As the world leader in innovative, energy efficient air treatment solutions, Munters’ award winning indirect evaporative cooling (IEC) systems provide secure data hall temperature control at Sabey Data Center Properties, Quincy Washington. The technology is based on nature’s own principle of cooling, Munters innovative approach with Oasis IEC now accounts for over 95 + MW data centre cooling worldwide.

At Sabey’s Data Center Properties in Quincy multiple Munters Oasis IEC systems have been installed in one of their six data centres. The data centre is situated in an agricultural area, where dust and pollutants in the ambient air would require heavy filtration, if a traditional or free cooling system for rejecting the heat in the data centre was used.

As Oasis IEC works with completely separated air streams the risk of contamination is minimized and the need of extra filtration eliminated, saving costly fan power and filter materials. Three different operations modes makes Oasis IEC a highly flexible system topped by a remarkably low PUE.

Mode 1: Cold and cool days – "Dry mode"
The polymer heat exchanger operates dry and acts like an air-to-air heat exchanger, cooling the data centre without the use of any water.

Mode 2: Warmer days – "Evaporative mode"
The polymer tubes of the heat exchanger are cooled by scavenger air evaporating water on the exterior of the tubes. As the air streams are completely separated the humidity is not introduced into the data centre.

Mode 3: Very warm and humid days – "DX mode"
In some climate zones, and only for a few hours a year, a small mechanical cooling system ("trim DX") is used for supplementing the evaporative cooling process.

Oasis IEC utilises two separate air streams, one air stream draws outdoor fresh over Munters patented indirect evaporative polymer tube heat exchanger. The exterior of the elliptical tube heat exchanger is wetted to maximize the surface area for heat rejection and provides effective indirect evaporative cooling.

After passing over the wet exterior tube surfaces of the heat exchanger, the outdoor air is expelled to atmosphere.
The other air stream draws air from the data centre white space hot aisle, and passes it through the inside of the tubes of the heat exchanger, where evaporative heat transfer from the exterior wetted surfaces cools the data centre hot aisle air, and passes it back into the data centre cool aisles.

This gives a continuous and stable operation securing a constant temperature without mechanical cooling because the data hall air is re-circulated and cooled with indirect evaporative cooling, no outdoor air is introduced into the data centre by the Oasis IEC.

John Sasser VP Operations for Sabey Data Center Properties says: "Munters Oasis IEC systems has exceeded our expectations. We have been very satisfied with both the air handlers and Munters as a company."

Thanks to the low energy technology behind the Oasis IEC system, Sabey were able to considerably reduce overall capital costs. In addition to the lower investment in Oasis IEC compared to traditional cooling solutions, the sizing of generator sets was reduced just as was investment in copper wires, power switching gear etc.

Benefits at Sabey Intergate, Quincy:

  • High efficiency cooling
  • Annualized pPUE at 1.07, peak load PUE at max. 1.25
  • Fully separated air streams , no contamination
  • Lower capital costs on mechanical refrigeration and switchgear
  • Reduced need of back up power