The Schneider Electric Close Coupled Air Conditioner family of products includes InRow cooling, room cooling and room and rack air distribution. All share the benefits of close-coupled air conditioning including lower costs and increasing the life of heat sensitive equipment.
Close-coupled cooling brings heat transfer as close to the source of heat as possible. By moving the air conditioner closer to the equipment rack, or even putting it in the rack, it ensures a more immediate capture of exhaust air and that the cool air goes exactly where it is needed.
Because the cooling system and the equipment rack are close to one another in close-coupled solutions, the energy needed, and cost of that energy, is reduced. With an in-row typology the cooling unit is integrated in the row of racks and, providing air directly to the row, there are not impediments to consider under the floor. It is estimated, that when implemented, a close-coupled system can guarantee up to 95% of annual energy reduction compared to a traditional CRAC system of equal cooling capacity.
For assistance on configuring the best cooling system for your data center, call Power Solutions.
INDUSTRY UPDATE
The R410A Refrigerant Transition in Data Center Cooling
A new EPA rule under the AIM Act sets a global warming potential (GWP) limit of 700 for refrigerants used in new data center HVAC equipment, effective January 1, 2027. R410A — the refrigerant in much of the currently installed InRow DX cooling base — has a GWP of 2,088.
Schneider Electric is withdrawing several R410A InRow models from the North American market: the ACRD200, ACRD300, ACRD600, and ACRH300 series. New orders close May 31, 2026, and all units must be installed and operational by December 31, 2026.
Our educational article covers the regulatory framework, the affected products, the replacement equipment available now, and what’s actually involved in a replacement project — including the piping and code considerations that often get glossed over.
Read the article: The R410A Refrigerant Transition in Data Center Cooling →
For more information about Schneider Electric Cooling,
call 800-876-9373 or email [email protected].
