Data centre overview
Uniquely FireChill technology integrates readily with distributed generation (DG) technologies, such as microturbines and engine/gensets. In these applications it can reduce power outage risks, lower operating costs, and provide environmental benefits by producing cooling, heating and power on site.
Moving data centres out of town
The challenge comes in finding a consistent, year-round use for the prime mover’s exhaust heat that can be cost effectively implemented and managed. Conventional data centres are growing in number at an exponential rate and are power hungry to operate and demand round the clock cooling. As currently located, typically in populous areas, many data centres with their huge power demands impact the ability of those cities to grow, thereby contributing to unscheduled and disruptive power outages. Many locations around the world have reached capacity and are seeking ways of managing their power demands. One approach is to redistribute data centre capacity and where possible to take it off-grid.
Microturbines provide a small-scale, low-emissions power generation (less than 250 kW), and the high-grade heat available in turbine exhaust can be recovered to provide cooling using absorption technology.
Power and cooling in one
Just like conventional data centres, distributed data centres (DDC) also need power and cooling. A gas-fired PowerChill 65 solution for DDCs comprises a readily transportable, easy to install, containerised system which delivers both power and cooling. Depending on demand, redundancy and back up can be made available by separate independent systems.
A PowerChill 65 features a FireChill MultiPack compromising four integrated ALT500s in a pre-engineered packaged product that integrates the microturbine, chillers, pumps, exhaust ducting and controls into a package that is installed in a containerised solution to match the demands of the DDC. The proprietary design allows the ALT Multipack to directly use the exhaust gas stream from the microturbine to generate cooling. The unique air-cooled chiller design fits well with the needs for remote siting of the DDCs where chillers requiring a cooling tower and careful water treatment are incompatible with normal maintenance practices.
