Cooling

nVent's new rear door coolers offer scalable solution for high-density racks

nVent has announced the launch of its RDHX PRO rear door cooling unit, a new high-performance solution offering the capability to upgrade data centres with up to 78kW high-density racks, meeting the requirements for the growing use of AI-enhanced applications, demands for higher energy efficiency and sustainability, and the need for greater data centre space utilisation. Rear door cooling solutions are increasingly popular as a pay-as-you-go method for retrofitting increased data centre cooling performance, in many cases without the need for additional re-engineering of the existing facility mechanical design. When installed as a primary method of heat removal, rear door coolers eliminate much of the need for mechanical equipment including fans, blowers and CRAHs, to provide a more optimised cooling solution aligned with the exact requirements for individual racks, at the same time reducing noise and energy waste. “The RDHX PRO RDC is an innovative rear door cooling solution which responds to trends currently converging to make life more complex for those managing data centres,” says Marc Caiola, nVent's Vice President of Data Cooling and Networking. “Our new RDC combines the ability to upgrade cooling capacity without significant capital investment and re-equipping of existing data centre space; the opportunity to reduce the amount of power used for cooling IT, as well the expense and associated emissions; and the advantage of an easily maintainable cooling solution designed and built for high availability.” RDHX PRO from nVent, bringing flexibility to rack cooling One of the features of RDHX PRO RDC is the ability to operate comfortably with 57°F (14°C) warm water cooling, making it environmentally friendly. By utilising free cooling, the device significantly reduces the amount of energy required to cool the data centre, not only reducing overall data centre power consumption, but also the carbon footprint of operations. The future-proofed solution can also be combined with direct-to-chip liquid cooling deployments, for customers who are moving towards a hybrid approach to cooling, and especially those looking to maximise heat reuse opportunities, combined with NVent’s liquid cooling CDU 800. RDHX PRO RDC is lab tested with full results available upon request. Rear door cooling for maximum compatibility and availability The new rear door cooling units from nVent are offered in a range of standard sizes for use with 42U, 47U, 48U and 52U data centre racks, in both 600mm and 800mm widths. The coolers themselves are 250mm deep, with a dry weight of 200kg. One of the features of rear door coolers is that they are compact and do not require any additional floor space or ceiling headroom, it can free up white space as CRAH units and other room cooling equipment may be eliminated from the data centre. Each unit has a maximum power draw of 1500W and features 12x axial brushless DC fans. However, the large number of fans means they individually do less work than a smaller number of large fans, reducing stress on the electromechanical devices and increasing their lifecycle. In the event failures do occur, nVent has developed an innovative, tool-less and hot-swappable method for fan replacement, as well as other critical components such as PSUs. This feature allows uptime to be maximised at the same time as reducing service callouts and associated costs. For ease of integration with data centre management applications as well as BMS software, the new rear door cooling units also feature a newly designed controller which is compatible with most popular network and control protocols including web interface, Ethernet, SNMP, Modbus TCP, RTU, and Redfish. Data centre white space racks, cooling and accessories The new RDHX PRO RDC is now available. For further details, click here or email datacentre.eu@nvent.com.

