Company

National Nuclear Security Administration Data Hal

Location

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Industry

Government Data Center

Use Case

Energy efficient cooling

Project

Recirculating Indirect Evaporative Cooling with 10 Ton DX for trim cooling

System Specs

N+1 3 36,000 CFM Units Return Air of 95F and Supply Air of 70F with Ambient Conditions of 94/65WB Indirect Evaporative Cooling. PUE of 1.22.

1.16 PUE at National Nuclear Security Administration

Multiple cooling solutions were considered, but Air₂O technology was the final choice for this project. Air₂O was able to exceed the PUE requirement and design units which could be installed in challenging space constraints. Air₂O was the most efficient large space cooling technology for this project.

The Challenge

The National Nuclear Security Administration required a cooling solution for their new data center facility, which had to be designed with existing space constraints. The design team for this project desired an energy efficient cooling solution that would keep up front costs in check while also keeping the space comfortable using minimal energy. The client was concerned about the humidity level in the data hall, so the use of 100% outside air and traditional direct evaporative cooling was not an option.

Key Results

PUE of 1.16

60% Energy Savings

100% Recirculated Air

Sustainable Solution

Enviornmentaly Sound

The Solution

The United States Government has begun a mandate for all government facilities to reduce their environmental footprint, so the design team opted to design around a recirculating indirect evaporative cooling system for the data hall. Traditional AHU’s utilizing refrigerant or chilled water were considered, but use substantial amounts of energy, which is amplified further by the heat generated by the computer servers and other equipment. The final selection was 3 No. H-CRS 36,000 CFM Indirect Evaporative Cooling with DX Packaged Cooling Units to maintain discharge temperature of 70F throughout the year.

The Results

Air₂O’s indirect evaporative cooler with DX keeps the space temperature under comfortable conditions and uses significantly less energy than conventional air conditioning solutions. Low temperatures and humidity levels are maintained in the space without needing to run a full-size compressor or chilled water system that a traditional system would require. A PUE of 1.16 was achieved, which exceeded the energy efficiency requirements for this project.