Cold aisle containment systems use flame-retardant materials like polycarbonate and acrylic, with modular designs and customizable configurations to optimize airflow and safety in data centers.

Materials and Flame Retardant Specifications

Cold aisle containment (CAC) systems are typically constructed from flame-rated plastics such as twinwall polycarbonate, solid polycarbonate, and acrylic sheets. These materials are lightweight, impact-resistant, and engineered to meet fire safety standards, ensuring protection for mission-critical equipment while maintaining airflow efficiency . Polycarbonate panels are commonly used for their high durability and flame-retardant properties, and they can be cut to size for both hot and cold aisle partitions . Aluminum frames often support these panels, providing structural stability .

Models and Configurations

Several manufacturers offer modular and customizable CAC systems:

• Nucor Data Systems' ADVANCED AISLE™ Containment System: Offers modular sliding or swinging doors, optional soft self-closing mechanisms, and hold-open provisions. Aisle widths range from 36” to 96”, with standard colors in black, glacier white, or gray, and custom colors available .
• Tate Cold Aisle Containment: Features aluminum frames with polycarbonate panels, customizable length, width, and height to fit any data hall layout. Options include single or double doors, sliding or hinged doors, roof panels, and gasketed seals to optimize containment performance .
• Rittal Aisle Containment: Provides door and roof components to separate hot and cold air, enhancing climate control efficiency. Can be used for hot or cold aisle containment .
• Acme Plastics: Supplies cut-to-size twinwall polycarbonate and acrylic sheets for both new builds and retrofits, supporting overhead barriers and aisle partitions .

Design and Planning Tools

For planning and integration, some vendors provide 3D CAD models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) files to simulate airflow and optimize containment layouts . This allows precise fitting of containment systems to existing or new data center designs.

Key Benefits

• Enhanced cooling efficiency by preventing hot and cold air mixing
• Flame-retardant safety to meet fire codes and protect equipment
• Customizable modular designs for various aisle widths and layouts
• Ease of installation and retrofit for existing data centers Cold aisle containment systems combine fire safety, airflow optimization, and flexible design, making them essential for modern high-density data centers.