2021 Equipment

Thermal Guidelines
for Data Processing
Environments
ASHRAE TC 9.9 Reference Card

2021 ASHRAE. From Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments, Fifth Ed.

This reference card, or portions thereof, may not be quoted or reproduced without
permission from ASHRAE, 180 Technology Parkway,
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092; (404) 636-8400; fax (404) 321-5478.
 Table 2.1 2021 Thermal Guidelines for Air Cooling—
SI Version (I-P Version in Appendix B)

Equipment Environment Specifications for Air Cooling

Product
Product Operationb,c Power
Offc,d

Max.
Max. Rate Dry-
Dry-Bulb Humidity Dew Max. of Bulb
Temp.e,g, Range, Pointk, Elev.e,j,m, Changef, Temp., RHk,
Classa °C Noncond.h, i, k, l, n °C m °C/h °C %

Recommended (suitable for Classes A1 to A4; explore data center metrics in this
book for conditions outside this range.)

–9°C DP to 15°C DP
A1 to
18 to 27 and
A4
70% rhn or 50% rhn
Allowable

–12°C DP and 8% rh
A1 15 to 32 to 17 3050 5/20 5 to 45 8 to 80k
17°C DP and 80% rhk
–12°C DP and 8% rh
A2 10 to 35 to 21 3050 5/20 5 to 45 8 to 80k
21°C DP and 80% rhk
–12°C DP and 8% rh
A3 5 to 40 to 24 3050 5/20 5 to 45 8 to 80k
24°C DP and 85% rhk
–12°C DP and 8% rh
A4 5 to 45 to 24 3050 5/20 5 to 45 8 to 80k
24°C DP and 90% rhk
* For potentially greater energy savings, refer to Appendix C for the process needed to account for mul-
tiple server metrics that impact overall TCO.
Notes for Table 2.1, 2021 Thermal Guidelines for Air Cooling—
SI Version (I-P Version in Appendix B)
a. Classes A3 and A4 are identical to those included in the 2011 version of the thermal
guidelines (ASHRAE 2012). The 2015 version of the A1 and A2 classes (ASHRAE
2015b) has expanded RH levels compared to the 2011 version.
b. Product equipment is powered on.
c. Tape products require a stable and more restrictive environment (similar to Class A1 as
specified in 2008). Typical requirements: minimum temperature is 15°C, maximum
temperature is 32°C, minimum RH is 20%, maximum RH is 80%, maximum DP is
22°C, rate of change of temperature is less than 5°C/h, rate of change of humidity is less
than 5% rh per hour, and no condensation.
d. Product equipment is removed from original shipping container and installed but not in
use, e.g., during repair, maintenance, or upgrade.
e. Classes A1 and A2—Derate maximum allowable dry-bulb temperature 1°C/300 m
above 900 m. Above 2400 m altitude, the derated dry-bulb temperature takes prece-
dence over the recommended temperature. Class A3—Derate maximum allowable dry-
bulb temperature 1°C/175 m above 900 m. Class A4—Derate maximum allowable dry-
bulb temperature 1°C/125 m above 900 m.
f. For tape storage: 5°C in an hour. For all other ITE: 20°C in an hour and no more than
5°C in any 15-minute period of time. The temperature change of the ITE must meet the
limits shown in the table and is calculated to be the maximum air inlet temperature
minus the minimum air inlet temperature within the time window specified. The 5°C
and 20°C temperature change is considered to be a temperature change within a spec-
ified period of time and not a rate of change. See Appendix K for additional information
and examples.
g. With a diskette in the drive, the minimum temperature is 10°C (not applicable to Classes
A1 or A2).
h. The minimum humidity level for Classes A1, A2, A3, and A4 is the higher (more mois-
ture) of the –12°C dew point and the 8% rh. These intersect at approximately 25°C.
Below this intersection (~25°C) the dew point (–12°C) represents the minimum mois-
ture level, while above it, RH (8%) is the minimum.
i. Based on research funded by ASHRAE and performed at low RH (Pommerenke et al.
2014), the following are the minimum requirements:
1) Data centers that have non-ESD floors and where personnel are allowed to wear non-
ESD shoes may need increased humidity given that the risk of generating 8 kV
increases slightly from 0.27% at 25% rh to 0.43% at 8% rh (see Appendix D for more
details).
2) All mobile furnishing/equipment is to be made of conductive or static-dissipative
materials and bonded to ground.
3) During maintenance on any hardware, a properly functioning and grounded wrist
strap must be used by any personnel who contacts ITE.
j. To accommodate rounding when converting between SI and I-P units, the maximum
elevation is considered to have a variation of ±0.1%. The impact on ITE thermal perfor-
mance within this variation range is negligible and enables the use of the rounded value
of 3050 m.
k. See Appendix L for graphs that illustrate how the maximum and minimum DP limits
restrict the stated RH range for each of the classes for both product operations and prod-
uct power off.
l. For the upper moisture limit, the limit is the minimum absolute humidity of the DP and
RH stated. For the lower moisture limit, the limit is the maximum absolute humidity of
the DP and RH stated.
m. Operation above 3050 m requires consultation with the IT supplier for each specific
piece of equipment.
n. If testing with silver or copper coupons results in values less than 200 and 300 Å/month,
respectively, then operating up to 70% rh is acceptable. If testing shows corrosion levels
exceed these limits, then catalyst-type pollutants are probably present and RH should be
driven to 50% or lower. See note 3 of Section 2.2 for more details.
 Table 2.2 2021 Thermal Guidelines for High-Density Servers—
SI Version (I-P Version in Appendix B)
Equipment Environment Specifications for High-Density Air Cooling

