SynapSense

Return on Investment

There are three complimentary components that, when implemented, comprise the key ROI for SynapSoft™ 4.0.

Before realizing the full financial benefit of the energy savings and reduced downtime provided by SynapSoft™ 4.0, you must first focus on air flow management, which will create the opportunity for cooling system improvements. Once this is done and combined with the monitoring features available in the solution, downtime reduction becomes a reality and your company begins to reduce energy costs.

Some of the cooling system reports SynapSense provides:

Zone Cooling Index Report
Shows % of Racks outside ASHRAE ranges
High or Low Rack Temperatures

Cold Supply Infiltration (CSI) Report
Identification of degree & location of high air mixing

CRAC Cooling Anomalies
CRAC Supply> Return temperature

LiveImaging™ Thermal Maps > Learn More
Identifies hot and cold spots outside OEM limits

CRAC Efficiency Report
Low return temperature
Low CRAC cooling efficiency capacity – Running more

 

Fiscal Return on Investment

Once the first steps have been taken using the SynapSoft 4.0, companies are typically able to reduce their data center energy consumption by 10-20%.

A recent survey of industries revealed that, depending on the vertical, downtime can cost as much as $5,000,000 per incident. In another study, 29% of respondents said “excessive heat” was the biggest single issue they faced in their data center. These data points suggest that managing heat in the data center can have a significant positive impact in reducing down time. As a result, data center managers are often forced to significantly overcool to compensate for underlying problems, such as:

• Hot PDU circuit breakers
• Poor data center visibility and alerts
• Missing blanking plates
• Inadequate sub-plenum air pressure
• Inefficient CRAC utilization and placement
• Misdirected air flows and air mixing
• Hot spots
• Thermal vortex

To attain best practices, data center managers must get clear visibility to thermal issues, air flow anomalies and quick alerts when environmental parameters go out of recommended ranges.

Wireless Sensors & Air Flow Management
Using a network of SynapSense wireless sensors, data center operators are able to visualize air mixing, see trends, and identify hot spots. In addition, high-sensitivity sub-floor grids of pressure sensors target poor flow areas and floor leaks.  Empirical evidence shows that a four inch square opening in the floor (commonly used to route rack cabling) is equivalent to an entire perforated tile.  Plugging holes and adopting other airflow management steps cost very little but can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the CRAC air supply efficiency. Estimates show that these basic steps alone can save between 1-3% on the total annual energy bill for the average data center.

Wireless Sensors & Cooling Effectiveness
Once basic airflow management problems have been solved, the next step is to begin increasing CRAC set points.  According to Ray Pfeifer, Silicon Valley Research Group, “Each degree of increase in CRAC set point translates to about 1.5% savings in energy costs. This can add up to tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for a large data center.”  Also, if airflow management is improved, there is less fluctuation in temperature, causing less risk in the data center.

 

Contact Us

Please contact a SynapSense Representative to learn more about SynapSoft 4.0™.