CFD Analysis or Real-Time Monitoring?

Increasing energy costs and power densities in Information Technology (IT) spaces are driving up operational expenses (OpEx) and causing many facilities to run out of capacity much sooner than anticipated. To control OpEx and avoid the capital expenditure (CapEx) required to build new facilities, IT space operators are looking for ways to improve energy efficiency through optimal thermal management. Two tools for improving thermal performance are Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and real-time monitoring. CFD analysis is a snapshot of the thermal performance of an IT space. This snapshot can reveal the root causes of issues that affect the efficiency and effectiveness of a thermal management system. CFD analysis is also the best tool for predicting future thermal performance, based on projected changes to an IT space. Real-time monitoring provides continuous feedback of the current IT environment, but provides no analysis of the causes behind the conditions monitored. Before having a CFD analysis performed or deploying a sensor network, it is important for an IT manager to fully understand the differences between these two tools.