What are Hot and Cold Aisles in a Data Center
A hot aisle/cold aisle arrangement is a data center layout plan for server racks and other computer equipment.
By regulating air flow, a hot aisle/cold aisle arrangement may save energy and decrease cooling expenses.
In its most basic form, hot aisle/cold aisle data center architecture is arranging server racks in alternating rows, with cold air intakes facing one direction and hot air exhausts facing the other.
Cold aisles are rows made up of rack fronts.
Cold aisles are typically located near air conditioner output ducts.
The rows into which the heated exhausts are poured are referred to as hot aisles.
Typically, heated aisles are adjacent to air conditioner return ducts.
To keep hot and cold air from mingling, a containment system can be utilized to separate hot and cold aisles.
Physical barriers, such as vinyl plastic sheeting or Plexiglas coverings, were first used to divide the hot and cold aisles.
Vendors now provide plenums and other commercial alternatives that combine confinement with variable fan drives (VFDs) to keep cold and hot air separate.
The following are examples of best practices for hot/cold aisle containment:
Raising the floor by 1.5 feet to allow air conditioning equipment to pass through.
Using high cubic feet per minute (CFM) rack grills with 600 CFM output.
Putting devices with side or top exhausts in their own section of the data center.
Setting up automated doors in the data center.
