Vertiv 8402E-29-X 84x29-Inch Rack Door Precision Cooling Unit

Overview

The Vertiv 8402E-29-X is an 84-inch by 29-inch plexi door-mounted precision cooling unit engineered for high-density data center rows where overhead or perimeter cooling can no longer keep pace with rack heat loads. Rather than relying on raised-floor airflow or ceiling-level cooling infrastructure, the 8402E-29-X integrates directly into the cabinet footprint — pulling hot exhaust from adjacent racks and rejecting it through an R-410A refrigerant circuit before it recirculates into the cold aisle. If you're managing a row of blade chassis, high-density switching, or GPU compute nodes that consistently breach 10-15 kW per rack, this is the category of solution to evaluate.

The unit delivers a total nominal cooling capacity of 98.9 kBTU/h (29 kW) and a net sensible capacity of 91.4 kBTU/h (26.8 kW) — the sensible figure being the operationally relevant number, since data center heat loads are almost entirely sensible (heat without moisture). The 105.9 kBTU/h (31 kW) total capacity headroom provides useful buffer for transient spike loads during peak compute cycles. At 4,300 CFM nominal airflow, the unit can process substantial hot-aisle exhaust volumes continuously without starving adjacent racks of return air.

Key Features

• 29 kW Sensible Cooling Capacity: The 91.4 kBTU/h (26.8 kW) net sensible rating is the working number for data center thermal planning — it's what gets applied directly to server exhaust heat. At this capacity, a single 8402E-29-X can offset the heat load of two to three fully populated 10-15 kW racks, reducing dependence on room-level cooling infrastructure and enabling higher rack densities without facility upgrades.
• 4,300 CFM Airflow at Upflow and Downflow Configurations: Support for both upflow and downflow airflow directions means the unit can adapt to raised-floor (downflow) or hard-floor (upflow) data center layouts without requiring a separate model variant. This matters when deploying into existing facility infrastructure where airflow direction is dictated by the building, not the equipment.
• R-410A Refrigerant Circuit: R-410A is a widely available, high-efficiency refrigerant used across commercial DX (direct expansion) cooling equipment. The refrigerant-based heat rejection model means the unit operates independently of chilled water infrastructure — a significant advantage in colocation environments or edge data centers where a chilled water loop isn't available or cost-effective to extend to every row.
• Variable Speed EC Fan Capacity Modulation: Electronically commutated (EC) fan motors vary speed in direct response to actual thermal load, rather than cycling on/off at full power. In practice, this reduces fan energy consumption during off-peak hours and extends motor service life — EC fans typically run significantly more hours between service intervals compared to fixed-speed equivalents. This also lowers acoustic output during lighter load periods, relevant in edge deployments near occupied spaces.
• Liebert iCOM Unit Control: The integrated Liebert iCOM controller provides local monitoring, setpoint configuration, and network integration through a standardized interface familiar to facilities teams already managing Vertiv infrastructure. iCOM supports alarm management and remote visibility, which is critical when this unit is one node in a multi-row cooling strategy that needs centralized oversight without per-unit physical inspection.
• 84 x 29-Inch Door Form Factor: The plexi door form factor (8402E-29-X specifies 84 inches tall by 29 inches wide) integrates into standard cabinet row configurations without requiring separate floor space allocation. The transparent plexi panel maintains visual access to rack status indicators and cable management behind the door — relevant during installations and maintenance windows when visual confirmation of indicator lights matters.

Integration & Compatibility

The Liebert iCOM control platform is designed to integrate with Vertiv's broader Vertiv thermal management and power infrastructure ecosystem, enabling coordinated cooling response across multi-unit row deployments. Facilities running existing Liebert DSE, Liebert CRV, or similar in-row cooling units with iCOM will find the 8402E-29-X operates within the same monitoring and management framework, reducing the operational overhead of managing mixed cooling hardware.

The R-410A DX refrigerant approach makes the unit compatible with standard commercial condensing units and remote refrigeration infrastructure — no chilled water plant or cooling tower required at the row level. This positions the 8402E-29-X well for data center power and cooling deployments in retrofit or edge scenarios where chilled water infrastructure is unavailable or prohibitively expensive to extend.