Product
Product Operationb,c
Power Offc,d

Max. Max. Dry-

Dry-Bulb Dew Max. Rate of Bulb
Temp.e,g, Humidity Range, Point, Elev.e,j,m, Changef, Temp., RH,
Classa °C Noncond.h,i,k,l,n °C m °C/h °C %

Recommended

–9°C DP to 15°C DP
H1 18 to 22 and
70% rhn or 50% rhn
Allowable

–12°C DP and 8% rh
H1 5 to 25 to 17 3050 5/20 5 to 45 8 to 80k
17°C DP and 80% rhk
Notes for Table 2.2, 2021 Thermal Guidelines for High-Density Servers—
SI Version (I-P Version in Appendix B)
a. This is a new class specific to high-density servers. It is at the discretion of the ITE
manufacturer to determine the need for a product to use this high-density server class.
Classes A1 through A4 are separate and are shown in Table 2.1.
b. Product equipment is powered on.
c. Tape products require a stable and more restrictive environment (similar to 2011 Class
A1). Typical requirements: minimum temperature is 15°C, maximum temperature is
32°C, minimum RH is 20%, maximum RH is 80%, maximum DP is 22°C, rate of
change of temperature is less than 5°C/h, rate of change of humidity is less than 5% rh
per hour, and no condensation.
d. Product equipment is removed from original shipping container and installed but not in
use, e.g., during repair, maintenance, or upgrade.
e. For H1 class only—Derate maximum allowable dry-bulb temperature 1°C/500 m above
900 m. Above 2400 m altitude, the derated dry-bulb temperature takes precedence over
the recommended temperature.
f. For tape storage: 5°C in an hour. For all other ITE: 20°C in an hour and no more than
5°C in any 15-minute period of time. The temperature change of the ITE must meet the
limits shown in the table and is calculated to be the maximum air inlet temperature
minus the minimum air inlet temperature within the time window specified. The 5°C
and 20°C temperature change is considered to be a temperature change within a spec-
ified period of time and not a rate of change. See Appendix K for additional information
and examples.
g. With a diskette in the drive, the minimum temperature is 10°C. With the lowest allowed
temperature of 15°C, there is no problem with diskettes residing in this H1 environment.
h. The minimum humidity level for Class H1 is the higher (more moisture) of the –12°C
DP and the 8% rh. These intersect at approximately 25°C. Below this intersection
(~25°C) the DP (–12°C) represents the minimum moisture level, while above it, RH
(8%) is the minimum.
i. Based on research funded by ASHRAE and performed at low RH (Pommerenke et al.
2014), the following are the minimum requirements:
1) Data centers that have non-ESD floors and where personnel are allowed to wear non-
ESD shoes may need increased humidity given that the risk of generating 8 kV
increases slightly from 0.27% at 25% rh to 0.43% at 8% rh (see Appendix D for more
details).
2) All mobile furnishing/equipment is to be made of conductive or static-dissipative
materials and bonded to ground.
3) During maintenance on any hardware, a properly functioning and grounded wrist
strap must be used by any personnel who contacts ITE.
j. To accommodate rounding when converting between SI and I-P units, the maximum
elevation is considered to have a variation of ±0.1%. The impact on ITE thermal perfor-
mance within this variation range is negligible and enables the use of the rounded value
of 3050 m.
k. See Appendix L for graphs that illustrate how the maximum and minimum DP limits
restrict the stated RH range for both product operations and product power OFF.
l. For the upper moisture limit, the limit is the minimum absolute humidity of the DP and
RH stated. For the lower moisture limit, the limit is the maximum absolute humidity of
the DP and RH stated.
m. Operation above 3050 m requires consultation with the IT supplier for each specific
piece of equipment.
n. If testing with silver or copper coupons results in values less than 200 and 300 Å/month,
respectively, then operating up to 70% rh is acceptable. If testing shows corrosion levels
exceed these limits, then catalyst-type pollutants are probably present and RH should be
driven to 50% or lower. See note 3 of Section 2.2 for more details.
 Air Cooling Environmental Conditions
and Class Definitions
Environmental Conditions
Recommended: Facilities should be designed and operated to
target the recommended range.
Allowable: IT manufacturers test their equipment to verify
it will function within these conditions. This is
not a statement of reliability but of the
functionality of the ITE. To enable the greatest
latitude in use of all the classes, power and
thermal management features may be
triggered within the allowable range to ensure
there are no thermal excursions outside the
capability of the ITE under extreme load
conditions. In addition to the allowable dry-
bulb temperature and dew-point ranges, the
maximum relative humidity (RH) and
maximum elevation values are part of the
allowable operating environment definitions.

