APC by Schneider Electric Inrow RD 300MM AIR Cooled 208-230V 60HZ - ACRD100

APC by Schneider Electric ACRD100 InRow RD 300mm Air-Cooled Precision Cooling Unit

Overview

The APC by Schneider Electric ACRD100 is a 300mm-wide InRow row-based precision cooling unit engineered for high-density data center aisles where traditional room cooling falls short. Operating at 208–230V / 60Hz and drawing 4,600W under load, this tower-form unit delivers up to 9,900W of cooling capacity — putting meaningful thermal headroom within reach for dense compute rows without requiring a full-scale raised-floor CRAC overhaul. If you're managing per-rack heat loads in the 5–10kW range and your room-level cooling is already struggling, the ACRD100 is worth a close look as part of a data center cooling infrastructure refresh.

Row-based cooling positions the thermal exchange point directly adjacent to the heat source rather than at the room perimeter, which is the fundamental reason InRow architecture outperforms perimeter units at density. The ACRD100 mounts in its own 42U-compatible footprint alongside your equipment racks, capturing hot exhaust air at the source and recirculating conditioned air into the cold aisle — a geometry that standard room units simply cannot replicate at scale.

Key Features

• 9,900W Cooling Capacity: Handles the thermal output of a densely loaded 10kW compute rack with margin to spare. This is the number that determines whether a single ACRD100 unit covers your row or whether you need to pair units — size your deployment against actual rack heat load, not rack count.
• 2,290 CFM Maximum Airflow: High volumetric airflow means the unit can flush hot exhaust before it recirculates into intake paths. At 2,290 CFM, this unit moves enough air to serve multiple adjacent high-density racks in a properly contained hot-aisle/cold-aisle layout.
• 4,600W Power Consumption: Running a precision cooling unit costs power — the ACRD100 draws 4,600W at the plug, which your facilities team will need to account for on the branch circuit. Factor this into your power budget alongside the IT load; 208–230V single-phase feed is required.
• 300mm Form Factor — Fits Between Standard Racks: The 11.8-inch width (300mm) is the defining physical constraint for InRow units. This unit is designed to install in the gap between standard 600mm or 750mm rack columns without consuming a full rack bay, preserving usable rack space in the row.
• 42U Compatible Height: At 78.4 inches tall, the ACRD100 matches standard 42U rack height, aligning the airflow inlet and outlet with the front/rear faces of adjacent racks. Mismatched heights cause airflow bypass — 42U alignment is non-negotiable for efficient operation.
• Air-Cooled Operation: Unlike chilled-water InRow units, the ACRD100 uses air-side cooling, which eliminates the need for a dedicated chilled water loop or CW infrastructure tie-in. This significantly simplifies installation in facilities without existing hydronic systems — though it also means heat rejection depends on your building HVAC rather than a closed-loop chiller.
• Tower Form Factor, Black Finish: Ships as a standalone tower unit rather than rack-integrated, which provides flexibility in aisle placement but means it occupies floor space rather than rack units. At 404 lb, site prep — including floor load verification and a coordinated installation crew — is mandatory before delivery.
• 1-Year Manufacturer Warranty: APC includes a 1-year limited warranty on the ACRD100. For a critical cooling asset, evaluate whether an extended service plan aligns with your uptime SLA requirements.

Integration and Compatibility

The ACRD100 is designed to integrate into precision cooling deployments alongside APC's InRow product family and is compatible with APC's EcoStruxure IT and Data Center Expert (DCE) management platforms for environmental monitoring and thermal management. The unit operates at 230V AC / 60Hz — confirm your facility's available voltage and branch circuit ampacity before ordering, as 208V and 230V behave differently at the distribution panel. Row-based deployments typically pair this unit with APC by Schneider Electric NetShelter rack enclosures and hot-aisle containment kits to achieve the containment geometry that makes InRow cooling effective. Without containment, airflow bypasses the heat exchange path and efficiency drops substantially. If you're evaluating rack PDU options alongside this unit, plan branch circuits for both the cooling load (4,600W) and IT load simultaneously — a common oversight in phased deployments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the cooling capacity of the ACRD100?

A: The ACRD100 provides up to 9,900W (approximately 9.9kW) of cooling capacity. This is suited for high-density rack rows with per-rack heat loads in the 5–10kW range.

Q: What input voltage does the ACRD100 require?

A: The ACRD100 requires 208–230V AC / 60Hz input. Verify your facility's available branch circuit voltage and ampacity before ordering — this unit is not compatible with standard 120V circuits.

Q: How much floor space does the ACRD100 occupy?

A: The unit measures 11.8 inches wide x 42.1 inches deep x 78.4 inches tall and weighs approximately 404 lb. Floor load capacity must be verified as part of site preparation before installation.

Q: Does the ACRD100 require a chilled water connection?

A: No. The ACRD100 is an air-cooled unit, so it does not require a chilled water loop or hydronic infrastructure. Heat rejection relies on the building's ambient HVAC system rather than a dedicated chiller circuit.

Q: What is the warranty on the ACRD100?

A: APC includes a 1-year limited warranty with the ACRD100. Extended service options may be available — evaluate against your facility's uptime requirements.

Q: Does the ACRD100 need hot-aisle containment to operate effectively?

A: Hot-aisle containment is not strictly required for the unit to operate, but InRow cooling efficiency depends heavily on containing airflow paths. Without proper containment, conditioned air bypasses IT equipment and recirculates ineffectively — plan containment as part of the deployment, not as an afterthought.

Jerry Tildsen

When I look at the ACRD100, the spec I immediately focus on is the 9,900W cooling capacity against a 4,600W power draw — that's a cooling efficiency ratio worth calculating before any alternatives. In a row-based deployment where you're managing 8–10kW racks, this unit can absorb the heat load of a fully populated high-density row while staying within a predictable power budget at the branch circuit level.

Technical Highlights:

• 9,900W Cooling / 4,600W Draw: The ratio matters more than either number alone. You're moving roughly 2.15W of heat per watt consumed — meaningful when cooling infrastructure sits alongside IT load on the same generator and UPS plant.
• 2,290 CFM Airflow: That volumetric figure is what keeps hot exhaust from re-entering the cold aisle in a contained row. At 2,290 CFM, the unit handles the turbulence created by multiple high-CFM server fans without stalling — critical in dense GPU or storage rows where server airflow is aggressive.
• 300mm Width / 404 lb: The narrow footprint preserves rack row density, but 404 lb means this is a coordinated lift requiring proper rigging. Don't underestimate site logistics — floor loading, door widths, and final-position access all need to be confirmed before the unit ships.

Deployment Considerations:

• The 230V / 60Hz requirement means a dedicated branch circuit is non-negotiable. Budget for the electrical rough-in if your row doesn't already have 208–230V feeds, and size the breaker for the 4,600W draw with appropriate safety margin per NEC guidelines.
• Air-cooled InRow units reject heat into the room air, which means your building HVAC absorbs that load. If your facility HVAC is already near capacity, adding an air-cooled InRow unit shifts rather than solves the thermal problem — a chilled-water InRow unit may be the correct architecture in that scenario.

The ACRD100 fits cleanest in a mid-scale enterprise data center or colocation cage running 8–12 high-density compute racks where chilled-water infrastructure isn't available but perimeter cooling has already proven inadequate. It is not the right tool for a single low-density rack or for a facility that already has a robust chilled-water distribution system — in both cases, alternative APC InRow configurations will serve better.