APC by Schneider Electric ACRD301P InRow DX 30kW Precision Cooling Unit
Overview
The APC by Schneider Electric ACRD301P is a 300mm-wide InRow DX precision cooling unit rated for 30 kW of heat rejection — engineered for high-density IT rows where rack-level thermal management is the only viable strategy. At 78.4 inches tall and only 11.8 inches wide, it slots directly into a standard data center cooling row alongside your racks without consuming a full rack-unit footprint. The unit delivers up to 3,400 CFM of conditioned airflow, which at this cooling capacity puts it squarely in the territory of dense compute rows running blade servers, GPU clusters, or tightly packed network hardware. Unlike room-level or perimeter CRAC units, an InRow deployment brings cooling to the heat source, reducing the distance hot air must travel and sharply cutting the risk of hot-spot formation in high-load rows.
This unit also includes integrated humidification and reheat capabilities, making it suitable for environments where humidity control is a compliance or equipment-protection requirement — not just a secondary concern.
Key Features
- 30 kW Cooling Capacity: At 30 kW of heat rejection, the ACRD301P can anchor a dense compute row or serve as a supplemental unit in a mixed-density environment. Most perimeter CRAC units top out at 20–25 kW per row served; an InRow unit at this rating covers a full high-density row without relying on raised-floor airflow distribution.
- 3,400 CFM Maximum Airflow: Moving 3,400 cubic feet of air per minute through a 11.8-inch-wide chassis is a meaningful engineering achievement. This throughput keeps supply air reaching the back of deep servers (43.1 inches of unit depth matches typical rack depth) without the pressure drop that kills perimeter-cooler effectiveness in hot-aisle containment setups.
- 300mm (11.8-inch) Width: The narrow footprint means you lose roughly one rack position per cooling unit in the row — a real trade-off, but one that buys precise thermal control at the row level. Plan your row layout to account for one ACRD301P per target cooling zone.
- 42U Compatible Rack Height (78.4 inches): The unit stands at full 42U rack height, so it integrates flush with standard server racks and containment systems without requiring custom brackets or height adapters. This simplifies hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment sealing.
- Integrated Humidification and Reheat: The included humidifier and reheat module keeps relative humidity in range during low-load periods or in dry climates where DX cooling alone would drive humidity below safe operating thresholds for sensitive equipment. This is a meaningful differentiator over bare-cooling InRow units that require a separate humidification infrastructure.
- 850W Unit Power Consumption: The unit itself draws 850W at the infrastructure level — a manageable overhead when you're offsetting 30 kW of IT load. Factor this into your PDU and UPS capacity planning; at 25A input current on a 120V circuit, confirm your branch circuit can sustain continuous load before installation.
- 230V AC Input (Primary), 120V AC Also Noted: Source evidence references both 230V AC and 120V AC input. Verify the specific voltage configuration required for your facility before ordering — InRow DX units are typically sold in voltage-specific variants, and field-converting input voltage is not a supported procedure.
- Application/Usage: IT Environments: The ACRD301P is rated and designed specifically for IT load profiles — variable, high-density, with rapid thermal swings. This matters because IT loads cycle differently than industrial or commercial HVAC loads, and precision cooling units tune their control loops accordingly.
Integration and Compatibility
The ACRD301P is designed to integrate into APC by Schneider Electric's InRow product ecosystem, including management via APC's Network Management Cards and EcoStruxure IT infrastructure management platform. In a properly deployed InRow architecture, multiple units communicate and load-share across a row, allowing cooling capacity to follow actual IT load rather than running at fixed output. This dynamic control is especially valuable in environments where workload varies significantly by time of day or by compute job.
For row-level containment deployments, pair this unit with compatible hot-aisle or cold-aisle containment panels sized to the 42U height and 300mm width of the ACRD301P. Containment dramatically improves the efficiency of InRow cooling by preventing hot and cold air mixing — without containment, even a 30 kW InRow unit will underperform in a dense row. Consider pairing with compatible rack PDUs and a monitored UPS for full infrastructure-layer visibility.
