HVAC resources

e24ohm

Gang,
I am trying to learn about HVAC systems, since i noticed alot of higher end tech jobs require this skill. Right now i know nothing about HVAC system, so what do i need to know? What resources should i look into on HVAC for IT systems, or how ever you describe it.

thank you,
E

astorrs

Your best bet to learn more about cooling in a data center environment would be to have a look at APC's Data Center University online courses, the entire library of which is free again until the end of this month (January 31, 2009).

The following cooling related courses are available (I would suggest you complete at least do the first 3 of them to get a basic understanding of things):

• Fundamentals of Cooling Architecture
  Selecting the appropriate cooling architecture is one of the key components in data center design. Matching the right architecture to your data center requirements will be foundational to the long term success of your data center. This course will explore the various approaches to cooling the data center, along with the appropriate application, for each of the architectures discussed.

• Fundamentals of Cooling I
  In every data center excess heat has the potential to create downtime. In addition, the performance and lifespan of IT equipment is directly related to the efficiency of cooling equipment. If you’re involved with the operation of computing equipment it’s critical that you understand the importance of cooling in the data center environment. This foundational course explains the fundamentals of air conditioning systems, covering such topics as the refrigeration cycle, ideal gas law, condensation, convection and radiation, heat generation and transfer, and precision vs. comfort cooling.

• Fundamentals of Cooling II
  Data center cooling is one of the most critical yet least understood of all IT environmental issues. A thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of cooling is essential in order to achieve peak performance of your mission-critical systems. This course expands upon the principles learned in Fundamentals of Cooling, Part 1. Topics include humidity, temperature measurement and control, humidification strategies and systems, demand fighting, and methods used to prevent it, and appropriate operating thresholds for maximum efficiency and cost savings.
  

• Cooling Strategies for IT Wiring Closets and Small IT Rooms
  The focus for this course will be on understanding the importance of cooling for wiring closets and reviewing options for cooling a wiring closet. Cooling for IT wiring closets is rarely planned and typically only implemented after failures or overheating occur. Historically, no clear standard exists for specifying sufficient cooling to achieve predictable behavior within wiring closets. An appropriate specification for cooling IT wiring closets should assure compatibility with anticipated loads, provide unambiguous instruction for design and installation of cooling equipment, prevent over sizing, maximize electrical efficiency, and be flexible enough to work in various shapes and types of closets.
  
  
• Optimizing Cooling Layouts for the Data Center
  A challenging predicament for facility managers is striking a balance between the complicated and drastic heat output of IT equipment and preventing that heat from damaging the very equipment that creates it. Further, humidity and temperature levels outside the recommended range can detrimentally alter computer components making them vulnerable to future failures. Although obtaining proper cooling equipment is important, equally important is the distribution and layout of that equipment. This course discusses various types of cooling equipment, and deployment methods for optimal system performance and improved data center efficiency.
  
  
• Chilled Water Piping for Your Data Center
  In data centers, the traditional approach to piping distribution has been to use hard copper or carbon steel piping with welded, brazed or threaded fittings for routing and branching of the piping to the computer room air conditioners. With the current trend of increased densities in IT equipment and more frequent moves, additions, and changes, computer room air conditioners must occasionally be added to the traditional lay-outs where the use of hard piping becomes problematic. These additions require new piping to be installed, increasing deployment time of the equipment and increasing the risk of down time associated with the installation. The result is that there is a need in the industry for a more flexible modular system of piping that can better accommodate changing requirements. This course explains this new piping technology and its application to next-generation data centers.
  
  
• Advantages of Row and Rack Oriented Cooling Architecture I
  Room cooling is an ineffective approach for next-generation data centers. Latest generation high density and variable density IT equipment create conditions that room cooling was never intended to address, resulting in cooling systems that are inefficient and unpredictable. Row-oriented and rack-oriented cooling architectures have been developed to address these problems. This course is a follow-up to Fundamentals of Cooling Architecture and will focus primarily on contrasting the three cooling architectures (room, row, and rack) and illustrate why row-oriented cooling will emerge as the preferred solution for most next generation data centers.
  
  
• Advantages of Row and Rack-Oriented Cooling Architectures II
  Data center cooling is one of the most critical yet least understood
  of all the NCPI components. Today’s data center manager will need to have a thorough understanding of the unique challenges involved in the deployment of a particular cooling architecture. This course expands upon the topics explored in Advantages of Row and Rack-Oriented Cooling Architectures Part 1. Topics for part two include these special issues; capacity utilization, humidification,
  electrical efficiency, water or other heat transport piping, location, and redundancy. The most appropriate way to deal with these challenges in the data center environment will also be explored.
  
  
• Calculating Total Cooling Requirements
  Accurately identifying cooling requirements are a critical factor data center design and maintenance. This course describes how to estimate the heat output for purposes of sizing data center air conditioning systems. In addition, a number of heat and cooling measurement conversion options will be explored. The importance of “right-sizing” the cooling solutions for the data center will also be discussed.
  
  
• Power and Cooling Capacity Management for Data Centers
  High density IT equipment stresses the power density capability of modern data centers. Installation and unmanaged proliferation of this equipment can lead to unexpected problems with power and cooling infrastructure including overheating, overloads, and loss of redundancy. The ability to measure and predict power and cooling capability at the rack enclosure level is required to ensure predictable performance and optimize use of the physical infrastructure resource. This course describes the principles for achieving power and cooling capacity management.
  

e24ohm

astorrs wrote: »

Your best bet to learn more about cooling in a data center environment would be to have a look at APC's Data Center University online courses, the entire library of which is free again until the end of this month (January 31, 2009).

