The problem: inefficient energy use, loss of cooled air through bypass airflow and heat-related system failures caused by hot spots in data centres and server rooms

Over the last few years the IT industry has seen a significant decrease in the use of floor space and a proportional increase in the use of IT infrastructure and its capacity. The energy consumed by hardware has also gradually risen per square meter. Data centre experts are thus confronted with more densely packed racks with higher and higher capacities which inevitably increases the ambient temperatures. This heat must be expelled by sufficiently large cooling and air-conditioning systems which in turn need a lot of electricity to generate the cooled air. The problem here is that a lot of the generated cool air (the US Uptime Institute estimates a loss of up to 63 per cent) escapes through unsealed cable openings in the raised floor before it even reaches the active hardware in the racks. This loss of cool air, known as bypass airflow, contributes to considerable energy inefficiency, helps hot spots form in the racks, pushes existing cooling systems to their limits very quickly and is generally a huge cost driver for air-conditioning in data centres.

The solution: KoldLok® raised floor grommets and raised floor sealing for better cooling efficiency, optimised cold airflow, improved air-conditioning and less energy consumption in data centres

Using conventional means, you can only solve this problem by purchasing additional and costly air-conditioning units that consume enormous amounts of energy. But there is a much more affordable and efficient way: our Koldlok solutions effectively seal the cable openings and the cable feedthroughs. This prevents cool air from escaping or the flow of cold air from being interrupted in the raised floors. It also prevents the formation of hot spots, makes it unnecessary to buy more air-conditioning or cooling units and protects your entire rack hardware against dust particles from the raised floor.

How do the grommet seals or elastomer seals work in raised floor openings?

It’s easy: the Koldlok system is comprised of special fibres or elastomers that completely enclose cables and other equipment running through the raised floors in data centres and thus prevent the cooled air from escaping. Koldlok can be installed in your existing cable infrastructure in a matter of seconds with just a few simple steps. To lower energy consumption in data centres and prevent air-conditioned air from escaping from the raised floor, we recommend using the patented grommet called KoldLok® that reliably seals the cable openings in the raised floor of server rooms and data centres. The KoldLok® sealing system is suitable for use with existing or new cables.

Unsealed cable openings can allow up to 63% of cold air generated with additional energy to escape. KoldLok® is a low-cost solution for maintaining the temperature and humidity in server rooms which are required for maximum hardware performance.

Features of the sealing edges with integrated grommets and plastic lips

• The cable openings are made of highly durable polypropylenes; the threads consist of high-quality nylon 6, they are self-sealing, multi-layered, overlapping and interwoven.
• Another variant for sealing cable openings in the raised floor is made of thermoplastic elastomers.
• Koldlok sealing system are available in square or round formats with different edge lengths and diameters.

Koldlok® is available in various sizes for different kinds of sealing surfaces:

• Koldlok® Integral – for installation in raised floors or floor tiles prior to cabling
• Koldlok® Integral Split – for installation in raised floors or floor tiles after cabling during data centre operation
• Koldlok® Surface Mount – for installation in raised floors or floor tiles after cabling
• Koldlok® Surface XL – for installation in raised floors or floor tiles after cabling with a larger sealing surface for the feedthrough opening
• Koldlok® Extended – for wall installation. Available in different edge lengths and grommet widths.
• Koldlok® Wave Integral Split – wave-shaped raised floor seal made of thermoplastic elastomers (dimensions of the Koldlok® Wave Integral Split: (W x D): 279mm x 229mm).
• Koldlok® Wave Cover – cover for Koldlok® Wave Integral Split
• Koldlok® Mini – for sealing smaller cable openings and holes in the raised floor up to an interior size of 127mm x 64mm.
• Koldlok® Round – to seal round openings and cable feedthroughs in the raised floor (max. diameter of the opening: 102mm).

KoldLok® Highlights:

• Up to 63% more efficiency in data centres
• Reliable sealing of cable openings and elimination of bypass airflow
• Sealing of raised floor openings, supply ducts and cable feedthroughs of various sizes
• Prevention of hot spots and heat-related system failures
• Increase in the cool air pressure and flow rate in the raised floor
• Protects the rack hardware against dust particles from the raised floor
• Available as a sealed edge with grommets or elastomers