Building the telco edge

By Nathan Blom, Chief Commercial Officer, Iceotope With the growing migration of data to the edge, telco providers are facing new challenges in the race to net zero. Applications like IoT and 5G require ultra-low latency and high scalability to process large volumes of data close to where the data is generated, often in remote locations. Mitigating power constraints, simplifying serviceability and significantly driving down maintenance costs are rapidly becoming top priorities. Operators are tasked with navigating these changes in a sustainable and cost-effective manner, while working towards their net zero objectives. Liquid cooling is one solution able to help them do just that. Challenges facing telco operators The major challenges confronting telco operators can be distilled into three fundamental aspects: power constraints, increased density, and rising costs. The limitations of available power in the grid pose a significant challenge. Both urban areas and the extreme edge have concerns about diverting power from other essential activities. As telcos demand more data processing, increased computational power, and GPUs, power consumption becomes a critical bottleneck. This constraint pushes operators to find innovative solutions to reduce power consumption. Telco operators also face the dual challenge of increasing the number of towers while also enhancing the capacity of each tower. This requirement to boost compute power at each node and increase the number of nodes strains both power budgets and computational capabilities. The pursuit of maximising the value of each location becomes critical. Finally, the combination of increased density, heightened service costs per site, and a surge in operational expenses (OPEX) due to the need for service and maintenance leads to rising costs, particularly at the extreme edge. The logistics and expenses of servicing remote sites drive up OPEX, making it a pressing concern for telco operators. Liquid cooling as a solution One promising avenue to address these challenges is liquid cooling. Cooling is a vital aspect of data centre operations, consuming approximately 40% of the total electricity used. Liquid cooling is rapidly becoming the solution of choice to efficiently and cost-effectively accommodate today’s compute requirements. However, not all liquid cooling solutions are the same.  Direct-to-chip appears to offer the highest cooling performance at chip levels, but because it still requires air cooling, it adds inefficiencies at the system level. It is a nice interim solution to cool the hottest chips, but it does not address the longer-term goals of sustainability, serviceability, and scalability. Meanwhile, tank immersion offers a more sustainable option at the system level, but requires a complete rethink of data centre design. This works counter to the goals of density, scalability, and most importantly, serviceability. Facility and structural requirements mean brownfield data centre space is essentially eliminated as an option for both of those solutions, not to mention special training is required to service the equipment.   Precision liquid cooling combines the best of both technologies, by removing nearly 100% of the heat generated by the electronic components of a server and reducing energy use by up to 40% and water consumption by up to 100%. It does this by using a small amount of dielectric coolant to precisely target and remove heat from the hottest components of the server, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability. This eliminates the need for traditional air-cooling systems and allows for greater flexibility in designing IT solutions. There are no hotspots to slow down performance, no wasted physical space on unnecessary cooling infrastructure, and minimal need for water consumption. Precision liquid cooling also reduces stress on chassis components, reducing component failures by 30% and extending server lifecycles. Servers can be hot swapped at both the data centre and at remote locations. Service calls are simplified and eliminate exposure to environmental elements on-site, de-risking service operations. Operating within standard rack-based chassis, Precision liquid cooling is also highly scalable. Telco operators can effortlessly expand their compute capacity from a single node to a full rack, adapting to evolving needs. The telco industry is on the cusp of a transformative era. Telco operators are grappling with the challenges of power constraints, increased density, and rising costs, particularly at the extreme edge. Precision liquid cooling offers a sustainable solution to these challenges. As the telecommunications landscape continues to evolve, embracing innovative cooling solutions becomes a strategic imperative for slashing energy and maintenance costs while driving toward sustainability goals. It's going to be an exciting time for the future of compute.

Vertiv's acquisition of CoolTera boosts liquid cooling portfolio

Vertiv has announced that subsidiaries of the company have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the shares of CoolTera, a provider of coolant distribution infrastructure for data centre liquid cooling technology and certain assets, including certain contracts, patents, trademarks, and intellectual property from an affiliate of CoolTera. Founded in 2016 and based in the UK, CoolTera provides liquid cooling infrastructure solutions, and designs and manufactures coolant distribution units (CDU), secondary fluid networks (SFN), and manifolds for data centre liquid cooling solutions. CoolTera and Vertiv have been technology partners for three years with multiple global deployments to data centres and super compute systems. The acquisition of CoolTera brings advanced cooling technology, deep domain expertise, controls and systems, and manufacturing and testing for high density compute cooling requirements to Vertiv’s already robust thermal management portfolio, as well as key industry partnerships already in place across the ecosystem for such applications. CoolTera has a proven track record of engineering excellence and strong customer service supported by a team of highly qualified, proven liquid cooling engineers. “This bolt-on technology acquisition is consistent with our long-term strategic vision for value creation, and further strengthens our expertise in high-density cooling solutions,” says Giordano Albertazzi, Chief Executive Officer, Vertiv. “And while the purchase price is not material to Vertiv, the acquisition is essential to further reinforce our liquid cooling portfolio, enhancing our ability to serve the needs of our global data centre customers and strengthening our position and capabilities to support the needs of AI at scale.” “It was a logical decision to join the Vertiv family,” says Mark Luxford, CoolTera’s Managing Director. “We are excited to join the leader in data centre thermal management. Vertiv has demonstrated the ability to scale technologies at a pace that is needed for AI deployment. We look forward to working as a team to deliver next generation liquid cooling technologies at the scale the industry requires. Vertiv is well-positioned to support the industry growth.” The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.      

