Executive Summary
This operational practice is intended to educate individuals working in broadband communications critical facilities on what cooling system set points are and how adjusting set points can impact cooling system operational efficiency. The objective is to provide engineers, technicians and contractors with a basic understanding of those impacts so set point adjustments will not be done casually but instead be part of the overall goals to optimize the efficiency of the cooling and heating systems without risk of creating conditions which could cause network or service interruption. There are significant implications with respect to the operational efficiency of the facility that can result from changing cooling system set points for the wrong reasons.
A better understanding of cooling system set points will enable people working in critical facilities to avoid actions that may prove detrimental to facility operation.
Scope
This document covers the operation of cooling systems and the selection of cooling set points for critical facilities in broadband communications systems. The facilities covered are defined as cable operator classes B, C, and D (commonly referred to as hubs and head ends) in [SCTE 226].
This document provides an explanation of cooling system set points to ensure personnel working in critical facilities understand their operation and how changes in set point settings can result in a positive or negative impact on the ICT equipment. It takes a generic approach and does not explain the detailed operation of cooling systems, nor does it delve into the array of cooling system controls as these vary considerably across the different types of cooling systems.
Benefits
30-40% of the energy demand of the critical facilities included in the scope of this document supports the cooling equipment that provides stable room environment temperatures for the technology in racks to operate. A proper understanding of the impact of temperature set points on equipment efficiency, performance and reliability can be used to optimize energy demand and equipment longevity. Many critical facilities have unnecessarily low setpoints and/or have multiple cooling systems with conflicting set points. By following the recommendations in this operational practice, operators should see lower cooling operating expenses, less wear and tear on critical cooling units, and increased reliability of the ICT equipment.
Intended Audience
Critical facility managers and supervisors along with employees responsible for sites containing critical cooling units would benefit from becoming familiar with this operational practice.