Environmental Class Definitions

General: Operating within a particular environmental
class requires full operation of the equipment
over the entire allowable environmental range,
based on non-failure conditions.
Product Operation: Product equipment is powered on.
Product Power OFF: Product equipment is removed from the
original shipping container and installed but
not in use, e.g., during repair, maintenance, or
upgrade.
Class A1: Typically a data center with tightly controlled
environmental parameters (dew point,
temperature, and RH) and mission-critical
operations; types of products typically
designed for this environment are enterprise
servers and storage products.
Class A2/A3/A4: Typically an information technology (IT) space
with some control of environmental
parameters (dew point, temperature, and RH);
 types of products typically designed for this
environment are volume servers, storage
products, personal computers, and
workstations. Among these three classes, A2
has the narrowest temperature and moisture
requirements and A4 has the widest
environmental requirements.
Class H1: Typically a zone within a data center that is
cooled to lower temperatures to accommodate
high-density air-cooled products.
 Table 3.1 2021 Thermal Guidelines for Liquid Cooling

Equipment Environment Specifications for Liquid Cooling

Typical Infrastructure Design

Facility
Liquid
Water Supply
Cooling Secondary/
Primary Temperature,
Class Supplemental
Facilities °C (°F) a
Facilities

W17

W27
} Chiller/cooling tower
Water-side economizer
(cooling tower)
17 (62.6)

27 (80.6)

W32

W40
} Cooling tower
Chiller or
district heating system
32 (89.6)

40 (104)

W45

W+
} Cooling tower District heating system
45 (113)

>45 (>113)

a. Minimum water temperature for all classes is 2°C (35.6°F).

Liquid Cooling Environmental Class Definitions

General: Operating within an environmental class

requires full performance of the equipment
over the entire environmental range of the
specified class, based on non-failure
conditions.
Class W17/W27: Typically data centers that are traditionally
cooled using chillers and a cooling tower, but
with an optional water-side economizer to
improve energy efficiency, depending on the
location of the data center.
Class W32/W40: Typically operated without chillers in most
locations; however, some locations may still
require chillers.
Class W45/W+: Typically operated without chillers to take
advantage of energy efficiency and reduce
capital expense. Some locations may not be
suitable for drycoolers.