Harbour Bridge tollway
“Some data centres have fresh air vents and those data centres need to be particularly conscious of the filtering as they are constantly taking in fresh air and many of the particles that enter with it,” he said.
“The filters that are used at the new Polaris data centre have a very tight granularity and prevent small particles from entering the equipment. The majority of air filters are mainly to catch larger particles like small stones and leaves for example.”
Cliff Holden, principal advisor data centre at data centre design company Strategic Directions, said that not only could dust and dirt contamination significantly increase the cost of cleaning air filters and physical traffic areas, but also had the potential to void warranties on major pieces of equipment that require air quality monitoring.
“[Dust] could trigger a false alarm on some fire systems – very bad outcome if that is a water based system, very expensive for gas dump and could result in an unnecessary visit from the fire brigade (associated cost as well),” he said.
Holden said there were a number of basic steps those operating their own, smaller data centres could take to protect against dust.
These included ensure all data hall areas have positive air pressure to ensure no dirt/dust egress when doors are opened; implanting 'high efficiency particulate air' (HEPA) filters on fresh air intakes; and ensuring there is a strict cleaning regime in place.
“Look for ways to prevent foot traffic bringing dust inside the building/floors through the proper use of sticky mats, damp mopping and heap filtered vacuum cleaning,” he said.
Those currently designing a data centre should consider using 'very early warning fire detection' (VESDA) in fresh air intakes; factor in airlocks and interlocked entry pods in the design; and consider mechanical air dampers with the ability to turn off air intakes, Holden said.
“The data centres we design follow the design philosophy of the air quality of a hospital environment so that it is constantly architected out during the entire design and construction phase,” he said.
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