How Does Raised Floor Work Effectively For Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) In Data Centers?

In data centers that have elevated flooring, raised floor perforated tiles are used to distribute cold airflow, allowing cold air to enter the cooling chamber to be used by the equipment. How does the perforated airflow panel or tile work effectively for the underfloor air distribution system (UFAD) in Date Center? In this article, Huiya - Raised Floor Specialist will explain to you.

Choose Air Flow Rate of Perforated Tile

The Air Flow Rate is the amount of area that allows the flow of air through the perforated raised floor panel: 25% of Air Flow Rate means that of each 60 x 60 cm tile, 25% lets air through. Older tiles generally have a 25% to 35% airflow rate, while now some Huiya perforated Access Floor panel reaches up to 75% of the total area.

The most common Elevated Perforated floor tiles allow 200 to 500 PCM, reaching 1,500 to 4,000 watts of cooling. The exact amount of cooling (watts) per tile is determined by the airflow and the temperature: Watts = .316 x PCM x ΔT.

• Perforated Panels are available in two basic forms of open spaces.

• Traditional four-square access floor tile models, which reach a 25% airflow rate, are the most common.

• The newer, high-performance raised access flooring tiles, which offer 56% or more airflow rate, are made of perforated steel, which allows them to open more than half of the surface.

• Although the new perforated panels offer more airflow rate, installing a complete Raised Floors system with them would not be very effective since the controls of the air conditioning units in the computer rooms generally do not have enough air pressure underneath from the floor to distribute the PCM that is needed to the entire data center.

Use Right Air Control Units Under Perforated Tiles

Air recycling occurs through the use of air conditioners in the computer room (CRAC), or through the air control units (Computer Room Air Handlers, CRAH).

These air conditioners eliminate heat from the gases produced using refrigerants or ice water. The heat is directed out of the installation and the reconstituted cold air is pumped into the full chamber of the raised floor that passes through the perforated tiles to the cooling chamber.

Install the Raised Floor Perforated Panel on the Ideal Position

Access Floor Airflow Tile installation is of the utmost importance because the raised floor is the full chamber to distribute cold air to the data center. These tiles are the entry point for all the cold air into the data center; its location will determine its cooling capacity and the efficiency of the entire assembly. They must be strategically placed to ensure the correct distribution of cold air. Once the cabinet and equipment have been accommodated, the precise place where the tiles will be placed is established, through a measurement procedure, as well as trial and error. A more sophisticated alternative method uses computer flow dynamics models (Computation Fluid Dynamics, CFD) to determine the installation location.

In this method, using as much accurate information as possible, a data center model is created. The floor plan is developed and, thanks to computer simulation, the ideal placement spot that will produce optimum airflow and cooling is obtained.

Installing access floor tiles too far or too close to the CRAC / CRAH Unit can cause complications. If the tiles are too far away, there will not be enough air flow. On the contrary, given the high air velocity that exits the base of the unit, perforated tiles that are placed very close to the points where the base of the cabinet meets the full chamber of the raised floors may be in danger of exposing yourself to the Venturi effect. The Venturi effect occurs when the blast of air flowing beneath the perforated tiles produces a suction within the flow. Instead of having a cold air flow up, an airdrop can occur - contrary to what is needed.

Select the High-Quality All-Steel Perforated Raised Floor Panels

A durable Raised Floor Airflow System can protect your equipment from heat damage, obtain reliable equipment operation and prolong the life of protected components. Choosing a durable perforated elevated floor is the key to building a reliable airflow system in the data center. Huiya's all-steel perforated floor is definitely a good choice. If you want to know more about our raised floors, write to us.