Container Mining: Spacing Between Rows
How aisle width between miner rows affects rear-unit temperatures in shipping container deployments.
During a cooling consultation at a 200-unit container operation in Daegu, we measured a consistent 7°C temperature difference between front-row and rear-row units. The hardware was identical. The aisle spacing was not.
The Setup
The container housed six rows of Antminer S19 units with 40 cm between row faces. Exhaust from row one fed partially into the intake of row two. By row four, inlet temperatures had climbed 6°C above the container’s front ambient reading.
What We Changed
We recommended increasing aisle spacing to 55 cm and adding a baffle panel at the container midpoint to separate intake and exhaust zones. The operator implemented both changes over a single weekend.
Results
Post-modification spot checks showed rear-row inlet temperatures within 2°C of front-row readings. Hash rate variance across rows dropped from 4.2% to under 1%.
Rule of Thumb
For air-cooled ASICs rated above 90 TH/s in container deployments, maintain at least 50 cm between row faces. Tighter spacing saves rack capacity but costs hash rate on rear units within weeks of deployment.