Air Side Economizing and Reliability
 

As more data centers embrace free or evaporative cooling, some concerns about incoming pollution and its effects on equipment reliability are being raised. As usual, James Hamilton cites some interesting research: http://perspectives.mvdirona.com/201...omization.aspx.

It seems like one could use the same filters used in a home situation to keep the pollutants out of the business cooling system. If the incoming air doesn't normally have a filter, it might take some finagling to fix it up, but I think it could be done.

I thought that the best way of cleaning the air was not to put the pollutants in to start with. Support the EPA and clean air legislation, it’s a lot cheaper than filters.

It's kind of like going in circles....do you want pollutants going in or coming out? To cut on pollution, people are looking for ways to be more energy efficient, but being energy efficient can often contribute to pollutants in other ways. What is the lesser of the two evils here? It boggles the mind.