Environmentally friendly cooling

Denv-R and GEPS Techno were looking for an environmentally friendly and efficient cooling system that could benefit from river water to save energy and water from conventional sources, while providing reliable performance in a compact space.

Kelvion's Box Cooler was the ideal choice for this project. Originally designed for marine applications, the box cooler is a highly efficient sea water cooling system. It consists of a U-tube bundle placed in a sea chest which allows cooling sea water to flow through and cool the internal fluid. 

This system is perfect for the passive cooling requirements of Denv-R's floating data centre, as it requires no additional energy to operate, thereby reducing Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). Also, the use of cooling fluid in a closed loop eliminates the need for additional water resources, improving Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).

The compact design of our box cooler makes it ideally suited to the limited space available on the floating platform. And, with no moving parts, our cooler has the added benefit of low maintenance.

A key technical advantage of using the box cooler in a closed loop configuration is that it eliminates the need to pump water from and back to the river. This not only improves filtration and reduces the risk of pollution but also supports environmental sustainability by suppressing water pumping and maintaining the natural balance of the ecosystem.

Low PUE and WUE in line with overall sustainability targets

The data centre industry is increasingly moving towards lower PUE and WUE metrics, and the floating data centre project by Denv-R and GEPS Techno is an example of this trend. Their joint goal was to create an environmentally friendly, cost-effective and reliable data centre solution close to urban areas where space is both limited and expensive.

Clément Le Gall, R&D Manager at GEPS Techno, commented: "This unconventional use of Kelvion's marine cooling systems in our floating data centre significantly reduces our need for energy-intensive cooling systems. This directly translates into lower PUE and WUE, making our data centre more environmentally friendly and cost effective. We appreciate Kelvion's ability to adapt their specialised knowledge of different industries to support our specific goals.”

The result

As urban areas face space constraints and rising real estate costs, floating data centres offer a novel solution. Kelvion's Box Cooler is perfectly suited to such innovative applications, proving its versatility beyond traditional uses.