These types of spaces need efficient technologies that provide special care to the teams where they work.
by Alfredo Sotolongo*
The most economical energy to produce is the one that is saved!
Data Centers have proliferated exponentially in recent years, product of the need for private and government companies to have one or more centers where they can store data outside their city or country and be sure that they are protected against natural disasters and / or terrorism. For example, a company in Mexico stores data in a center in Miami and one in Panama could store it in Brazil, thanks to the Internet.
One of the systems of special care in these buildings is air conditioning. Not only to meet the specifications recommended by the manufacturers of the various electronic equipment, such as computers or computers, but to offer redundancy and ensure that design conditions are always maintained. In addition, they have to take into account the estimated growth of the Data Center that in the first years will operate at very low thermal loads.
Even, the thermal load in the first years can be in the order of 15-20% of the total load. When using systems that are not 100% variable volume of the three fluids: refrigerant, water and air efficiencies, at partial loads, are extremely poor with high consumption of electrical energy. When the volume of the three fluids is modulated, preferably using chillers with magnetic bearing compressors that do not require lubricant, the equipment adapts to the thermal load at all times, both at low and high capacity, operating at very high efficiencies and considerably reducing electricity consumption.
For design purposes there are differences between designing an air conditioning system to satisfy the comfort of the occupants only or satisfying the air conditioning conditions recommended by the manufacturers of the equipment to operate within the conditioned area. We have, in our countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, several consulting engineers with experience in the design of air conditioning systems for Data Centers.
In addition, there are tools to facilitate and guide in the design. The U.S. government's Department of Energy, through the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, has focused on developing technical support programs called "CoE" to minimize energy consumption in Data Centers. Such programmes can be accessed by visiting the website: https://datacenters.lbl.gov/tools
In most Data Centers it is estimated that the cost of mechanical and electrical infrastructure represents approximately 80% of the total cost. Therefore, due to the amount of time that the air conditioning system will work at partial loads, the type of chiller to be selected is that of compressors with magnetic bearings and without oil since these operate at the highest efficiencies. In addition, in terms of redundancy, a cooler with multiple compressors that has an offline compressor can continue to operate with the rest of the compressors since by not needing oil, the refrigerant is not contaminated.
Although the compressor is an extremely important component in this equation, it is not the only factor to consider. In addition to the compressor, the design of the evaporator, condenser and internal controls of the cooler are the combination that achieves such high efficiencies. The Arctic Chiller Group has excelled in the research, development and manufacture of chillers with magnetic bearing compressors for both water and air condensation that do not need lubrication. These equipment allow you to enjoy even higher efficiencies than those that have been achieved so far in Data Centers.
This company by using these oil-free magnetic bearing compressors, its very special design of the evaporators and condensers, together with the technologically advanced internal control system, achieves the lowest possible operating cost, resulting in a return on investment in very short periods of time.
In my opinion, due to the use of computerized systems and the uncertainty created by the possibilities of natural disasters and/or terrorism, Data Centers will continue to be built for a long time. The more knowledgeable about these systems, the greater the chances for consulting engineers and air conditioning contractors to be part of the specialized team that designs or builds them.
If you need more information on any of the topics covered in this column, please contact me at the mail: [email protected]
* President of Protec, Inc., is certified as a professional engineer in Puerto Rico and the state of Florida; has more than 40 years of experience in the application and sale of systems and equipment for energy conservation. He is a member of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), AEE (Association of Energy Engineers), ASHRAE and was president of the Miami chapter of that association.
