Diseño del sistema de climatización para un centro de datos con carga de 400 kW

Abstract

This research work develops the engineering design of a high-availability climate control system for a data center with a 400 kW Information Technology (IT) load, located in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The primary challenge lies in the region's extreme climatic conditions, a humid tropical climate with design temperatures of 37.1 ° and the necessity of ensuring continuous 24/7 operation under Concurrently Maintainable infrastructure criteria (Tier III). The methodology employed integrated detailed thermal load calculations using HAP 5.1 software, considering not only rack density (5 kW/rack) but also the inefficiencies of electrical support systems (UPS, PDU) and building envelope conditions according to ASHRAE TC 9.9 and ANSI/TIA-942 standards. Various technological alternatives were evaluated, leading to the selection of a Direct Expansion (DX) system due to its optimal balance between initial cost (CAPEX), modular scalability, and operational efficiency for the project's scale. The results determined a total thermal load of 124.08 TR for the IT room and approximately 20.7 TR for each electrical room. The final design proposes an N+2 redundancy configuration for the main room, utilizing six 35 TR precision air handling units, and an N+1 scheme for the electrical rooms. It is concluded that the proposed solution not only guarantees strict control of temperature (20-22 °C) and humidity (35-45%) but also ensures technical and economic viability with an approximate investment of USD 806,440, meeting the resilience levels required for mission-critical infrastructure. Keywords: Data Center, Precision Cooling, Thermal Load, Redundancy, Direct Expansion, Concurrently Maintainable, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).