AUSTIN, TX – According to a new study by Opengate Data Systems, a typical data center running at 5,000 watts per server cabinet will experience an automatic and thermal shutdown within three minutes and nine seconds during a power outage. Higher-density data center applications experience even more rapid heat-up and shutdown times, with 10,000 watts or more of server equipment shutting down in less than one minute.

Commissioned by Active Power, the Data Center Emergency Cooling Study examines the impact of a power outage in a data center environment and the subsequent loss of cooling. According to a recent IDC report, 50 percent of businesses never recover after an outage and 90 percent go out of business within two years, a fact that prompted the need for the study. In the event of a power disruption, the ambient temperature can rapidly increase since a power outage will usually force the data center’s cooling system to shutdown. It typically takes two to three minutes before full cooling capacity is restored and all cooling systems cycle back on.

Opengate conducted studies on thermal runaways, a condition where servers overheat and shut down. Active Power’s CoolAir technology was also reviewed for its performance during power disruptions and its ability to solve these thermal overload conditions.