). While most ROI formulas compute the real cost of cooling saved, the increase in rack population alone saves companies millions of dollars towards new data center expansion.

Custom Cold Aisle Containment Systems

A variety of cold aisle containment configurations are shown below. These are actual customer projects, custom designed for their unique challenges.

Hinged Doors

The Hinged Door is a premier solution for cold and hot aisle containment solutions. The door is custom designed and built to meet your data center’s needs. This design is recommended for very large aisles or when space is limited in front of each server cabinet. Each door is custom designed to meet any cabinet size while maintaining a superior fit and finish. For easy movement of carts in and out of the aisles. Each door is built with an auto closing doorcloser that contains a soft closing damper. This ensures the containment integrity, while providing smooth operation.

KEY FEATURES:

Custom Sizes
No Threshold
Clear Panels for Better Visibility
Rigid Panels
Smooth Actuation
Self-Supporting
Auto Door Closer
Soft Closing

OPTIONS:

Clear or Black Anodized Finish
Left or Right Hand Open
Digital/Keyed Lock
Custom Logo

Dual Sliding Doors

The dual sliding door is a premier solution for cold and hot aisle containment solutions. The door is custom designed and built to meet your data center’s needs. The door is designed to be opened to the left or the right. This design is recommended for very large aisles or when space is limited in front of each server cabinet. Each door is custom designed to meet any cabinet size while maintaining a superior fit and finish. The no-threshold design eliminates any tripping hazard and allows for easy movement of carts in and out of the aisles. Each door is built with a soft closing latch that ensures the containment integrity, with an auto-closing option.

KEY FEATURES:

Custom Sizes
Rigid Design
Clear Panels for Better Visibility
No Threshold
Smooth Actuation
Self-Supporting
Auto Door Closer
Soft Closing

OPTIONS:

Clear or Black Anodized Finish
Left or Right Hand Open
Digital/Keyed Lock

Strip Containment Doors

Overlapping vertical strips provide effective and efficient approach to separating supply and exhaust air in data center aisles.

The problem was that these lighter strips were less effective because they easily separated when faced with air pressure. The Cool Shield Flexible Strip solution maintains all the benefits of using vertical strips but improves the effectiveness with a two-tier design. The top-tier of the system is framed with the versatile Cool Shield channel with the bottom just above the tallest cabinet. Overlapping strips are affixed at the top and bottom to prevent air loss due to separation. Recloseable fasteners at the bottom allow access to cables.

Overlapping strips can also be attached to the bottom channel. Small strips can be cut to the tops of shorter cabinets or longer strips to the floor are used for aisle entry ways and for gaps in the row. The longer strips attached to lower channel are less likely to separate than strips all the way to the ceiling.

Deluxe Single Sliding Containment Door

Thick PVC strips were the first material used for aisle containment in the data center. They were inexpensive, easily to cut to adjust to obstacles and were quite effective at preventing air mixing. However, fire rating and out gassing concerns have forced a shift to thinner, higher rated strip. The problem was that these lighter strips were less effective because they easily separated when faced with air pressure. The Cool Shield Flexible Strip solution maintains all the benefits of using vertical strips but improves the effectiveness with a two-tier design.

The top-tier of the system is framed with the versatile Cool Shield channel with the bottom just above the tallest cabinet. Overlapping strips are affixed at the top and bottom to prevent air loss due to separation. Recloseable fasteners at the bottom allow access to cables.

Overlapping strips can also be attached to the bottom channel. Small strips can be cut to the tops of shorter cabinets or longer strips to the floor are used for aisle entry ways and for gaps in the row. The longer strips attached to lower channels are less likely to separate than strips all the way to the ceiling