Sabey Data Centers elevates power and cooling optimisation

Sabey Data Centers and JetCool Technologies has published results from their ongoing collaboration, a partnership first launched in September 2023, that signifies dedication to exploring breakthroughs in advanced cooling solutions for high-density chips, setting a precedent for sustainable and efficient data centre operation. As Sabey Data Centers undergoes further development to accommodate high-density IT deployments, the innovative cooling solutions provided by JetCool offer a unique opportunity. JetCool's technology provides enhanced cooling efficiency without the need for extensive changes to existing infrastructure, serving as a bridge for Sabey customers seeking to improve the efficiency of their IT infrastructure without undergoing a complete overhaul. In the collaboration results, the documented deployment reveals how the JetCool SmartPlate System, with its approach to direct-to-chip liquid cooling, can improve thermal management and reduce energy consumption in existing data centre setups. Notable early findings from Sabey and JetCool’s practical experiment include: Power efficiency: The SmartPlate System realised a 13.5% reduction in power consumption compared to traditional air-cooled servers Thermal management: The system achieved a 32% decrease in CPU to inlet temperature differential, leading to lower cooling energy usage In the shift towards liquid cooling within the data centre industry, JetCool's SmartPlate System becomes a practical bridge for data centres. Given the growing focus on AI and HPC investments, there's a rising demand for colocation facilities capable of supporting high-density IT deployments. The SmartPlate System offers a pragmatic and cost-efficient answer, enabling Sabey's clients to implement higher-density servers without the financial implications associated with a complete liquid cooling overhaul, particularly in pre-existing air-cooled environments.

Airedale by Modine announces parametric data centre cooling range

Airedale by Modine has announced the launch of AireWall ONE, a fan wall developed in collaboration with the data centre industry. AireWall ONE has built-in flexibility, with a parametric design allowing it to be configurable to physical space and is designed to operate in sustainable facilities that prioritise energy efficiency. It will be manufactured in Spain, the UK and the US for shipment globally. AireWall ONE is a customer-led product, developed from the ground-up with considerable input from data centre end-users, consultants and contractors alike. The new range capitalises on the sustainability potential offered in data centres utilising higher air and water temperatures, delivering energy efficiency benefits across the whole cooling system. A parametric configuration philosophy is at the heart of its design, with over 33,000 size permutations, clients can configure AireWall ONE to suit a multitude of construction and cooling requirements, within the following parameters: 200-650kW Two-12EC centrifugal fans Six, eight or 10 coil row options Configurable footprint to suit the space Installation and maintenance teams were also heavily involved in the design process of AireWall ONE. Often overlooked in the R&D process, several contractor-friendly features have been designed into the range that simplify on-site manoeuvring, positioning, commissioning and in-service maintenance. Paul Golding, Global CRAH and CRAC Product Manager for Airedale, says, “Following an intense period of consultation with a range of industry specialists, we are delighted to launch AireWall ONE. This is an evolution of our previous AireWall range, improved to include the features that our clients have told us they now need as the industry continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.” Paul continues, “AireWall ONE bridges the gap between an effective fan wall and an intelligent, efficient computer room air handler. It has been designed to deliver a flexible, efficient and global solution to an industry striving for scalability and sustainability. “Because it is a parametric design, clients can work with us to configure the units to their site and cooling design. Airedale is part of Modine, a global leader in thermal management and cooling solutions. Airedale leverages this capability and expertise to configure the chilled water coils to the size of the unit and the required cooling output for each project. Our engineering teams and global production sites are ready; we’re extremely excited to make this range available to all our clients worldwide.” As with all Airedale cooling equipment, AireWall ONE is delivered with the latest helix intelligent controls platform and can be integrated into a complete intelligent cooling system using Airedale’s Cooling System Optimizer and ACIS facility management system.