Airflow direction flexibility (upflow and downflow) means site engineers have documented options for adapting the unit to existing hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment schemes without modifying raised-floor tile layouts. Consult Vertiv's thermal modeling resources and your facility's airflow analysis before finalizing row placement — at 4,300 CFM, improper placement relative to adjacent CRAC units can create recirculation zones that reduce effective cooling efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the net sensible cooling capacity of the 8402E-29-X?

A: The 8402E-29-X delivers a net sensible cooling capacity of 91.4 kBTU/h (26.8 kW). This is the operationally relevant figure for data center thermal planning, as server heat loads are almost entirely sensible heat. The total nominal capacity is 98.9 kBTU/h (29 kW), with a total capacity rating of 105.9 kBTU/h (31 kW) for transient peak loads.

Q: Does the 8402E-29-X support both upflow and downflow airflow configurations?

A: Yes. The unit supports both upflow and downflow airflow directions, making it compatible with raised-floor (downflow) and hard-floor (upflow) data center layouts. This flexibility allows deployment into existing facility infrastructure without requiring a different model variant based on airflow direction.

Q: What refrigerant does the 8402E-29-X use, and does it require a chilled water connection?

A: The 8402E-29-X uses R-410A refrigerant in a direct expansion (DX) cooling circuit. It does not require a chilled water connection — heat rejection is handled through the refrigerant loop, making it suitable for colocation environments, edge data centers, and facilities where extending a chilled water plant to the row level is impractical.

Q: What is the nominal airflow capacity of the 8402E-29-X?

A: The unit provides 4,300 CFM of nominal airflow, sufficient to continuously process substantial hot-aisle exhaust volumes from high-density rack rows. Fan speed is modulated by variable-speed EC motors, which adjust airflow output to match actual thermal load rather than running at fixed speed.

Q: What control system does the 8402E-29-X use, and can it be monitored remotely?

A: The 8402E-29-X uses the Liebert iCOM Unit Control system. iCOM provides local configuration, alarm management, and network integration, enabling remote monitoring and centralized management — particularly useful in multi-row deployments where per-unit physical inspection is impractical.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of the 8402E-29-X?

A: The unit is 84 inches tall by 29 inches wide (as indicated in the model designation 8402E-29-X), designed as a plexi door form factor for integration into standard data center cabinet rows. The height aligns with the 1970mm (approximately 84 inches) standard rack door dimension.

Marty Allison

The spec I keep coming back to on the 8402E-29-X is the net sensible capacity: 91.4 kBTU/h (26.8 kW). In a data center context, sensible capacity is the number that actually maps to your server heat load — latent cooling (dehumidification) is largely wasted capacity in most high-density compute environments. At 26.8 kW sensible, this unit can meaningfully offset two to three high-density racks without touching your room-level cooling budget, and the R-410A DX circuit means you're not dependent on a chilled water plant being adjacent to the row.

Technical Highlights:

• Variable Speed EC Fans: At 4,300 CFM nominal, the electronically commutated fans modulate speed to actual load — during off-peak compute cycles, you'll see meaningful energy savings and reduced acoustic output compared to fixed-speed fan arrays running full bore regardless of thermal demand.
• Dual Airflow Direction: Upflow and downflow support in a single SKU is a real operational advantage. Most facilities engineers I've worked with have encountered situations where a retrofit row didn't match the assumed airflow direction — having both options in one unit eliminates a procurement re-order cycle mid-project.
• Liebert iCOM Integration: If your facility already runs iCOM on other Liebert/Vertiv thermal equipment, the 8402E-29-X drops into the same management plane. Alarm thresholds, setpoints, and remote visibility are all handled through the same interface — you're not adding a separate monitoring silo for row-level cooling.

Deployment Considerations:

• At 4,300 CFM, placement relative to existing CRAC units and hot-aisle containment geometry matters. Run a CFD model or at minimum a basic airflow balance calculation before finalizing row position — a poorly placed unit can create recirculation patterns that cut into effective cooling efficiency without showing up on any alarm dashboard.
• The R-410A refrigerant circuit requires a connection to a remote condensing unit or refrigeration plant — the 8402E-29-X is the evaporator side of a split DX system, not a self-contained unit. Confirm that your condensing capacity and line set lengths are sized for the 29 kW load before specifying this unit.

The 8402E-29-X is the right call for high-density compute rows in colocation or enterprise data centers where chilled water isn't available at the row level and rack loads have outpaced perimeter CRAC capacity — specifically, mixed-chassis rows running 10-20 kW per rack where room-level cooling is already operating near its design limit.