Facilities teams should coordinate condenser water or refrigerant circuit connections appropriate for the DX (direct expansion) refrigeration cycle. InRow DX units require an external condensing unit or chilled water infrastructure — the ACRD301P is not a self-contained, stand-alone cooler. Confirm site infrastructure compatibility before deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the cooling capacity of the ACRD301P?
A: The ACRD301P provides 30 kW of cooling capacity, making it suitable for high-density IT rows with significant heat loads from blade servers, GPU systems, or dense network hardware.
Q: Does the ACRD301P require a separate condensing unit?
A: Yes. As a DX (direct expansion) InRow unit, the ACRD301P requires an external condensing unit or compatible refrigerant circuit infrastructure. It is not a self-contained cooling system.
Q: What is the airflow rating of the ACRD301P?
A: The ACRD301P delivers a maximum of 3,400 CFM. This throughput is designed to supply conditioned air efficiently across a full 42U row in hot-aisle or cold-aisle containment configurations.
Q: Does the ACRD301P include humidification?
A: Yes. The ACRD301P includes integrated humidification and reheat capabilities, allowing humidity control without a separate humidification infrastructure — important for dry climates or tightly controlled data center environments.
Q: What input voltage does the ACRD301P require?
A: Source data references both 120V AC and 230V AC input. Verify the correct voltage configuration for your specific unit and facility before installation, as InRow DX units are typically voltage-specific.
Q: What is the physical footprint of the ACRD301P?
A: The unit measures 78.4 inches tall, 11.8 inches wide, and 43.1 inches deep, and weighs approximately 352.70 lbs. It is designed to integrate flush with standard 42U server racks in a row-level deployment.
The ACRD301P's 3,400 CFM throughput in an 11.8-inch chassis is the number that catches my attention on this unit. In InRow deployments I've been involved with, airflow density — not raw cooling capacity — is usually what determines whether you're actually keeping your hottest racks in spec. Thirty kilowatts of capacity means nothing if the air can't physically reach the back of a 43-inch-deep server. The ACRD301P addresses that with a flow rate that matches its cooling rating, which isn't always the case in this product class.
Technical Highlights:
- 30 kW Cooling / 3,400 CFM Airflow Balance: These two numbers need to be proportional for effective InRow cooling — oversized cooling capacity paired with undersized airflow just means you're moving cold air too slowly to displace hot exhaust before it recirculates. The ACRD301P's specs suggest this balance is engineered intentionally.
- Integrated Humidification and Reheat: Adding humidification to a DX cooling unit in a single 300mm chassis eliminates the need for a standalone humidifier — meaningful in rack-dense rows where every 11.8 inches of row space represents either a rack position or a cooling/power unit. This consolidation matters for row layout planning.
- 850W Self-Consumption at 30 kW Output: A PUE contribution of roughly 0.028 from this unit alone (850W ÷ 30,000W) is on the efficient end for precision cooling with humidification. Factor this into your facility power budget alongside condensing unit power draw, which varies by installation.
Deployment Considerations:
- At 352.70 lbs, the ACRD301P requires coordinated mechanical installation — a standard two-person rack team is not sufficient. Plan for equipment dollies, floor load verification, and coordination with your facilities crew before delivery.
- The voltage ambiguity in available specs (both 120V and 230V referenced) is a real installation risk. Ordering the wrong voltage variant for your facility means a unit you cannot commission. Confirm the voltage configuration directly with your distributor before purchase — this is not a field-correctable issue.
The ACRD301P is the right specification for a freshly built high-density compute row in a colocation or enterprise data center where DX infrastructure is already in place. It is not the right choice for a retrofit into an existing room-cooled environment without significant infrastructure preparation — the condensing circuit requirement and physical weight make this a planned installation, not a plug-in upgrade.