Unlocking cooling efficiency within data centres

By Kelley Mullick, PhD, Vice President of Technology Advancement and Alliances, Iceotope Data centres are grappling with an unprecedented surge in data generation. The rise of the internet, cloud services, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, social media, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a data revolution. Moreover, the traditional role of data centres is rapidly evolving, transitioning from mere data storage hubs to interactive powerhouses, thanks to high-performance computing (HPC) and AI applications that propel vast data streams to the edge of networks. Sustainability is also a critical concern within the industry, driven in part by the implementation of the Paris Agreement — an internationally binding treaty aimed at combatting climate change since 2016. Under this agreement, signatory countries have committed to cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Corporate sustainability goals are increasingly documented in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports, as consumers and investors favour environmentally responsible companies. This push to reduce carbon footprints and limit water consumption underscores the importance of sustainability in business considerations. Amidst these challenges and opportunities, liquid cooling is emerging as a pivotal solution. Enterprises and data centre operators navigating their transition to liquid cooling should conscientiously weigh three pivotal factors: sustainability, serviceability, and scalability. Sustainability The burgeoning energy usage, surging power costs, and looming government regulations are casting a spotlight reducing data centre energy consumption. Sustainability is no longer being viewed as a cost on business, as many companies are now using sustainability as a criterion for vendor selection. Serviceability Whether within the heart of a data centre or at the remote edges of networks, the clamour for simpler, cost-effective servicing of equipment reverberates. A technician capable of seamlessly swapping a module within the confines of a data centre campus should easily be able to do the same at a remote location. This becomes particularly vital for telco providers navigating the challenges and costs of service and maintenance. With a multitude of remote sites in their network, minimising on-site maintenance emerges as a key cost-saving strategy. Scalability The traditional data centre is no longer the centre of our data. Today, workloads must scale from the cloud to the edge, adapting to diverse environments, from single servers at cellular base stations to ruggedised edge solutions to enterprise-grade data centres. Repackaging conventional IT solutions fall short in addressing the demands of harsh IT landscapes and nor the sustainability demands to reduce power consumption. Purpose-built solutions are needed to address these concerns. The landscape of liquid cooling Liquid cooling stands at the forefront of solutions capable of efficiently and cost-effectively accommodating modern compute requirements. However, not all liquid cooling solutions are the same. Direct-to-chip, or cold plate cooling, allows for a heat transfer of fluid to be delivered to specific IT components requiring cooling. This technology offers peak cooling performance at the chip level but still necessitates auxiliary air cooling. It serves as an interim solution to cool the hottest chips but falls short of addressing long-term sustainability goals. Tank immersion, on the other hand, provides a more sustainable alternative, as nearly 100% of the heat can be recaptured and reused and the use of fans in the data centre may be eliminated. However, new facility designs and structural requirements mean that using brownfield data centre space is nearly impossible. New construction buildings with reinforced flooring are required. Moreover, specialised training is requisite to service the equipment, adding to operational complexities. Precision liquid cooling combines the best of both technologies and effectively addresses their inherent limitations. Precision liquid cooling removes nearly 100% of the heat generated by the electronic components of a server, while reducing energy use by up to 40% and water consumption by up to 100%. It does this by using a small amount of dielectric coolant to precisely target and remove heat from the hottest components of the server, ensuring maximum efficiency and reliability. This eliminates the need for traditional air-cooling systems and allows for greater flexibility in designing IT solutions. There are no hotspots to slow down performance, no wasted physical space on unnecessary cooling infrastructure, and minimal need for water consumption. Beyond these environmental and efficiency gains, precision liquid cooling also reduces stress on chassis components, slashing component failures by 30% and extending server lifecycles. The ability to hot-swap servers both within data centres and remote locations streamlines service calls, eliminating exposure to inclement environmental elements and substantially reducing the risks associated with service operations. Understanding the advantages of liquid cooling technologies, especially in the context of rising IT equipment demands and evolving sustainability requirements, becomes crucial for making informed decisions about the future of data centres. By embracing liquid cooling solutions, we can strategically position our organisations for enhanced operational efficiency, reduced energy consumption, and adherence to emerging sustainability standards. Precision liquid cooling technology stands out as a superior choice. As we make strategic decisions for the future of our data centres, adopting this innovative technology will empower us to navigate the ever-changing landscape of data centre requirements, while also fulfilling our commitment to a sustainable and environmentally conscious future.

