Submittal

RKAT05--WW-ENG, Rev 0, 12/2015
©2015 Panduit Corp. All Rights Reserved.
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Panduit Net-Access™ Cabinet Doors Keep Data Center Equipment Cool and Secure
Figure 6. 9 RU server airflow curve and perforated door resistance curves.
The intersections of the curves are the key to interpreting the graph depicted in Figure 6. The point
where the server airflow curve intersects the horizontal axis shows the server airflow through a
cabinet with no doors, and therefore no airflow restrictions. Similarly, the point where the server
airflow curve intersects the 57% open area resistance curve shows the server airflow through a
cabinet with a 57% open area perforated door in place. The airflow difference between these
intersections is the airflow reduction due to the 57% open area perforated door.
This example demonstrates the variables that determine the impact that the perforated door has on
the cooling airflow:
1. The airflow resistance curve of the perforated door.
2. The flow required by the servers in a populated cabinet. (Greater flow means more impact).
3. The slope of the server’s airflow performance curve. (Steeper curve means less impact).
The test data for all three sample server types and the three tested perforation patterns were
evaluated to determine the curve intersection points. Next, the airflow reductions for various
door and server combinations were quantified and the airflow reduction values were doubled to
account for the effects of both front and rear perforated doors on the cabinets. Table 1 shows
these airflow reduction values and the calculated estimates of the resulting increase in server
exhaust temperatures.