Intelligent Data Centres Issue 06 | Page 63

UNCOVERING THE LAYERS production of Turbocor compressors and further refining the technology. With take-up growing across the world, manufacturers of traditional cooling compressors are now looking to develop their own magnetic levitation-based compact centrifugal systems. However, as often with disruptive technology, it is a steep research and development curve and requires very substantial investment. Tim Mitchell, Sales Director, Klima-Therm service visits to maintain. The fact that it is compatible with efficient and stable low Global Warming Potential (GWP) HFO refrigerants is a further major plus for data centre operators looking to future-proof themselves against legislative changes. It is a classic example of a disruptive technology rewriting the rules. The early sceptics have been proved decisively wrong. With the technology well-proven, multi-million-pound investments are constantly being made in expanding Early adopters are already working on the next generation of systems, which take the gains delivered by Turbocor-based systems to the next level. A stand-alone compact centrifugal compressor is already highly efficient and the opportunities for wringing further efficiency gains are inherently limited. However, there are significant opportunities for improving efficiency in terms of the overall chiller design and the performance of other key system components. outstanding efficiency of Turbocor-based chillers, it can be selected to deliver the multiple benefits of energy saving, lower noise, or smaller footprint in the proportions dictated by the project specific requirements. If the system is fully optimised for energy efficiency, it can create the most efficient dry air-cooled chiller in the world. This has been made possible by replacing the traditional flat coils with cylindrical condensers. By packing more active heat exchange surface into a given space, the Heat exchangers are a key area of interest. For example, the recently introduced, multiple award-winning Althermo CMR is a new design of condenser heat exchangers. Coupled with the already heat exchange capacity of the Althermo CMR cylindrical microchannel condensers is increased by 45% compared with traditional condensers. Combine this with the use of flooded, falling-film or spray type evaporators in a cascade system and there is currently no more efficient way to mechanically cool while using a low-risk, high-resilience dry system. Importantly, this improvement in performance is achieved without increasing the chiller footprint, enabling more cooling capacity in a given space, while significantly reducing energy consumption. With rooftop and plant room space often at a premium in new and refurbishment projects, this offers a major advantage over both conventional chillers and standard Turbocor-based machines. The use of a cascade system with flooded, falling-film or spray type evaporators helps reduce the temperature difference between evaporation temperature and outlet temperature of the chilled water. www.intelligentdatacentres.com Issue 06 63