LiquidStack unveils single-phase immersion cooling offering

LiquidStack has announced its new single-phase liquid cooling solution. The announcement marks the first step in the company’s planned expansion of its DataTank product portfolio to offer a comprehensive range of advanced liquid cooling solutions. LiquidStack’s new single-phase liquid cooling solution provides data centres with a powerful and economical option to shift from air cooling to energy-efficient and sustainable immersion cooling. The product was unveiled by LiquidStack, CEO, Joe Capes, during a presentation at DCD Connect Virginia, and will be available for quotation and pre-order on 1 December, 2023. The final product name and additional product details will be announced on that date. “LiquidStack is unwavering in its ambition to support the future of AI and other high compute processing,” says Joe Capes, CEO, LiquidStack. “Since LiquidStack’s launch, our mission has always been to become a full service provider of the most advanced liquid cooling solutions in the market, and our new single-phase offering is a key step toward completing our liquid cooling technology stack.” LiquidStack’s single-phase liquid cooling technology delivers industry-leading efficiency and performs better than W32 thermal guidelines set forth by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers at >2.8kW/U, making it suitable for AI. Its advanced flow technology and flow dynamics significantly improve heat transfer, resulting in a higher performance of >110kW with W32 water. The solution offers superior efficiency compared to other leading single-phase liquid immersion products, which deliver less than 100kW per full size tank at similar conditions. In addition, it uses non-hazardous dielectric fluids and will be available at pricing of assured value, ensuring favourable total cost of ownership (TCO). Additional features and benefits include:  Server scalability: Occupies the exact footprint that holds four typical 19” or 21” racks, and is designed to enable data centres to easily retrofit existing white space and adopt liquid cooling. Flexible for most IT systems: Integrates multiple IT form factors, including 1U, 2U, 4U, 600mm, 750mm, OCP, ORV3 and more. Expandable resiliency: Offers an expandable N to 2N Tier IV redundancy system to ensure high resiliency and reliable operations. Easy deployment: Includes features that simplify installation and serviceability. Compatibility: Fits with LiquidStack modular data centre solutions as well as trane chillers and services.

Is your cooling system ready for winter?

