Changes to environmental regulations mean roughly 70% of the data center cooling industry is transitioning to mildly flammable A2L refrigerants before year 2025.
Codes and standards addressing the unique operational needs for data centers/Information Technology Equipment Facilities (ITEFs) don’t yet exist, and in light of the A2L refrigerant change, the G99-21 series of code changes being considered by the International Code Council seeks to give operators and designers the clarity and certainty they need to keep up with ever-growing demand for new facilities. While it’s important to have that clarity, It’s equally important that the codes themselves take the unique functionality of data centers into account and don’t jeopardize their ability to support the critical IT equipment and applications they house.
Specifically, it’s critical that the code include:
Safety Limits on Releasable Quantities of Refrigerant
It’s important there be no limit on the total amount of refrigerant within the space. Data centers/ITEFs can be very large buildings, covering acres, with increasingly intensive cooling needs. Instead, safety limits are applied on releasable quantities of refrigerant in independent circuits.
High Air-Flow Recirculation to Disperse Refrigerants
Sensitive IT equipment needs a controlled environment to operate without interruption, and that includes filtering the air for particulates. Contaminants in make-up air can harm data processing equipment. Make-up air can also introduce harmful humidity and loss of temperature control in the space. Data centers and ITEFs must instead rely upon recirculated air to disperse refrigerants, and air circulating fans are always on (with much higher flow rates than comfort cooling equipment) so rapid dispersal is guaranteed. Designers can readily manage the number and volume of refrigerant circuits to stay below 25 percent of the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) based on room volume and individual circuit sizes.
Automatic Shutdown of Circuits Where Leaks are Detected
Data centers/ITEFs cannot risk any type of universal automatic shut-down of air conditioning equipment. They are dependent on cooling systems to operate, given the significant amount of heat IT equipment creates.
A false-positive, or unintentional shut-off of refrigeration equipment in data centers because of a faulty refrigerant detector, can create much broader and more significant life-safety hazards than those mitigated by automatic shut-off.
A false positive by a faulty detector, if permitted to automatically shut-down all refrigeration equipment, and subsequent loss of processing capability, could compromise any system using the data center, such as 911 call systems, fire, EMS, and police dispatch systems, hospitals, hazardous weather alerts, utility grids, etc.
Instead of a general automatic shutdown of all refrigeration equipment, G99-21 requires automatic shutdown of only the specific refrigerant circuit that is leaking. Since all data centers have built-in cooling redundancy, the loss of one refrigerant circuit can be offset by a redundant unit.
Your Vote Is Key
So please, vote yes for all parts of G99-21 and safe, reliable data centers so that the public safety infrastructure of our communities – our transportation systems, our extreme weather forecasting, our 911 call centers – can continue to rely on reliable data processing. The health, safety and welfare of our communities depends upon your vote in favor of G99-21.
