Chilled water and direct expansion systems have traditionally been data center cooling solutions. Now businesses are looking elsewhere—pumped-refrigerant-free cooling systems.

What it Does

According to experts, this new type of cooling system is designed to optimize operation for outdoor temperatures and take advantage of all potential economization hours. The system is adaptable on the basis of season temperatures. For example, during mild seasons and at night, it can provide partial free cooling to offset some of the compressor’s power usage. This saves up to 50% more energy than other systems.

How it Helps

In full economization mode—particularly during winter months—the system shuts down unit compressors and engages a refrigerant pump that consumes less energy than the compressors. The annualized power usage effectiveness (PUE) depends largely on how many hours the system operates at each temperature. Colder climates will therefore log more hours at lower ambient temperatures, resulting in a lower annualized PUE than a climate that has fewer hours of low ambient temperature. Data centers in warmer climates can attain a lower annualized PUE by deploying a pumped-refrigerant-free cooling-economization system and raising return-air temperatures.

This advantage, plus the elimination of water-supply infrastructure and water treatment, reduces operating costs through energy savings, lower peak power, fewer moving parts, and simpler maintenance.

How it Works

The technology has four components: a condenser, pumps, a compressor, and an evaporator. A supervisory control system eliminates the need for manual adjustments, and it offers remote cooling management with fast access to diagnostics, condition trends and actionable data. Because it has fewer points of failure than chilled-water systems—which include chillers, cooling towers and piping—reliability is greater. The system also prevents contamination from outside air and requires none of the maintenance of louvers and dampers that’s common in other economizer systems.

Looking for data center cooling solutions? Contact the experts at LDP Associates Inc. With smart design and innovative accessories, your company’s data will stay protected.