Dave Palmer, General Manager UK at ICS Cool Energy In today’s competitive business, minimising operating cost and mitigating risk, while keeping focused on energy efficiency and delivering the temperature control a business needs to keep running and succeed, is important. Experienced plant and facility managers know that deferring regular maintenance to save money in the near-term is a poor practice and will likely cost the organisation more in the long-term. Delaying the maintenance of complex process cooling applications places crucial assets at risk for more extensive damages and costlier repairs in the future. Decreased system life, decreased reliability, increased failure rates, and increased downtime are typical by-products of deferring maintenance to later dates. This article addresses the steps needed to prepare your temperature control equipment for the inevitable winter, but a good practice that helps maximise investment is to have a proactive maintenance plan customised to the process needs and all times of the year. A combination of regular and preventive maintenance helps optimise system performance and reliability throughout the year and throughout the lifecycle of the equipment. Getting ready for winter It may seem that during winter, the demands on the chiller plant system are lower, but the production in industrial applications hardly ever stops and cold weather can create added pressures on the equipment situated outside. Autumn is the perfect time for a thorough review of the system and to apply the right proactive maintenance measures to avoid costly interruptions or downtime when temperatures drop significantly and things go wrong. In-depth reviews of your systems will also allow you to consider technologies and ways in which your system could be enhanced to reduce operating costs and increase performance. Let’s look at some of the elements that need to be addressed when preparing for winter: Water treatment, glycol dosage, its quantity and quality Cooling systems depend on the fluid circulating within the equipment. A right water treatment plan is essential for the longevity, efficiency and reliability of the process equipment. In winter, glycol or anti-freeze is important to lower the freezing point in the application of the chilling system and prevent the fluid inside the system from freezing. However, it’s not merely about adding glycol. Utilising the correct glycol concentration is essential, but it’s quality matters just as much. It goes without saying never to use automotive antifreeze, as it is formulated for engine cooling and can cause problems with flow rates / pressures and reduced heat transfer. Uninhibited glycol and water mixtures are very corrosive, hence, inhibited type plays a crucial role in ensuring the fluid in your system doesn’t freeze and the pipework doesn’t corrode. Inhibitors protect against corrosion, scale and rust and act as a pH buffer and a biocide. It’s best never to use less than 25% glycol, which will ensure that an adequate quantity of inhibitors is present and protect you from the winter freeze. Going below this threshold makes it a feeding ground for bacteria. It’s also important not to mix different types of glycol or different brands. Incompatibilities can lead to formula separation which clogs filters, strainers and pump suctions as well as reducing its transfer properties. Over-mixing can also cause problems so it’s best to use only the glycol concentration necessary to protect the equipment. Adding just glycol to a system isn’t enough when it comes to treating your water. The chilled water system must be flushed, cleaned and sanitised prior to adding a new water/glycol solution. Selection of the appropriate water treatment also isn’t a once-size-fits-all matter. While there are universal products available in the marketplace, it would be beneficial to have a fluid analysis carried out on any hydraulic circuit prior to the administration of glycol/antifreeze. It is equally important to ensure the fluid is checked regularly. The water/glycol solution must be regularly sampled and tested to ensure there are no underlying or progressive contamination and/or corrosion issues arising. Adiabatic systems – protection first If your system is equipped with dry air coolers or adiabatic coolers, they have unique requirements. They are a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to a cooling tower. Providing significant savings on water usage, they require significantly less maintenance and operational costs and no ongoing chemical treatment or registration with local authorities, while operating at optimal efficiency in high ambient temperatures. Given their operational nature, adiabatic systems can be vulnerable in winters. In winter, the glycol level must align with the predicted lowest ambient temperatures. In case there is no glycol/antifreeze in the system, switching off and draining down the adiabatic system will prevent the pipe work from freezing. Alternatively trace heating can be applied to protect the adiabatic feed pipework. Managing dormant equipment For equipment left dormant in winter, the risk isn’t just freezing, but also the degradation of moving parts. Regular circulation prevents the fluid from settling and keeps the internal components lubricated. With