A common use of the ASHRAE Handbooks is for recent engineering graduates and others entering the field. Another common use is for those active and experienced in the HVAC industry but with minimal experience about a particular application, system, etc.

The 2003 version of Chapter 17 of the Applications Handbook, titled "DATA PROCESSING AND ELECTRONIC OFFICE AREAS", no longer represents common practice nor does it meet the current reader's needs.

TC 9.9 rewrote the chapter even though it was not scheduled for rewrite (4 year republish cycle, 2003, 2007, etc.). We published a statement in ASHRAE Insights identifying that the 2003 version of Chapter 17 should be used with caution, as some of the information is either outdated or incorrect.

TC 9.9, Mission Critical Facilities, Technology Spaces, & Electronic Equipment, is now responsible for Applications Handbook Chapter 17 ("Data Processing and Electronic Office Areas"). The datacom (data centers and communication) industry continues to experience significant change warranting a rewrite of the chapter. TC 9.9 has already approved the 2007 update and submitted it to ASHRAE.

In January, 2004 ASHRAE published "Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments". This document includes chapters titled "Equipment Environmental Specifications", "Facility Temperature and Humidity Measurement", "Equipment Placement and Airflow Patterns", and "Equipment Manufacturer's Heat and Airflow Reporting". This document is the most current information published by ASHRAE on the topic of Data Processing Environments and should be used as a primary source of information for data processing environments.

Other recent ASHRAE sources of information regarding the datacom industry can be found in:

Winter 2004 Symposium - High Density Electronic Equipment Facility Cooling

Session 1 - Evolution of Data Center Environmental Guidelines


Session 2 - The Thermal Bus System


Session 3 - Cooling of High Density Rooms: Today & in the Future


Session 4 - Efficient Thermal Management of Data Centers

Summer 2004 Symposium - High Density Cooling Issues Update - June 2004

Session 1 - Thermal Profile of a High Density Data Center


Session 2 - Distribution of Cooling Airflow in a Raised-Floor Data Center


Session 3 - Liquid Cooling - Friend or Foe?

Winter 2005 Symposium - High Density Cooling Issues Update - January 2005

Session 1 - Thermal Roadmap for Telecom Equipment


Session 2 - High Density Cooling of Data Centers and Telecom Facilities: Part 1


Session 3 - High Density Cooling of Data Centers and Telecom Facilities: Part 2


Session 4 - Reliability Engineering for High Density Cooling Systems

The recent popularity of blade servers and other high-density loads is creating significant cooling challenges. TC 9.9 is actively working on high density cooling as well as other timely topics important to the datacom industry. Some of the other topics include liquid cooling, raised floor fluid dynamics, and load trends.

There are basic guidelines for how much should be changed in a chapter update as well as avoiding major increase in the number of pages. The current Chapter 17 is 6 printed pages and 5,000 words. The draft we have submitted to ASHRAE is 15,000 words, or about 3 times the current size. This is well beyond what ASHRAE recommends but TC 9.9 felt the effectiveness of the chapter could not be accomplished with less.

The revised chapter was initially written by various task groups and individuals. When fully assembled, it initially far exceeded the ASHRAE guidelines. As the Chapter was trimmed to the size for submittal to ASHRAE, most of the trimmed sections are being added to a new Special Publication that TC9.9 is currently editing - Book 3 (Book 1 - Thermal Guidelines & Book 2 - Power Trends). The combination of unused material from the new Handbook Chapter 17 draft combined with unused portions of the material written by the Thermal Management Consortium and initial drafts of the first two books are creating the base content for Book 3. Book 3 is essentially a General Purpose or Basic Book on "Design Considerations for Datacom Facilities".