Michael Young, applications engineer thermal management at Emerson Network Power, proves that a passion for training people results in a successful career path.
Young took some time out from his hectic schedule to answer a few questions about his work and how he found himself in the field of data centre cooling. We also found out more about what drives him. And we asked him to explain, in some detail, more about 'Chilled water technology and design decisions that cool the cloud'**. Young will present this at the Data Centre Summit 2016: From legacy to the next generation on 20 July at The Forum, Bryanston.
Starting out
While at university, Young took a shine to studying the principles of heat transfer in the field of thermodynamics. After completing his studies he entered the comfort cooling industry and learnt how different cooling technologies were applied to various applications.
Young has always been passionate about various thermodynamic principles so decided he wanted to give back to the industry. This is how he got into the creation of publications and presenting training courses on the various cooling technologies that are used in industry.
He joined the Emerson team two years ago, after they saw one of his publications and were interested in learn more about equipment and cooling technology that was applied to data centres.
Staying ahead
According to Young: "Education is key to keeping up with the latest trends in the data centre industry. I constantly attend Webinars and live training in Italy and Dubai to learn about the latest advancements in cooling technology that is used in the data centre industry." His advice to new entrants is similar: stay educated, keep learning and focus on building the most optimal data centre of the future.
On a personal note
Young continues to educate others through training and his publications. He compares himself to Batman, in that he may not have any super powers, but is definitely an inventor. Most importantly, he is determined not to let his fears hold him back from performing to his full potential.
Hear more
The Data Centre Summit 2016 takes place in July 2016 and Young will present his thoughts on IT equipment layouts that promote cooling of the cloud. In a recent publication Young looks at how the rapid advancement in Internet usage and social media has altered the design process and technologies that are used to cool the IT cloud. High operational cost and environmental impact of cooling equipment has driven engineers to adapt new design decisions and to design new cooling technology that is cost-effective and energy-efficient. He investigates the design decisions and thermodynamic principles that are applied to provide a greener way to cool IT cloud with chilled water as a medium.
His conclusion to the above abstract from his publication on 'Chilled water technology and design decisions that cool the cloud'** is this: All energy-saving technology obeys and utilises the basic laws and principles of thermodynamics. These energy-saving capabilities can only be accomplished if design decisions, installation and maintenance operate as a single entity.
It is imperative that prior to producing an energy-saving data centre, a feasibility study is conducted and the results will allow design engineers to select the most viable cooling solution.
He highlights that while energy consumption is important, as stated above, other factors such as capital costs, operational costs, available maintenance SI and available space on-site are just as important and as such need to be considered when determining the type of technology used within your data centre.
He will discuss the above and how equipment layout and correct airflow prevent server failure and reduce energy consumption at the ITWeb Data Centre Summit in July.
** please refer to Michael Young's publication, as mentioned above, for all associated references and acknowledgments.
Share