Why do data centers need to assess gaseous corrosion contamination?

Environmental control in data centers usually revolves around temperature, humidity and particulate matter. Precision air conditioners maintain temperature and humidity, and filters control dust. These measures play a fundamental role in ensuring the operation of the equipment.

But there is one type of pollution that is easily overlooked: gaseous corrosive components. They exist in the air in molecular form, and particle filters cannot stop them, nor can temperature and humidity controls solve them. When these components come into contact with the metal surfaces of electronic components, they may trigger a slow corrosion reaction. There are no obvious symptoms in the early stage. By the time the equipment has poor contact or circuit board failure, troubleshooting is often lagging behind. For specific differences, please refer to Discussion of the difference between chemical filters and HEPA filters .

Where corrosive gases may come from

The sources of corrosive gases in data centers are divided into two categories: external input and internal release.

external input. If the computer room is close to industrial areas, traffic arteries, sewage treatment facilities or agricultural areas, the fresh air may carry components such as sulfides, nitrogen oxides, chlorides, and ammonia. These gases enter the computer room through the fresh air vents and accumulate in the air. For specific investigation methods, please refer to whether to do air sampling before choosing a chemical filter . Discuss

Internal release. Materials inside the computer room may also release corrosive components. For example, certain packaging materials, detergents, batteries, and electronic component packaging materials may volatilize trace amounts of substances under the influence of temperature. Such sources usually have low concentrations, but since the computer room is closed and the air is circulated, long-term accumulation still requires attention.

External and internal sources may overlap. After the components brought in by the fresh air and the components released internally are mixed, the actual impact on the equipment needs to be comprehensively evaluated. For specific differences, please refer to Discussion of what AMC pollution in the air refers to .

How it affects electronic devices

The harm caused by corrosive gases to data center equipment is usually not sudden, but gradual.

Circuit board corrosion. When metal circuits, solder joints, and connectors are exposed to air containing corrosive components, the surface may gradually oxidize or generate corrosion products. The contact resistance increases and the signal transmission quality decreases.

Connectors and contacts. Gold fingers, pins, relay contacts and other parts are sensitive to corrosive gases. Corrosion products can cause poor contacts, causing intermittent failures.

Hard drives and storage devices. Some studies have shown that sulfur-containing gases may affect the hard disk head or platter surface, causing an increase in read and write error rates.

These effects often take time to manifest. If the computer room does not assess corrosive gas levels in the early stages, this direction may not be considered when troubleshooting later. For specific equipment protection methods, please refer to Discussion on why EFU needs supporting chemical filters .

Assessment method

Assessing the risk of corrosive gases in a data center can start from several levels.

Air testing. Take samples from different locations in the computer room to detect the concentrations of common corrosive components such as sulfides, chlorides, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia. Sampling points should cover the fresh air inlet, return air area and near key equipment. For specific sampling methods, please refer to Discussion of sampling points for chemical filter performance verification .

Corrosion monitoring. Use a corrosion monitoring piece or sensor and place it in the computer room for a period of time to observe the corrosion degree of the metal test piece. This method can reflect the influence trend of actual environment on metal materials, but it requires a certain period.

Equipment failure statistics. If there is unexplained poor contact, circuit board failure, or equipment life is short in the computer room, gaseous corrosion can be considered as one of the investigation directions.

The detection methods and criteria should correspond to the requirements of the computer room level. Different standards may have different classifications and limits for corrosive gases, and projects should make it clear which standard to adopt. For specific evaluation methods, please refer to whether data center chemical filters should handle fresh air or recirculated air . The discussion of

means of control

After confirming the risk of corrosive gas, corresponding control measures can be taken.

Chemical filtration in the fresh air section. If external input is the main source, a chemical filtration section can be set up in the fresh air unit to treat the target gas. For specific configuration, please refer to Discussion on why MAU needs to configure chemical filtration section .

Circulation filtering. If internal releases or external inputs accumulate in the computer room, consider setting up a chemical filtration section on the return air or circulation path to reduce the concentration of corrosive components in the air. For specific configuration, please refer to Discussion of what local contamination FFU plus chemical filter can handle .

Device-side protection. For particularly sensitive equipment or cabinets, localized chemical filtration can be evaluated to treat target gases in the equipment air inlet path. For specific differences, please refer to Discussion on why EFU needs supporting chemical filters .

The selection of filter sections should consider air volume and resistance. The air supply and return system of a data center usually has a large air volume. After adding a chemical filtration section, you need to check the fan margin and system resistance. For specific accounting methods, please refer to Discussion of how much the added resistance of the chemical filter will increase the fan's electricity consumption .

Taking into account both cooling and maintenance

Data centers have very high requirements for heat dissipation, so adding a filter section cannot affect the air supply volume.

The resistance of the filter section should be included in the calculation of the fan. If the original fan margin is insufficient, it may be necessary to make system adjustments or choose a low-resistance solution.

The replacement channel must be reserved. The replacement cycle of the chemical filter section is different from that of the particle filter, and the maintenance access and operating space need to be confirmed during the design stage.

Monitoring methods must be matched. Set up sampling ports or corrosion monitoring points before and after the filtration section to facilitate tracking of long-term effects. For specific recording requirements, please refer to Discussion of how long chemical filters last .

Project judgment example

After several years of operation in a data center computer room, problems such as corrosion of some server circuit boards and poor connector contact began to appear. Temperature and humidity records are normal, and the particle filtration system is operating well.

The investigation found that the fresh air inlet of the computer room was close to the city's main road, the concentration of sulfur-containing components in the air was relatively high, and some areas of the computer room were packaged with sulfur-containing materials. Sulfides brought in by fresh air and trace components released internally accumulate in the computer room, affecting electronic components.

Adjustment direction: Add a chemical filtration section for sulfur-containing gases in the fresh air unit, and set up auxiliary filtration on the return air path of the machine room. After calculating the filter section resistance, the fan operating point is still within the acceptable range. After adjustment, the corrosion trend was alleviated and the subsequent failure rate decreased.

This case illustrates: The data center evaluates gaseous corrosion pollution to identify hidden dangers that cannot be covered by particle filtration and temperature and humidity control. involving For the configuration of the chemical filter product series , it is recommended to provide the computer room environmental data, fresh air conditions and equipment requirements to the supplier for verification.

Key points for selection and acceptance inspection

About Aili Industrial’s data center chemical filtration package

The core of gaseous corrosion pollution control in data centers is to match the pollution sources, equipment requirements and heat dissipation conditions, and then select a matching chemical filtration solution.

Aili Industrial has independent manufacturing capabilities in filters, motors, fans, control systems and sheet metal processing, and can provide chemical filter product series and supporting air supply equipment. For data center projects, the computer room environmental data, fresh air conditions, air volume and installation space can be combined to help check the configuration of the chemical filtration section. When the filter is matched with MAU, FFU, EFU and other equipment, the resistance, interface and maintenance methods can be confirmed uniformly.

Related products:Chemical filter product series、MAU box chemical filter、FFU comes with chemical filter . Provide computer room environmental data, target gas and system conditions when inquiring to help confirm the appropriate filtration solution. The specific selection is subject to the technical documents and test results confirmed by the project.