no glycol/antifreeze in the system, it’s important that the system pumps are switched on to circulate the fluid particularly when ambient temperatures drop below 3°C. If this happens for an extended period of time, the pump will heat the fluid and this may require to switch the chiller back on to make sure the fluid temperatures are controlled. Embracing technological upgrades Both large and small companies are under pressure to reduce energy consumption and improve the operating efficiency of their equipment. Winter is also a good time to embrace technologies that are not just an efficiency measure, but a step towards sustainability that will benefit the operations throughout the year. Heat recovery: With cooling systems comes the potential of heat recovery. Recycling waste heat from cooling systems will help to increase the efficiency of the system. Combined heating and cooling applications provide unique opportunity to reclaim or harvest energy available within the same plant or building. The waste heat energy from cooling, that would have been rejected to the atmosphere, can be harnessed effectively and reused by heat recovery at medium temperature for space heating, preheating water, etc. or the recovered energy can be boosted up to 120°C with high temperature heat pumps for other processes. Combining heat recovery from chillers with a booster heat-pump opens an untapped opportunity to lower overall energy demand and reduce CO2 emissions. Low temperature processes are large thermal efficiency opportunities when using heat recovery and heat pump boosters. Variable Speed Drives (VSD): Controlling the flow of air and water in process temperature control systems is an effective, permanent way to meet the ever-changing demands put on a system and enhance its efficiency, therefore, it’s important to consider technologies that maximise part-load efficiency. Constant volume cooling systems operate at one speed, regardless of the cooling load. This means that they consume the same amount of energy, whether the cooling load is high or low. By contrast, installing a VSD, you can meet varying system flow rate requirements or just increase energy efficiency. Variable speed components meet the actual load required during any given time over a wide operational range, meaning their speed and output varies to reflect the conditions and demands. By precisely matching output to the cooling demands, compressors and fans operate at their fastest levels when demand is high, and modulate to slower levels when demand is lower, for a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER), a measurement of part-load performance. The result is lower annual energy use and typically smaller annual energy bills. VSD technologies are applied by chiller manufacturers across product portfolios, but it can also be retrofitted to existing chillers, making it an excellent option for businesses looking to improve the efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of their cooling systems. Variable speed pumps are also key to matching the flow of the system to the required capacity. They avoid wasted power and energy compared to traditional on/off pumps and have the potential to save up to 50% on pump energy. What’s more, the cost and power output savings are magnified on larger systems with pumps greater in capacity than 15kW, with the initial investment quickly offset by energy bills and prolonged equipment life. Free cooling: Any organisation using an externally sited chiller to cool their process can benefit from free cooling. It can be implemented whenever the outside temperature is low enough to cool down the process fluid without the intervention of a chiller (mechanical cooling). This can be in the form of partial free cooling (where the chiller’s compressors are still doing some of the work to cool) to full free cooling (where the full load on the chiller is offset). In contrast, an externally sited chiller’s compressors with no free cooling capabilities will be working flat out to achieve the same. It can be achieved in one of two ways, either by integrating a free cooling coil into an existing chiller installation or as a standalone (sometimes referred to as a bolt-on) unit. Standalone and integrated free cooling offer many benefits depending on the application and the site in question. As the ambient air temperature continues to fall, the amount of process heat taken out of the process fluid by the air increases, progressively reducing the load on the chiller. At 5°C below the process supply fluid temperature, all the process heat is removed by the ambient air in the free cooler – providing full free cooling. This makes free cooling the cheapest and greenest way to provide cooling. Conclusion Winterisation of process cooling systems demands a comprehensive, meticulous approach. Beyond the immediate need to prevent freezing, there’s a broader objective and opportunity to ensure equipment health, optimise performance, and embrace energy efficiency upgrades. This can provide a roadmap to achieve all these goals, ensuring that when winter arrives, your cooling systems are more than just prepared. Ensure your equipment is operating at its best by having a proactive service in the autumn. Being proactive ahead of time will save you a lot of downtime.

