April 15, 2024
Humidification and cooling of data centers
Humidity control in a data center is important in order to avoid the build-up of static electricity and to prolong the durability of the servers and computers. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) recommend a humidity level around 50%, with a minumum of 20% and a maximum of 80% RH.
Why is adiabatic humidification suitable for a data center?
Adiabatic humidification is a suitable choice for humidification of data centers for these 3 reasons:
- Energy-efficient
- Cooling effect
- Fully controllable
Energy-efficient
An adiabatic humidifier uses a lot less energy than a conventional steam humidifier. This is because it does not need to heat up the water, like a steam humidifier. Steam humidifiers need a lot of energy to heat water to its boiling point to generate steam. Furthermore, Steam humidification need to maintain high temperatures to keep water in a vapor state even when humidification is not actively occurring. This leads to standby energy losses, which is not the case for adiabatic humidification.
AKIMist “E” is the most energy efficient in its class and uses up to 83% less energy than systems based on steam humidifiers.
Cooling effect
Adiabatic humidifiers also have the advantage of a cooling effect while humidifying. When water molucules evaporate, they absorp heat from the air. This causes the temperature to decrease.
AKIMist yields a cooling of about 2℃, reducing temperatures with evaporative cooling. This will safe costs on air conditioning. This cooling effect is particularly useful for humidification of data centers where IT equipment is in the risk of over-heating.
Fully controllable humidification
Adiabatic humidifiers can be controlled very precisely and automatic through a sensor. When the sensor detects a small drop in humidity, the humidifier will start spraying. Comparatively, an air washer, which sprays water into the air conditioner, is very difficult to control as it’s sensitive to outside temperatures. Steam humidifiers can be controlled, but cannot be turned off in between lapses, which leads to a lot of wasted energy. Read more about different types of humidifiers here
Non-wetting adiabatic humidifier: AKIMist® “E”
One of the main advantages of the adiabatic humidifier AKIMist, is that it’s non-wetting. This is due to the small droplet size (below 10μm – the size of a skin cell!). As can be seen in the illustration, the droplets are so small that they will bounce back without bursting on any surface. This is a big advantage in a data storage facility where you cannot risk any condense on expensive equipment.
