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SPARC M8 and SPARC M7 Servers Installation Guide

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Updated: September 2017
 
 

Airborne Contaminates

Excessive concentrations of certain airborne contaminants can cause the server's electronic components to corrode and fail. Take measures to prevent contaminants such as metal particles, atmospheric dust, solvent vapors, corrosive gases, soot, airborne fibers, or salts from entering, or being generated within, the data center.

Avoid locating the data center near print rooms, machine shops, wood shops, loading docks, and areas that involve the use of chemicals or that generate toxic vapors or dust. Ensure that the exhaust from generators or other sources of exhaust do not enter the intakes of air conditioning systems serving the data center. If the data center must be located near these hazardous locations, add and regularly maintain adequate filtering systems.


Note -  To avoid introducing airborne contaminates to the data center, unpack the server outside of the data center, and then move the server to its final location.
Table 9  Maximum Allowable Contaminate Levels
Contaminate
Tolerable Limit
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
Up to 7.1 ppb
Sulfur dioxide (sulfur oxide) (SO2)
Up to 37 ppb
Hydrogen chloride (HCI)
Up to 6.6 ppb
Chlorine (CI2)
Up to 3.4 ppb
Hydrogen fluoride (HF)
Up to 3.6 ppb
Nitrogen dioxide (nitrogen oxide) (NO2)
Up to 52 ppb
Ammonia (NH3)
Up to 420 ppb
Ozone (O3)
Up to 5 ppb
Oil vapor
Up to 0.2 mg/m3
Dust
Up to 0.15 mg/m3
Seawater (salt damage)
Do not install the server within 0.5 km (0.31 miles) of the ocean or coastal areas, unless the computer room uses air conditioners to filter out airborne sea salt particles from the outside air.
Table 10  Maximum Gaseous Contaminate Severity Levels for Copper and Silver
Reactivity Rate
Maximum Gaseous Contamination Severity Level
Copper (Cu) reactivity rate
Less than 30 nm/month
Silver (Ag) reactivity rate
Less than 20 nm/month

For more information, refer to the ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.9 document, Gaseous and Particulate Contamination Guidelines for Data Centers and the iNEMI Position Statement on the Limits of Temperature, Humidity and Gaseous Contamination in Data Centers and Telecommunication Rooms to Avoid Creep Corrosion on Printed Circuit Boards (April 20, 2012).

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