Shell reduces energy consumption with immersion cooling fluids

Shell Lubricants has introduced a range of single-phase immersion cooling fluids to keep computer components cool in an efficient way, while helping to cut energy consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions in energy-intensive facilities such as data centres. “We believe Shell’s immersion cooling technology is an essential piece of the puzzle in tackling data centre energy use that will be key to helping customers deliver on their sustainability commitments,” says Mansi Tripathy, Vice President, Shell Lubricants for Asia Pacific. “Made from natural gas using Shell’s gas-to-liquids (GTL) process, Shell Immersion Cooling Fluids are designed to maximise the energy efficiency and performance of data servers and information technology (IT) components.” Shell’s GTL products made from natural gas are synthetic fluids. The colourless and odourless fluids are inherently biodegradable to different extents, stable and provide excellent performance and material compatibility. Combined with other low carbon solutions offered by Shell, such as renewable power, smart energy management services and certified carbon credits, the deployment supports data centre operators’ goals of optimising performance sustainably.  With the growing use of data-intensive technologies, demand for server space is increasing rapidly, placing greater demand on global data centres. Data centres account for about 1% of global electricity consumption, with more than a third of this power used for cooling electrical components.  Shell is an early adopter of the immersion cooling technology and recently upgraded its high-performance computing (HPC) cluster at Skybox, which already operates on 100% renewable power purchased to demonstrate a fully integrated, optimised, and scalable solution for its customers. The immersion cooling solution, implemented in Shell’s HPC cluster in Amsterdam, is also helping Shell deliver high-end processing power while reducing its energy consumption within a T-Systems managed data centre.  Shell Lubricants is also looking to work with key players in the data centre ecosystem in Asia – such as tank original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators, data centre owners and co-locators – for proof-of-concepts with its immersion cooling fluids to meet next generation computing requirements.

Data centre cooling market size to reach $61bn by 2035

As per the report by Market Research 365, "The data centre cooling market size was valued at USD16.2bn in 2022 and is projected to cross USD61.1bn by 2035."The market growth is driven by the increasing demand for efficient cooling solutions in data centres worldwide. As data centres continue to expand in size and complexity, the need to maintain optimal operating temperatures becomes critical to ensure the performance and longevity of equipment. This has led to a surge in the adoption of advanced cooling technologies that can effectively manage heat dissipation and energy consumption. The escalating volume of data generated by businesses and individuals has spurred the establishment of larger data centres, intensifying the demand for efficient cooling systems. Additionally, stringent environmental regulations and the need for energy-efficient operations have driven the adoption of innovative cooling solutions that can minimise the carbon footprint of data centres. The emergence of AI and high-performance computing has further accentuated the requirement for robust cooling mechanisms to prevent hardware overheating. Despite the promising growth prospects, the data centre cooling market is not devoid of challenges. One significant restraint is the high initial cost associated with implementing advanced cooling technologies. This can deter small and medium-sized enterprises with budget constraints from adopting these solutions. Moreover, the complexity of integrating new cooling systems into existing data centre infrastructure poses technical challenges, potentially leading to operational disruptions during the transition phase. Amidst the challenges, the data centre cooling market presents several opportunities for innovation and growth. The development of scalable and modular cooling solutions has the potential to address the financial barriers faced by smaller enterprises, allowing them to adopt efficient cooling gradually. Additionally, the rising interest in liquid cooling and direct-to-chip solutions opens doors for companies to provide cutting-edge technologies that significantly enhance cooling efficiency and reduce energy consumption. The market can be segmented based on cooling techniques, solutions, and end-users. Cooling techniques encompass air-based cooling and liquid-based cooling, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Solutions include precision air conditioning, containment systems, and chilled water systems. End-users of data centre cooling solutions range from IT and telecom companies to government organisations, each with specific cooling requirements dictated by the scale and nature of their data centre operations. Investments in the data centre cooling market are largely directed towards research and development of innovative cooling solutions. Start-ups and established players alike are channelling resources into designing energy-efficient and sustainable cooling technologies that cater to the evolving needs of modern data centres. Additionally, investments in partnerships and collaborations between cooling solution providers and data centre operators are on the rise, facilitating the seamless integration of advanced cooling systems into existing setups. In conclusion, the data centre cooling market is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the surge in data generation, energy efficiency concerns, and technological advancements. While challenges such as cost and integration complexities exist, the market offers ample opportunities for businesses to introduce innovative cooling solutions that cater to a diverse range of data centre requirements. As the industry continues to evolve, collaboration between stakeholders and a focus on sustainability will play pivotal roles in shaping the future landscape of data centre cooling.