answer this question for me.....
 

We have a burn room that houses and burns up to 300 computers at one time.

It is a closed environment, with no air conditioning, and no outside air source, just a fan to circulate the air.

Will the air itself (room temperature) get warmer if we were to burn the computers on Metal Shelving vs. Wood Shelving?

Would the metal shelves cause the room to heat up at any different rate (whether it be slower or faster) then the wood would?

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

I'm thinking the wood shelves would burn, so they would contribute to a higher burn temp and would heat the room faster.

Metal shelves would not heat up faster, because they won't burn. However, the metal shelves may keep the room warmer, longer after the burn because they would maintain their heat longer.

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

Well the wood itself doesn't burn, but currently half my room is metal shelves, and half is wood. I'm in an argument with a co-worker as which one's to axe.


Sorry.....BurnIN test....hardware and software testing that runs multiple cycles over a weeks period of time

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

You are going to get hot either way. The output is the same. The metal shelves will act as a heat sink to a very small degree because they are thin and not configured properly to function as a heatsink. You will mostly be heating the air. Fans will not help either they will just blow the hot air around. You are probably generating about 240000 btuh. You need 20 tons of AC. Not exactly sure what the heat output is for the burner but this is based on a lower heat generating computer.

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

LMAO!! I thought or a minute you worked at an incenerator.:clapping:
Do what RYD says.

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

The metal shelving will heat faster, maintain the heat and radiate it back into the room more then the wood shelves will. Metal itself in not an insulater whereas wood is...

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

hmmmmmmmmmm,

here is what I got on another forum, from an engineer.....


burn-in is a process with electronics where you set the unit up as it will be used and let it run for a while to test for failures before you put it into production. It helps to catch infant mortality (most electronic parts will either die in their first few hours of use or last for years, barring abuse).

To answer the question, no, assuming a closed system the material the shelves are made of won't affect the overall temp. The metal shelves will act as a better heat-sink and help prevent hot-spots in the room by transmitting heat more readily, but otherwise no difference.

-E

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

If the metal shelves are like "wire racks" they might alow for better air circulation.

You probably need an extra AC unit and possibly a high temp alarm if the AC goes down or if the room gets too hot.

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

So then, will the overall room temp be affected by what type of shelves we are using? Or will overall temp remain the same as it's the computers heating the room, not the shelves?

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

This is a classic heat load / enclosure situation and it's the very same thing you'd get to do if you were a drives & controls engineer (all damn day).

In short, the size of the enclosure and the heat load inside are your main considerations. While the material inside "may" serve to better distribute the heat within the enclosure, that effect is minimal.

The only difference comes when the device has a heavy localized thermal load and the shelf were somehow acting as a sink. For that to be the case you'd need unobstructed physical contact between the device and metal shelf with a thermally conductive compound (like thermal grease).

Just sitting on the shelf, isn't a factor.

Here's a handy online calculator if you know the total watts in usage:
http://www.thermal-edge.com/calculator/

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

excluding tight finite math...the overall room temp will remain the same...

BUT

by using wood shelves the temp of the CLOSE area right around the conputers will be slightly cooler...

NOW

vinyl coated wire shelves will allow for better air circulation and will be the coolest right around the computers...

BUT

by using solid metal shelvers you will be submitting the computers to a higher heat therefore if they pass you can feel more secure about them...

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

Ding ding ding.

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who cares...iffin you get hot, turn on the ac....iffin you get cold, turn it off.....

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

well no **** old man... I was trying to figure out if the shelving themselves will retain and produce more heat per the material that is used.......

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

"It is a closed environment, with no air conditioning, and no outside air source, just a fan to circulate the air."

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

just get your self on of these...



:clapping:

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

Ask the fire marshall what shelving he prefers.

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

I'll calculate it for you.

I need to know the area of the room, how many computers are operating and what temp they will be, and the size of the shelves, (both the wood and the metal).

If you don't have any of those figures, then I'd use the wood shelves. Butter softens to room temp faster on a cutting board than on a plate, fyi..:D

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

unless the material being used has the ability to produce heat by itself, how could it produce more heat....heat a piece of metal to 100 degrees and you get 100 degrees...heat a piece of wood and you get fire :clapping: ..the shelf composition does not matter.....

Re: answer this question for me.....
 

this thread should cease before we convince the world we are total idiots. :confused: