World's First*1 Rear Door Server Rack Refrigerant-Type
Multi-Air Conditioning Service
-Supporting low-energy server rooms through superior cooling technology-
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Tokyo, October 23, 2007 - SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) and IBM Japan Ltd. (IBM) together announce the world's first energy-conserving air conditioner service for server rooms with rack-type servers.
The service, combining IBM's patented technology for directly attaching heat exchange equipment to the rear door of server racks*2 and SANYO's leading commercial-use multi-air conditioning technology, has improved dramatically the cooling effectiveness for rack-type servers as compared to installing new air conditioning equipment in server rooms.
Together with Sanyo's newly developed 'enegreen Multi-Server Cooler'*3, IBM will sell and provide the installation service under the name of 'IBM Refrigeration Rear Door Heat eXchanger'. The cost for this new service, which includes up to 3 racks, will be approximately 18,000,000 yen, including the external units and standard construction fare and will require 2.5 months from the time of order to delivery.
Main Features of the 'enegreen Multi-Server Cooler'
- World's first 'internal rack' delicate low-energy control
- Realizing high reliability adequate for practical-use in data centers
- Various server layouts possible; simple initial installation and future expansion
Background
In recent years, as computer processors temperatures have increased due to higher performance and faster speeds, as well as the concentration of several servers in a single unit as servers are consolidated, many IT professionals working in data centers and other places have been very concerned about the extreme heat generated by these server rooms. Particularly data centers located on expensive land in the middle of urban areas, where there is less space for server rooms, have seen an increase in this rack-type server and have found the amount of heat generated by many servers in a single smaller room to be difficult and expensive to control and cool.
This new service utilizes the same concept as the system announced by IBM in 2005 and the 'IBM Rear Door Heat eXchanger (or RDHX) offered by IBM Japan starting from 2006, that was a water-based cooling solution for the rear door of the server rack. By installing this on the rear of the server, the part that typically generates the most heat, approximately 50% of the heat radiated has been reduced. Together with the know-how from IBM Japan and IBM' Server Innovation Laboratory, SANYO, as a world leading multi-type commercial air conditioner technology manufacturer realizing low-energy consumption with efficient technology, has newly developed a new 'enegreen Multi-Server Cooler', enabling the world's first low-energy, highly efficient rear door rack server air conditioner. The sales and installation of this service will be managed by IBM Japan, which has plentiful experience in facility services related to data centers.
Main Features
The enegreen Refrigerant-type Multi-Server Cooler concentrates localized and individualized cooling technology on the inner-side of the server's rear door. In order to handle the various server loads accompanying each server's varying temperatures from the inner-side of the rear door, a new low-voltage-loss type heat exchanger was developed and separated into 2-steps. These two steps were designed for independent control for the coolant and for the quantity of flow. Additionally, multiple temperature sensors are attached to both the front, or air-intake, and the rear, or air outtake. By delicately controlling the temperature of both the room and the heat exchanger, condensation from the rear door heat exchanger can be prevented. It is the world's first system that is effectively cools each rack of servers and each individual server rack within.
Varying temperatures and server loads on the internal racks can be handled through the external air conditioning units, utilizing one unit with a DC inverter compressor and two units with AC constant-speed compressors, allowing variable, non-step air conditioning capable of a ranged load including anywhere from 10% to 100% and able to manage the temperature easily and effectively (with 45kW external unit). Furthermore, the new cooling system uses the new R140A refrigerant, which is not only effective at carrying the heat away effectively, but is known to not decrease ozone and has less environmental impact.
Through these various measures, the system is able to save over 50% more energy under the same circumstances as a traditional all-encompassing room air conditioner, while effectively cooling the server racks. In addition to energy-savings, by using a refrigerant-type multi-server cooler together with the indoor air conditioner, the amount of heat generated from the server rack is reduced by 50% and leaves the server room with 25% or more overall less energy consumption.*4
Through incorporating a built-in 'Automatic Compressor Back-up Operation'*5, if one of the units gets damaged or encounters some type of problem, the operations will automatically be transferred to another compressor, avoiding a complete shut-down of the server rack cooling system. If a remote viewing adapter is attached, operators can connect to SANYO's commercial air conditioning unit remote observation system (found at http://www.sanyo.co.jp/cmservice/remort/3snet.html Japanese only), enabling off-site specialists and technicians to be able to provide full 24-hour/365-days-a-year support through continuous real-time monitoring for abnormalities of the external unit. Also, a new homepage will be opened for each customer, providing the inspection information and operation history, including monthly and yearly history, as well as a program to confirm operation.
Since this method of attaching a heat exchanger where the heat exchanger and refrigerant are used at the same time, there is higher reliability, putting to ease those who dislike extraneous electronic parts and traditional coolants in the data center.
Installation for the system is simple with little construction work needed. Installation only requires coolant piping and communication wiring, and the server rack attached to the rear door of each server rack inside the room. When an additional external unit is added, up to two more server racks can be supported (when installing a 45kW system). The piping can be up to 150 meters, or if installing on a roof, up to 50 meters, between the external unit and the server cooler. The pipes for the coolant are flexible, which enables various layout options for server rooms and cooling solutions. Upon installing additional high performance servers, by simply adding another line to the external units and connecting it to the control system, it will be connected and ready for use, allowing for augmentable growth and expansion.
IBM, in May of this year, announced its new 'Project Big Green' to make efforts on a global scale, aiming at managing energy crises for data centers that have seen a rapid climb in prices due to their high energy demands. IBM has set up 5 approaches to rapidly increasing customer's energy efficiencies, namely: Diagnose, Build, Virtualize, Manage, and Cool. The service being offered this time fits into the 'Cool' category as an effective realization to one of these approaches.
SANYO, based on its Brand Vision 'Think GAIA', has made efforts to prevent global warming and tackle environmental issues, developing new and improved environment-conscious low-energy air conditioning technology contributing to the reduction of CO2, aiming at creating harmony between the Earth and living things found thereon. On this occasion, by turning its cutting-edge technology to the IT industry as a world's first application in this area, SANYO would like to continue global expansion.
If this new system was installed in all of the world's data centers, CO2 would be reduced by 2.22 million tons, or the equivalent of 158 million cedar trees*7. Through this service, IBM and SANYO will continue to cooperate to tackle environmental issues.
IBM Japan is scheduled to have this new 'enegreen Refrigerant-type Multi-Server Cooler' installed in its own data center (located in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture).
*2:The server rack is an IBM Enterprise Server Rack compatible only with the 19-inch 42U.
*3:SANYO in an effort to prevent global warming has reduced CO2 emissions, creating commercial products to enable a more comfortable town.
This product has been assigned to the 'enegreen universe' product group.
*4:Calculation Method
Open-air temperature of 35c, indoor temperature of 24c (with relative humidity at 50%) For packaged air conditioner units installed in
server rooms using SANYO's R407C refrigerant, and when installed using enegreen Air Conditioning Multi-Server Cooler system in over
half of the server racks. *5:Depending on the nature of the interruption, there are situations when no automatic back-up is available
*6:Based on the amount of CO2 emitted when data center is considered 0.555kg/kWh of CO2
(according to the Ministry of the Environment homepage)
*7:Calculated using 1 cedar tree as an approximate reduction of 14kg/tree (according to the Energy Conservation Center homepage)
*IBM is a trademark in North America and other areas where it conducts business, standing for International Business Machines Corporation.
For Press Contact:(English Only)
- Global Communications Department
Corporate Communications Headquarters
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Tel:+81-3-6414-8615 Fax: +81-3-6414-8720
E-mail: i_press.1014390@sanyo.co.jp
URL: http://www.sanyo.com
