Challenge
The computers, phones and apps we live on rely on access to countless terabytes of data. The precious data is housed in data centers, huge warehouse-like facilities that require efficient and reliable cooling systems for sustained server operation. Maintaining the proper conditions requires a lot of water, and treatment must be precise, as overheating can compromise internal components and lead to costly downtime.
With rising water costs a major expense, a data center in Illinois set out to find a new water treatment strategy to reduce its demand for the city water.
Solution
This data center turned to Veolia and its comprehensive combination of specialty chemicals, digital solutions, and industry expertise to devise a plan for increased cooling system efficiency.
Veolia determined that the alkaline cooling treatment in use, although adequate to prevent corrosion and deposition through the system, was limiting the cooling tower’s cycles of concentration, causing high blowdown rates and increasing demand for make-up water.
Veolia suggested feeding sulfuric acid to lower the pH and alkalinity, thus lowering the water’s overall scaling potential. Combined with its patented GenGard* dispersant technology, this new treatment program would enable higher cycles of concentration, lowering blowdown rates and freshwater intake.
Veolia installed a TrueSense* Ready-Set-Go (RSG) controller to monitor pH and feed the sulfuric acid into the cooling system. This automation simplified the work of the data center’s operators while allowing remote monitoring and alarms.
Result
With this new treatment program, the cooling tower cycles were increased from 4 cycles to 8 cycles.
The amount of water needed to operate the system dropped by 50%, resulting in over 12MM gallons of water saved. The reduction in water and chemical use equated to approximately $150,000 in associated costs savings.