02.06.2014

Condair humidifies Facebook

Facebook’s new data centre in Luleå Sweden is one of the World’s most efficient and sustainable data centres. It is powered with locally generated hydro-electric energy and uses the cold Nordic air to cool the servers that store Facebook users‘ photos, videos, comments and Likes.

In keeping with its state-of-the-art efficiency, the facility is using our low energy high-pressure spray system and our reliable evaporative humidifiers to maintain the humidity inside its data halls.

Peter Liddle, associate at Cundall, one of the consulting M&E engineers for the project, explains, “Facebook Luleå is employing a direct air cooling strategy within their data halls, which uses the cold outside air to maintain the required internal temperature. Luleå’s cold dry climate means that humidification is an essential component within the air conditioning process as without it the internal humidity could drop as low as 2%RH.

“This low level of humidity would be unhealthy for staff and present an increased risk to the servers from electro-static discharge.”

Once the cold outside air is brought into the building, it is mixed with hot air re-circulated from the data halls, raising the temperature but reducing its humidity. 78 spray and evaporative humidifiers then add up to 22,800 litres of water per hour to the air stream flowing through the building’s “penthouse ventilation” systems. This produces the ideal humidity while lowering the temperature back to the required supply condition for introduction to the data halls.

Our humidifiers deliver this huge volume of moisture to the atmosphere while consuming just 90kW/h of electrical energy in total.

Peter Liddle continues, “As the required temperature inside the data halls is between 18-29°C and Luleå’s climate rarely exceeds this, even on hot summer days the outside air can be directly used for climate control. As the data centre incorporates no traditional (dx) air conditioning, were the outside conditions ever to rise above 29°C, the humidifiers could also be used to provide low energy supplementary cooling.”

Condair's involvement in the Luleå data centre project brought together the design and manufacturing expertise of two members of the Condair Group. The high-pressure spray systems were manufactured in Denmark while Condair’s manufacturing facility in the UK produced the evaporative humidifiers. Engineering teams from both countries worked alongside each other to commission the equipment.

Condair’s work at Facebook Luleå data centre exemplifies how well placed the organization is to meet the humidification and cooling needs of the rapidly growing, global data centre market.

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Condair’s global data centre clients include:

  • - Facebook
  • - Microsoft
  • - Barclays Bank
  • - eBay
  • - Digital Realty
  • - Hewlet Packard
  • - Metronode
  • - NHN
  • - Citi Group
  • - AT&T Mobile

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