thermeco2 heat pump in operation: Green technology cools data centre
How can data centres become more green? Ludwigsburg District Office asked itself that very question in relation to its in-house data centre. It found its answer with ENGIE Refrigeration. A machine type HHR 130 thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with refrigeration now provides sustainable server cooling on site.
Energy-efficient, reliable, durable – the requirements for the refrigeration supply in data centres are high. For many operating companies, the topic of sustainability also plays a role. After all, server cooling makes up a significant portion of energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions, which need to be reduced if climate targets are to be achieved. Ludwigsburg District Office has even put this aspect at the top of its agenda. It aims to be climate-neutral from 2025. This includes, for example, producing and consuming its own electricity in future with the help of photovoltaic systems and combined heat and power systems. Naturally, the District Office also has the highest requirements for the refrigeration supply for its in-house data centre. The existing R22 machine was outdated, and no longer met the current requirements for a refrigeration system. That is why the authority decided in the summer of 2019 to choose the thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with refrigeration from ENGIE Refrigeration. This model is especially eco-friendly, partly because it utilises the natural refrigerant CO2 and partly because it provides cold and heat simultaneously. That means the heat pump not only meets current requirements, but is also an investment in the future by the District Office.
thermeco2 improves the carbon balance
The team at ENGIE Refrigeration will install the new thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with refrigeration on the administrative campus of Ludwigsburg District Office in March 2021. The machine will then provide base load refrigeration for year-round server cooling and thus ensure the reliable operation of the data centre. This is essential, as the administrative campus of Ludwigsburg District Office is home to almost all the important specialist departments in the Swabian district. Various services for citizens are provided there with the aid of digital tools. As the server racks generate a lot of heat, the refrigeration supply must function smoothly. The thermeco2 ensures this reliably around the clock – even under the particular conditions on site. Ludwigsburg District Office requires heat uncoupling in a challenging temperature range: a high outlet temperature of up to 90 degrees Celsius, and a low inlet temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. While alternative solutions could only achieve this with a great deal of technical and primary energy expenditure, combined heating and cooling with the thermeco2 unfolds its full potential under these conditions. And it does so in an especially eco-friendly way: every year, the new heat pump will save 38.4 tons of CO2 when compared to the existing refrigeration system – fully in line with the sustainability strategy of Ludwigsburg District Office.
The ideal heat pump for small data centres
But the thermeco2 does even more for Ludwigsburg District Office. It cools the entire administrative building in the summer months and, thanks to its heat recovery function, simultaneously provides heat for heating the building, for heating drinking water and for conditioning the recirculated air in the server rooms. The heat pump uses the natural refrigerant CO2 to do so. It is very safe (safety class A1), non-combustible, non-toxic, and does not contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer or to the greenhouse effect. All this makes this combined heating and cooling especially sustainable, which is why it is subsidised by the state.
thermeco2 convinces with new properties
In recent months, ENGIE Refrigeration has made fundamental improvements to the series. The thermeco2 now has the following new specifications:
- Use of tried-and-tested electronic QUANTUM components
- Filter dryer as standard, to keep the refrigerant circuit clean and dry and thus counteract the decay of the chiller oil, corrosion and further contamination
- Optimised design
- Smaller switch cabinet
- Soldered connections instead of flange connections, to reduce weight by around ten per cent from the previous model
- Greater choice of control options, such as a flow monitor for cold and warm water similar to the QUANTUM chiller, and Cool Care 3.0 DSL Gateway as a remote maintenance tool
Among other things, these innovations make commissioning simpler, operation even more efficient, and software updates easy to install. Ludwigsburg District Office is already benefiting from all these advantages – and so can all future operating companies that choose a thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump with refrigeration.
Articles you might also be interested in
How refrigerants can withstand the future and increase machine efficiency
Find out how to boost the efficiency of your chiller and heat pump with ENGIE Refrigeration and the right refrigerant. Discover the expert opinion now.
