The Benefits of Airflow Studies

For every project, both architectural and engineering, efficiency informs our design thinking. We strive for solutions that run as smoothly, cost-effectively, and environmentally responsibly as possible, leveraging the deep institutional knowledge of our staff to arrive at the best possible outcomes for our clients.

For data center clients, airflow studies are an excellent means of ensuring that our designs are optimally efficient. They provide an accurate evaluation of proposed and actual effectiveness, both during design and post-construction. 

Early in design, computational fluid dynamics analysis utilizes computer modeling of the proposed physical configuration of the data center (e.g., equipment racks, cooling system components, space architecture, etc.). Together with the anticipated equipment load densities and cooling system operating parameters, this information is used to predict cooling performance, and allows for the testing of competing initial design strategies.

 

Using Smoke to Provide Clarity

Once a data center is operational, smoke testing can be performed to provide visual evidence of how the cooling system functions in discrete equipment aisles. Smoke testing is excellent for both its simplicity and for the results it offers, providing a means of fine-tuning system performance to improve overall reliability and efficiency. Potential air distribution issues, such as re-entrainment of hot-aisle airflow into cold aisles, can be readily identified and resolved through smoke testing.

Given the sensitive nature of the environments involved, airflow analyses provide clients economical means of ensuring that the integrity of their spaces is as high as possible.