A session at the 2016 Critical Facilities Summit will tackle the controversy between ASHRAE standards 90.1 and 90.4, a timely topic. From the article:
David Quirk To Lead Session At 2016 Critical Facilities Summit
Presentation to discuss controversial discrepancies between ASHRAE 90.1 and ASHRAE 90.4 and examine how to apply the appropriate standard to specific data center designs.
Critical Facilities Summit has announced that David Quirk, P.E., will be presenting on the conflicting standards between ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.4 at the 2016 Critical Facilities Summit. The discussion reflects a larger conversation within the industry on the impact and usage of these standards in both established and new data centers.
Titled, “ASHRAE 90.1 vs. 90.4: Which Standard Applies to Data Centers Now?” the session will be held on Wednesday, October 5th from 10:00AM to 11:00AM. During this presentation, Quirk will deliberate on the overlapping and conflicting requirements between ASHRAE 90.1 and 90.4, examine the new elements in 90.1 and review the scope of 90.4. Attendees will also gain pivotal insights on how to apply the appropriate standard to specific data center configurations.
Intended to establish energy efficiency standards solely for data centers, the major discrepancy between standards 90.1 and 90.4 arose when ASHRAE announced that the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric will be eliminated as part of standard 90.4. In its place is a new metric — design mechanical load component (design MLC), defined as: “the sum of all cooling, fan, pump, and heat rejection design power divided by the data center ITE [Information Technology Equipment] design power” and design electrical loss component (design ELC), defined as: “the combined losses (or the losses calculated from efficiencies) of three segments of the electrical chain.” The new standard also created a potential for conflict with existing data center cooling systems, although the issues have largely been fixed in later drafts of 90.4.
Quirk is the vice president and principal of DLB Associates and former ASHRAE Chair of TC9.9 – Mission Critical Facilities, Data Centers, Technology Spaces, and Electronic Equipment and former voting member of ASHRAE SPC90.4 – Energy Standard for Data Centers. His background includes extensive experience with the mission critical industry as a design consultant and former mission critical end-user.
“I look forward to discussing the profound ramifications of ASHRAE Standards 90.1 & 90.4 on the data center industry and provide guidance so that data center leaders can successfully navigate the incompatible elements of these standards,” said David Quirk, vice president and principal, DLB Associates. “It’s my hope that this session will provide insight, reduce confusion, and provide data center owners and operators with a blueprint to move forward.”
