More Star treatment for technology giant

Star has started work on another data centre cooling project for one of the world’s leading technology companies.

The global computing giant has just awarded another cooling contract to Star for a second building at its UK data centre in Wiltshire.

In 2011, Star won a competitive tender to supply a high efficiency refrigeration system to provide IT cooling and maintain design air temperatures within a data centre building. Star designed and installed three 680kW Indigochillers to combat the elevated air temperature generated by computer servers in the main data hall.

Star replaced an existing refrigeration plant and commissioned the new Indigochillers in a carefully phased four month programme. This ensured there was no loss of cooling at any point during the installation programme and that the data centre remained fully operational 24/7.

The previous chillers operated on R22, an ozone-depleting HCFC refrigerant currently being phased out by EU regulations. Star’s Indigochiller system operates on fully compliant synthetic refrigerant R134a and features the revolutionary oil-free Turbocor compressor, which is low maintenance by design to ensure lifelong trouble-free running.

Installed in the existing plant room, the Indigochiller system provides chilled water, which is then pumped through insulated pipework to air handling units (AHUs). These AHUs provide comfort cooling throughout the data centre building, as well as direct computer server cooling.

The performance of the high efficiency Indigochiller cooling system has already exceeded expectations, with a significant improvement in the data centre’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio.

Designed for largescale air conditioning and process cooling, Star’s Indigochiller is manufactured to ensure maximum efficiency, long-term reliability and low life cycle costs. Indigochiller is engineered to have minimal effect on the global environment, with a robust design that aims to eliminate refrigerant leakage and offer over 20 years service.

Available as an air cooled or water cooled unit, Indigochiller has capacity options ranging from 250kW to 1,650kW.