Title: HVAC and Cooling Systems in the Mission Critical Operation
Course: 2016FA-MCO-110-401 > Section: Module 4: Facilities Maintenance and HVAC

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HVAC and Cooling Systems in the Mission Critical Operation

The HVAC systems in mission critical environments are very important since these systems are not only responsible for the temperature, but also for air flow, air filtering, and humidity [10]. Cooling in data centers or computer or server rooms is a necessity. Data centers and other mission critical facilities offer unique HVAC challenges. IT equipment has a tendency to create heat and to have specific cooling requirements in order to function. “Researchers at Villanova University estimate that data centers are responsible for more than two percent of U.S. electrical usage. All of that energy creates massive heat—and servers do not like heat. It can cause them to become slow, or malfunction outright, leading to significant downtime and unwanted expenses” [11].

Codes and Standards

ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers) is a society of professionals whose mission is, “to advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world” [12]. ASHRAE is a source of code, regulation, and guidelines relating to facilities and HVAC.

Objectives met:
- C4
- 4.3
- 4.4