ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024 - 14

A Closer Look: What's Driving Data-Center Growth
From 2024 to 2029, the North America datacenter
market is forecasted1 to increase at
a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of
10.09 percent, from 15,930 MW to 25,760 MW.
Meanwhile, colocation revenue is projected
to rise at a CAGR of 18.65 percent, from USD
45,633,800,000 to USD 107,300,100,000.
Such growth no doubt can be attributed to
advances in technology, such as those related
to artifi cial intelligence, machine learning, the
Internet of things, and fi fth-generation (5G)
cellular networks. But that is not all.
As much as we might want to forget
the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic, we must acknowledge the infl uence
it has had on cultures globally and the
acceleration of digital transformation. Historic
growth in remote work, e-commerce, and
online services-predominant byproducts
should specify products third-party-tested and certifi
ed or registered. Pressure-drop, water-penetration, and
impact testing should be verifi ed.
■
Impacts on Data-Center Design
The previous paragraphs spoke to the general application
of dampers and louvers. There are, however, more
complex considerations.
In North America, most data centers contain generator
rooms and enclosures. With exhaust-air temperatures as
high as 500°F (260°C), the conditions can be harsh, with
much at stake in the event the primary power were to
fail. Supply dampers must open in seconds, while louvers
are expected to pull in outside air and prevent excessive
water penetration under any weather conditions. If
a damper or louver is selected incorrectly, catastrophic
failure could result. Insist on partners whose products
have undergone extensive third-party testing and verifi
cation for a full range of application-specifi c criteria.
In HVAC systems, control authority and damper
authority are intertwined but different. Simply stated:
■
14
2024 AMCA inmot ion
Control authority refers to the effectiveness of a control
■
of the pandemic-are data-center growth
drivers. Increasing demand for high-speed
streaming is another. Additional infl uencers
include cryptocurrency mining, hybrid-cloud
adoption, edge computing, and high-frequency
trading. Sustainability concerns, meanwhile,
are forcing consideration of the updating or
replacement of older data centers, while better
protecting sensitive data and complying with
local laws tied to privacy and data sovereignty
are necessitating the need for more strategically
located data centers.
Reference
1. Mordor Intel l igence. (n.d.). North
America data center market size & share
analysis - Growth trends & forecasts up
to 2029. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/
Mordor_DataCenter
system in maintaining mission-critical temperature,
airfl ow, and humidity. Chief considerations are system
responsiveness, accuracy, and stability.
Damper authority speaks to the infl uence a damper has
on airfl ow within a system. Calculated as a percentage, it
is the ratio of pressure drop with a damper fully open to
pressure drop at design fl ow. Damper placement within
a system and blade action are but two considerations.
Considering dampers can enhance control authority:
Select high-quality, low-leakage dampers, preferably
ones designed with specifi c data-center-friendly features
that facilitate precise control, reliable performance,
and reduced energy consumption.
■
Select properly sized actuators providing precise control
to facilitate dynamic adjustments.
■
Use feedback loops to adjust damper position based
on system data.
■ Size dampers based on system requirements.
■ Position dampers for optimal airfl ow distribution.
■ Balance airfl ow across zones to prevent overloading.
■
Fine-tune set points and response times in control loops
and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers.
www.amca.org
https://bit.ly/Mordor_DataCenter https://bit.ly/Mordor_DataCenter http://www.amca.org
ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2024

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