DATA MANAGEMENT
Daikin boosts data centre
Daikin has enhanced its product and data centre cooling in response to soaring sector and to keep pace with rapid predicted growth
T
he consultancy McKinsey & Company forecast that the global data centre market would grow by at least 10% a year throughout the rest of this decade with a total of $49 billion likely to be spent on construction and fitting out of new facilities. This rapid expansion is being driven by the growth in AI applications and cloud computing which in turn means healthy demand for cooling solutions tailored to the specific needs of this energy intensive area.
Daikin has been active in the sector for many years and has grown its offering of chillers and air side solutions to keep pace with the speed of development and changes in demand patterns – in both new and existing centres. The company manufactures many of its core components in-house including fans, compressors, and inverters thanks to its network of 110 manufacturing facilities worldwide. This means that clients benefit from the support of a robust supply chain with comprehensive local back-up from design to commissioning and on throughout the operational life of their systems.
Minimising energy and water use
As well as keeping data centres cool to protect their sensitive equipment, operators are under increasing pressure to minimise energy and water use – with sustainability a growing preoccupation.
Legislators are also homing in on this area along with investors and employees keen to see their companies responding to environmental concerns and meeting their corporate responsibilities. Daikin has committed itself to Net Zero operations by 2050 and is working closely with its clients so they can also meet their
decarbonisation goals. This has been reflected in increased demand for the company’s free cooling solutions, which take advantage of low ambient air temperatures to reduce the run time of chillers so cutting energy use and extending the operating life of equipment – a key consideration for reducing ‘whole life carbon’.
The company offers different types of free cooling, including glycol free systems, to meet the needs of critical applications like data centres. It also uses sophisticated plant management systems supported by AI to keep chillers operating close to their optimal performance level and balances total capacity with actual load. This improves energy savings by as much as 20% compared with traditional chiller sequencing control by BMS.
It has also extended other aspects of its products and services to meet evolving end user requirements and now offers two ranges of air-cooled chillers specifically for data centres.
of chiller loads
Its chiller range includes screw compressor units equipped with variable frequency drives (VFD) which are designed and manufactured in-house and mounted onto the compressor for better reliability and efficiency.
This allows precise modulation of cooling loads with capacities up to 2150 kW and scroll compressor chillers with capacities up to 1344 kW which are ideally suited to a range of applications from refurbishment projects to major new developments.
Daikin chillers deliver up to +30°C supply water temperature, and can operate in a wide band of outside temperature conditions between –35°C and +55°C. This flexibility is particularly valued by large data centre operators juggling with ever denser concentrations of servers and ancillary equipment. The firm also offers the Pro-W; high-efficiency computer room air handling (CRAH) solutions, manufactured in both the UK and Italy. The Pro-W range offers cooling capacities from 200kW to 700kW making them ideal for even the very largest data centres.
These capacities are achieved using just four core unit sizes, which means the company can use a dedicated range of standardised components, including built-in EC fans and cooling coils, to guarantee manufactured quality and short production lead times. Despite their large cooling capacities, the Daikin products are compact which allows them to be fitted in restricted areas. The company also offers a range of control options specifically tailored for data centres to ensure the chiller plant delivers 24/7 cooling operating in the right mode by adjusting continually to real time conditions. The chillers also come with a choice of refrigerant to further meet environmental concerns.
sales support
Daikin provides comprehensive after-sales support including access to its remote monitoring ‘Daikin On Site’ (DOS) service so any performance or safety risks can be flagged up to keep the system running as intended. DOS captures live operational data from the data centre and combines it with statistical predictions using trend analysis. This allows the service team to develop a preventative maintenance schedule to ensure the efficiency and reliability of the critical equipment, avoiding costly downtime and major repairs. In short, the company has tailored its controls and cooling solutions to match growing demand for the high resilience and remote operation that is helping to turbocharge the global data centre industry.
26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER MAY 2024
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