Augmented reality in industry: how AR glasses are revolutionizing the cooling and heating market
Innovative strength and business success go hand in hand at ENGIE Refrigeration. This is why the refrigeration and heating specialist from Lindau at Lake Constance relies on the use of state-of-the-art technologies such as AR glasses in the development of refrigeration machines and heat pumps. Tatiana Köhler, Head of Marketing and Communication, and Jörn Stiegelmeier, Head of Technology and Development, reveal the potential of augmented reality in industry for various areas of the company.
Cooling and heating technology with heart: How ENGIE Refrigeration is breaking new ground in B2B marketing
B2B marketing is boring? Not at all! ENGIE Refrigeration shows that creative communication and marketing approaches are worthwhile - and, on the contrary, should not rely on purely rational messages when it comes to cooling and heating if they are to be fully effective. This is because ENGIE Refrigeration's marketing activities differentiate it from the market in the same way as its product portfolio. Tatiana Köhler, Head of Marketing and Communication, reports on strategies, measures and channels in the "on point." magazine.
Ready for the green cooling and heating future: Mastering decarbonisation with ENGIE Refrigeration
Decarbonisation is the great challenge of our time - and it is a challenge for companies in all sectors of the economy. How can energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the cooling and heating sector be reduced? ENGIE Refrigeration is a specialist in the decarbonisation of the industry: In this interview, Jochen Hornung, CEO of ENGIE Refrigeration, explains how our company is supporting users on this challenging path with targeted solutions for cooling and heating.
Tailor-made solution for data centres: 16 water-cooled QUANTUM chillers in a container ensure whisper-quiet operation and maximum efficiency
16-fold chiller power in the Netherlands: ENGIE Refrigeration proves that operational reliability and high-end technology in data centres work best with water-cooled chillers for a large, internationally active provider in the field of large data centres: 16 QUANTUM Water models in a GENIUM container promise outstanding efficiency and whisper-quiet operation. Jürgen Martin, Key Account Manager Data Centre at ENGIE Refrigeration, reveals exciting details about the project
Refrigerants with a future: Mastering the F-Gas Regulation sustainably thanks to ENGIE Refrigeration
By 2030, the European Union aims to reduce emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases by 70 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to 35 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent compared to 1990. The F-Gas Regulation makes a key contribution to this by incentivising the use of alternative refrigerants and requiring those responsible to develop new strategies for the cooling and heating supply of tomorrow. Jörn Stiegelmeier, Head of Technology and Development at ENGIE Refrigeration, knows the legal situation very well, not least through his association work at the Bundesindustrieverband Technische Gebäudeausrüstung e. V. (BTGA), and points out future-proof perspectives.
Customised rental cooling: QUANTUM air chillers offer sustainable added value for major radio and television broadcaster
Customisable, extremely flexible and highly efficient: rental chillers guarantee consistent security of supply in a wide range of applications. In the studios of a public broadcaster in Germany, ENGIE Refrigeration proves how precisely rental refrigeration can be integrated into existing environments, even under demanding conditions. Hans-Werner Barkhofen, Head of Service Germany West at ENGIE Refrigeration, talks in an interview about the challenges and opportunities of rentable refrigeration solutions.
How sustainable milk production succeeds with our high-temperature heat pump
The dairy industry is both energy-intensive and particularly demanding when it comes to cooling and heating. A solution that convinces with quality, efficiency and climate friendliness is therefore essential. How ENGIE Refrigeration manages this task for a specialist in drying and evaporating technology with a thermeco2 high-temperature heat pump and ensures sustainable dairy production in the process, Daniel Keller, Director Sales & Business Development, reveals in an interview.
Chillers and heat pumps par excellence: the symbolic power of our new corporate visual
At ENGIE Refrigeration, we set promising standards for numerous industries not only with chillers but also with heat pumps. We are now communicating this more strongly to the outside world with our new corporate visual, which is both eye-catching and forward-looking.
Heat recovery: efficient towards climate neutrality
The energy and heat transition are considered to be the central challenges of our time. The use of waste heat offers tangible opportunities for numerous industries in the transition to climate neutrality. With the QUANTUM chiller with optional heat recovery (Green Heat Recovery), ENGIE Refrigeration shows environmentally friendly and economic perspectives for the reuse of heat from refrigeration processes.