As an architectural/engineering design firm Morrison Hershfield has used CoolSim in our data center practice to troubleshoot cooling problems in existing facilities and to test and validate both retrofit and new facility cooling system designs. Heat flow analysis in a data center is a complicated engineering problem. CoolSim's easy to use interface allows us to logically break down the problem and build a data center model efficiently, regardless of the size of the facility. When faced with a particularly complicated problem to analyze, the Applied Math Modeling sales and support staff have been extremely helpful in working with us and have also ensured that the product meets our needs. Futhermore, the tiered pricing structure has provided flexibility and has allowed us to bring the CFD tool to our customers in a cost-effective manner. All around, the Coolsim software has been a win-win for Morrison Hershfield and our customers.

Robert Selby, Ph.D., P.E.
Vice President, Morrison Hershfield Limited

We’ve used CoolSim extensively to model dozens of our facilities, which range from a few thousand to several tens of thousands of square feet in size and from 250 kW to several MW per distinct service delivery zone. We’ve seen that our models closely match the real world environment, after comparing the calculated values reported by CoolSim with observed data collected through temperature monitoring of hot and cold-aisles, sub-floor areas and CRAC return air as well as flow data from volumetric flow hoods. As with any modeling software, “Garbage In, Garbage Out” applies, but we’ve found when we take a reasonable degree of care in creating the models, CoolSim will faithfully render a realistic and useful model. Taking advantage of the multiple-failure scenario calculations for CRAC units has saved us hours of real-world testing, and we’ve been able to spend that time doing real-world verification of expected values, which helps us increase the accuracy of the model for the next run. The interface is convenient and intuitive, allowing us to focus on the real business of designing and maintaining an efficient, reliable and productive data center without consuming valuable time ‘making’ the software work for our needs. The reports are detailed and provide a good mix of tabular data and graphical representations, which are often very useful for including in audit reports, client presentations about our facilities, and for historical record and comparison over time. Software updates and changes have come regularly, and items resulting in a support need have been answered quickly and capably. We fully expect our relationship with Applied Math Modeling to continue to be a productive and enjoyable one!” CoolSim user at a leading independent data center operator and managed services provider delivering scalable, economical and reliable solutions for hosting and managing complex information technology infrastructure.

I've been a user of CFD software for several years in my data center consulting business. Prior to being introduced to CoolSim a year ago, I had been using another industry-leading CFD package and had grown quite dependant on the information it provided me. When I tried out CoolSim, I was delighted to see how easy it was to use, how much more affordable it was than the other package. I also loved how much more flexible it was to use since it did not require a heavy-duty PC to do the computations on. At first, I was nervous about the pay-for-compute-time model, but after completing a few models, I quickly realized that it was a very affordable and effective way to manage my company's licensing costs.

The Applied Math Modeling team has been GREAT to work with! I've been able to spend time with several of their team members on the phone and even in person, and they've been extremely helpful, even creating custom objects for me when needed. Working together, we've been able to craft business arrangements which have served both my team and theirs very well.

I had a nail-biter experience recently in which CoolSim came through with flying colors. We were doing a CFD modeling job for an important client, and we were doing a phased approach. First we modeled and provided a baseline report which showed their data center as it is today. We submitted the baseline report and waited to receive their first batch of CRAC placement changes for us to model. Instead, we were informed that they were going to do a physical on-site temperature and air flow audit to check our findings before proceeding with any other work. Needless to say, I was a bit worried. Their site was fairly large (18K sq.ft.) and quite full, and very complex in it's air flow and heat load. The opportunity for modeling error was worrisome. I never doubted the software, but I was concerned about how accurately the room had been modeled. When their findings came back, they found that the model reflected the actual room characteristics with a high degree of accuracy. WHEW!! Thank you CoolSim!!

There's more I could share. It's a great product and a great company. I highly recommend both!

Greg Steffen
Firebird Engineering
801-403-3618
gregsteffen@firebirdengineering.com
www.firebirdengineering.com

I am a Project Manager for Delaware Engineering Corporation. When a major pharmaceutical company hired us to improve the thermal performance of their 9,000 square foot data center, I was excited but at the same time I was reluctant since their expectations included Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). My fear was that building the model of their twenty-year-old data center would be extraordinarily time consuming, we would have inadequate technical support from the CFD software provider, and output would prove difficult to relate to the actual conditions.

After researching the performance and evaluating demonstrations from several CFD software providers, we selected Coolsim by Applied Math Modeling, Inc. We liked that Applied Math Modeling specialized in CFD software for data centers. Additionally, Coolsim's interface was straightforward and its output had all the features we felt that we needed to evaluate our design options. After a few hours developing the model, I was certain that we chose the right software. The model building was easy and Applied Math Modeling's technical support was outstanding.

As we proceeded with the project, the model of the existing data center matched the conditions that we witnessed and we are able to model alternatives to correct their problems. At a meeting, our client's engineering staff and the data center's manager were blown away by Coolsim's graphics and reports. It was clear that without the effort modeling the system, we would be unlikely to affect the design changes that would optimize their system's thermal performance. The investment in the CFD models was a small cost for this insurance.

Donald F. Byrnas, P.E.
Delaware Engineering and Design Corporation

CoolSim 3.1 is the best yet! I have tried it on both new projects and previous rooms, and it performs extremely well even when I throw it some curves. CoolSim 3.1 is another great step forward with a great product. This tool is exactly what I need to help my customers improve data center energy efficiency with regard to precision cooling and advanced heat removal. Keep up the good work!

Chris Ames
Ames Consulting Services