Liquid is the future of cool
Data centers account for nearly 3% of global energy consumption – a number that’s set to increase dramatically over the next decade. As Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Machine Learning, and High-Performance Computing continue to expand, so will the need for high-density data centers capable of handling extreme data processing demands. Traditional air conditioning systems simply can’t cope with the cooling demands of these centers, nor will they be able to address the unprecedented challenges the near future will bring.
SWEP is here to help.
Advanced liquid cooling - simplified by SWEP
SWEP can help design,build and deliver space-saving, highly efficient liquid cooling solutions that are customized to your climate and needs. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of reliable, accurate, compact brazed plate heat exchangers that can help data centers of all sizes:
- Minimize the volume of coolant required
- Recover and reuse waste heat
- Operate cost-effectively and sustainably
- In single-phase direct-to-chip cooling (DTC), liquid coolant, usually water, circulates through a flat, chambered cold plate placed directly on the chip, absorbing heat as it passes through. When the (now warm) coolant exits the plate, it passes through a heat exchanger, where it is re-cooled, ready for reuse.
- Two-phase direct-to-chip cooling uses dielectric (non-conductive and non-flammable) liquid circulating through cold plates, instead of water, to cool the equipment. After absorbing heat from the components, the liquid flows through the heat exchanger in a water loop, where it is re-cooled, ready for reuse.
- Immersion systems offer the best possible Power Usage Efficiency, with the highest energy density and unequaled WUE. In these systems, components are placed in leak-proof cases and immersed heat-absorbing dielectric liquid. Once the equipment is cooled, the (now warm) liquid is circulated through a heat exchanger, where it is re-cooled using chilled facility water, ready to be used again.
- Two-phase immersive cooling uses heat from the components to warm a low-boiling-point liquid. The liquid becomes vapor and rises to a condenser in the top of the tank. When cool, it falls back onto the component as rain, and the process begins again. Because it capitalizes on the potential of latent heat, two-phase immersive cooling enables unrivalled cooling for even the densest data centers, while also delivering unmatched temperature stability. A brazed plate heat exchnger from SWEP is ideal as either an evaporator or a condenser in this type of system.
Sustainable data centers start with SWEP
To be sustainable, your data center needs superior performance across three core metrics*:
- PUE – Power Usage Effectiveness
- CUE – Carbon Usage Effectiveness
- WUE – Water Usage Effectiveness
SWEP Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers (BPHE) are the key components that make this level of performance possible. They deliver market-leading reliability, accuracy and efficiency while using less energy, less raw material, and less space.
*As defined by The Green Grid www.thegreengrid.org
Read more about our technology
Remarkable performance. Remarkably small
SWEP brazed plate heat exchangers are ultra-compact, making them a perfect fit for Row or Rack CDUs. Our 2-Pass flow pattern heat exchangers make it possible to double a unit’s thermal performance while maintaining the same small footprint, freeing up valuable design space.
More synergy, less energy
Every SWEP component is designed to boost the efficiency and operation of the entire system where it is installed, ensuring that the output is more than the sum of its parts. We offer a complete range of brazed plate heat exchangers optimized for use in CDUs, Mechanical Cooling and Free cooling.
Coolant Distribution Units use a closed-loop system to circulate coolant on one side and water on the other. They enable efficient cooling to a precise temperature, allowing data center owners to optimize their equipment environment.
Because CDUs are small, light, and flexible, they can be placed close to the heat source. Cooling the servers, rather than the room, requires less energy and does a better job of protecting components from overheating.
- In-Rack CDUs can deliver up to 60-80kW of cooling capacity and are designed to integrate seamlessly into the server chassis.
- Freestanding In-Row CDUs can deliver up to 700 kW of cooling capacity. Larger than in-rack CDUs, they can easily manage high heat loads across a series of server chassis. They can be designed to integrate into the data center’s existing cooling system or be fully self-contained.
Mechanical Cooling uses chiller technology, which can operate in both air- and water-cooled systems. Chillers can be connected to Computer Room Air Handling (CRAH) systems and/or provide cool water for the CDU in a liquid-cooled system.
- SWEP BPHE are specially designed to enhance the efficiency of chiller and heat pump systems. Our innovative plate and distribution technologies help maximize capacity and efficiency in these applications.
- Low pressure-drop means that SWEP BPHE work efficiently, even with small, energy-saving pumps.
- Chillers can be optimized for a wide range of refrigerants, including new, low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, such as R32, R513a, R1234ze(E), and in the near future, R290 (propane), R744 (CO2) and R717 (NH3).
- As a chiller component, a brazed plate heat exchanger from SWEPcan work as an evaporator or condenser up to 500 kW, or as an economizer up to 2000 kW. Our units are frequently in all three positions simultaneously, in a single chiller.
- Heat recovery and free cooling functions can be integrated into the chiller,
resulting in significant energy, cost, and carbon emission savings. SWEP BPHEs are one the most efficient means of recovering waste heat from hot water, which can then be reused for district heating, process heating, or other purposes.
Free Cooling
Free cooling uses cold ambient air or water from nearby rivers or other sources to cool the data center, rather than refrigerants.
- Air-side economizers filter, humidify, and introducing cool air directly into the building, bypassing the chiller.
- Water-side economizers use water from a naturally cool source either to chill the air in the data center or to cool servers or other equipment directly.
- Due to its high thermal efficiency and compact format, a SWEP brazed plate heat exhanger is the ideal intermediate circuit to separate the external glycol loop from the internal server loop in a water-cooled system. Our brazed plate heat exchangers can be set up modularly, ensuring part-load efficiency and cost-effective redundancy.