The following cooling related courses are available (I would suggest you complete at least do the first 3 of them to get a basic understanding of things):

• Fundamentals of Cooling Architecture
  Selecting the appropriate cooling architecture is one of the key components in data center design. Matching the right architecture to your data center requirements will be foundational to the long term success of your data center. This course will explore the various approaches to cooling the data center, along with the appropriate application, for each of the architectures discussed.

• Fundamentals of Cooling I
  In every data center excess heat has the potential to create downtime. In addition, the performance and lifespan of IT equipment is directly related to the efficiency of cooling equipment. If you’re involved with the operation of computing equipment it’s critical that you understand the importance of cooling in the data center environment. This foundational course explains the fundamentals of air conditioning systems, covering such topics as the refrigeration cycle, ideal gas law, condensation, convection and radiation, heat generation and transfer, and precision vs. comfort cooling.

• Fundamentals of Cooling II
  Data center cooling is one of the most critical yet least understood of all IT environmental issues. A thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of cooling is essential in order to achieve peak performance of your mission-critical systems. This course expands upon the principles learned in Fundamentals of Cooling, Part 1. Topics include humidity, temperature measurement and control, humidification strategies and systems, demand fighting, and methods used to prevent it, and appropriate operating thresholds for maximum efficiency and cost savings.
  

• Cooling Strategies for IT Wiring Closets and Small IT Rooms
  The focus for this course will be on understanding the importance of cooling for wiring closets and reviewing options for cooling a wiring closet. Cooling for IT wiring closets is rarely planned and typically only implemented after failures or overheating occur. Historically, no clear standard exists for specifying sufficient cooling to achieve predictable behavior within wiring closets. An appropriate specification for cooling IT wiring closets should assure compatibility with anticipated loads, provide unambiguous instruction for design and installation of cooling equipment, prevent over sizing, maximize electrical efficiency, and be flexible enough to work in various shapes and types of closets.
  
  
• Optimizing Cooling Layouts for the Data Center
  A challenging predicament for facility managers is striking a balance between the complicated and drastic heat output of IT equipment and preventing that heat from damaging the very equipment that creates it. Further, humidity and temperature levels outside the recommended range can detrimentally alter computer components making them vulnerable to future failures. Although obtaining proper cooling equipment is important, equally important is the distribution and layout of that equipment. This course discusses various types of cooling equipment, and deployment methods for optimal system performance and improved data center efficiency.
  
  
• Chilled Water Piping for Your Data Center
  In data centers, the traditional approach to piping distribution has been to use hard copper or carbon steel piping with welded, brazed or threaded fittings for routing and branching of the piping to the computer room air conditioners. With the current trend of increased densities in IT equipment and more frequent moves, additions, and changes, computer room air conditioners must occasionally be added to the traditional lay-outs where the use of hard piping becomes problematic. These additions require new piping to be installed, increasing deployment time of the equipment and increasing the risk of down time associated with the installation. The result is that there is a need in the industry for a more flexible modular system of piping that can better accommodate changing requirements. This course explains this new piping technology and its application to next-generation data centers.
  
  
• Advantages of Row and Rack Oriented Cooling Architecture I
  Room cooling is an ineffective approach for next-generation data centers. Latest generation high density and variable density IT equipment create conditions that room cooling was never intended to address, resulting in cooling systems that are inefficient and unpredictable. Row-oriented and rack-oriented cooling architectures have been developed to address these problems. This course is a follow-up to Fundamentals of Cooling Architecture and will focus primarily on contrasting the three cooling architectures (room, row, and rack) and illustrate why row-oriented cooling will emerge as the preferred solution for most next generation data centers.
  
  
• Advantages of Row and Rack-Oriented Cooling Architectures II
  Data center cooling is one of the most critical yet least understood
  of all the NCPI components. Today’s data center manager will need to have a thorough understanding of the unique challenges involved in the deployment of a particular cooling architecture. This course expands upon the topics explored in Advantages of Row and Rack-Oriented Cooling Architectures Part 1. Topics for part two include these special issues; capacity utilization, humidification,
  electrical efficiency, water or other heat transport piping, location, and redundancy. The most appropriate way to deal with these challenges in the data center environment will also be explored.
  
  
• Calculating Total Cooling Requirements
  Accurately identifying cooling requirements are a critical factor data center design and maintenance. This course describes how to estimate the heat output for purposes of sizing data center air conditioning systems. In addition, a number of heat and cooling measurement conversion options will be explored. The importance of “right-sizing” the cooling solutions for the data center will also be discussed.
  
  
• Power and Cooling Capacity Management for Data Centers
  High density IT equipment stresses the power density capability of modern data centers. Installation and unmanaged proliferation of this equipment can lead to unexpected problems with power and cooling infrastructure including overheating, overloads, and loss of redundancy. The ability to measure and predict power and cooling capability at the rack enclosure level is required to ensure predictable performance and optimize use of the physical infrastructure resource. This course describes the principles for achieving power and cooling capacity management.
  

thanks mate, this is a great...cheers!!!