Air Quality Sensors Help Data Centres Clean to ISO 14644-1 Class 8

Have you ever wondered what damage all the dust and particulates in the air can do to sensitive electronics and in particular the types of IT servers running in server rooms and data centres? The higher the concentration of particulates, for example, the greater the probability of overheating and cooling system failures. Dust clogs air filters, vents and heatsinks and restricts airflow. Reduced airflow leads to higher component temperatures which can accelerate aging and increase the likelihood of sudden failures. When combined with a higher humidity (air moisture) there is a greater chance of electrical short circuits and circuit board corrosion. The greater the level of dust and particulates, the more energy data centre cooling systems have to use to maintain ambient temperatures.

In any electrical or electronic environment, high dust levels are a ‘no-no’.

The Cleaning Standard: ISO 14644-1

ISO 14644-1 is an international standard that defines cleanliness classes for air in cleanrooms and controlled environments by specifying how many airborne particles are allowed at different particle sizes.

For the data centre industry, Class 8 is the industry standard for server room and data hall cleanliness, ensuring particulate levels are controlled to protect sensitive IT equipment. Class 8 mandates maximum concentrations of ≤3,520,000 particles/m³ for ≥ 0.5µm and ≥29,300 particles/m³ for ≥ 5µm.

Data Centre Cleaning Services

There are several specialist data centre cleaning companies within the UK who provide services to meet Class 8 of ISO 14644-1. These companies will provide ad-hoc as well as regular (monthly, quarterly etc) cleaning services to professionally clean server rooms and data centres and the critical systems within them including server racks and the IT servers, storage and networking devices within them.

Environmental Monitoring for Air Quality

AKCP has recently launched air quality sensors to provide 24/7 monitoring of IT and other environments where dust and particulates can threaten operations. The sensors continuously sample airflow into a server rack for example and can be set to send automatic alerts (via email, SMS and phone call) should a particulate level go outside a preset range. Monitoring for air quality in this way, supplemented with regular cleaning services can help to reduce the probability of early equipment failures, overheating, electro-static discharge and reduce overall energy usage resulting from poor airflow.

AKCP Air Quality Sensors (AQS)

The AQS is an advanced sensor designed to protect critical facilities and data centers by monitoring environmental factors that are often overlooked but vital to operational uptime.

While traditional temperature sensors can confirm if cold air is entering a server rack, they cannot explain why a server continues to overheat. The AQS fills this information gap by identifying high particulate counts. Dust buildup on heatsinks and internal components acts as insulation, preventing efficient heat transfer and forcing cooling systems to work harder than necessary.

Beyond dust, the Air Quality Sensor monitors Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). When these are present alongside incorrect humidity levels, they can create a ‘perfect storm’ for the corrosion of sensitive metal elements within a facility.

The Air Quality Sensor is a compact, highly precise unit designed for easy integration. Its monitoring capabilities include:

• Particulate Matter: measures PM1.0, PM2.5, PM4.0, and PM10
• Mass Concentration: ranges from 0 to 1,000 μg/m3 with ±10% precision
• Gas Monitoring: detects CO2 (up to 40,000 ppm), VOC Index (1-500), and NOx Index (1-500)
• Environmental Sensing: tracks temperature (-10∘C to +50∘C) and humidity (0% to 90% RH)
• Durability: features a lifetime of over 10 years thanks to dust-resistant Sheath Flow technology

The sensor uses an RJ45 connector to plug into a compatible AKCP sensorProbe+ device.

AKCP Air Pollution Sensors (AQX4)

The AQX4 integrates four critical environmental metrics, temperature, humidity, static air pressure, and air quality index into a single, compact unit. Engineered for versatility, the sensor is ideal for office spaces, industrial facilities, and data centers where maintaining optimal air quality is essential for both human health and equipment efficiency.

At the heart of the AQX4 is its advanced Air Quality Index (AQI) ‘scoring’ system. The sensor specifically targets Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Volatile Sulphur Compounds (VSCs), gases commonly produced by chemical off-gassing, plastics, and exhaust.

The AQX4 provides a real-time ‘pollution level’ percentage based on gas resistance:

• Clean Air (0%): gas resistance ≥ 50 kΩ
• Normal to Warning (0–65%): 50 kΩ > resistance > 18 kΩ
• Critical to Max (85–100%): 5 kΩ ≥ resistance > 1.5 kΩ

The AQX4 is designed for precision and easy integration into existing AKCP monitoring systems:

• Temperature: -40∘C to +85∘C with ± 0.5∘C accuracy (at 25∘C)
• Air Pressure: 300 to 1100 hPa with ± 0.05 hPa relative accuracy
• Humidity: 0 to 100% RH with ± 3% typical accuracy

The sensor uses an RJ45 connector to plug into a compatible AKCP sensorProbe+ device.

Summary

Air quality is sometimes overlooked in server rooms and data centres but dust and particulates can have a major impact only on operational performance, uptime and safety. Some of the latest high power GPUs used in AI applications, state the need for clean, dry and particulate free IT environments in their use guides, in order to avoid damage and maintain proper airflow and cooling. NVIDIA for their DGX system is an example.

Whilst some larger data centres have have a professional IT cleaning service provider there is also the need for 24/7 monitoring of the environment. Adding air quality sensors can help to identify problems resulting from dust and particulate build-up far quicker than a monthly inspection or quarterly cleaning service. For critical sites, especially those adopting AI processors, with their higher power and cooling demands, and need for a clean environment, air quality sensors from AKCP can be the difference that helps to ensure efficient energy usage, uptime and resilience.