Article | 8 Water Treatment Areas to Improve Data Centre Operations

It is necessary to find a partner that provides you with the right solution for water treatment in data centers. NCH Asia provides a turnkey and cutting-edge solution under Chem-Aqua specialization, which comprises a comprehensive range of products, services, and patented equipment to optimize water usage in data centers.

8 Water Treatment Areas to Improve Data Centre Operations

A typical data centre uses 3-5 million of gallons water every day. This is equivalent to the water requirement of 30,000-50,000 people! The world is witnessing an acute shortage of water in agriculture, communities and industries. It is no surprise that water and environmental experts are making conscious efforts to increase water efficiency in data centres and find alternate solutions such as carbon-free solar and wind energy.

At their end, data centres can look at the following eight water treatment areas to improve their operations in terms of water efficiency.

Pre-Treatment

Routine circulation of biocide treated water through the line equipment, and piping is essential in data centres. It helps to manage biofilm formation due to stagnation and prevent impurities from entering the equipment.

Pre-treatment services like softeners, reverse osmosis, dealkalizers and filtration optimize water use and minimize operational costs.

Cooling Tower

Data centres use cooling towers to prevent the computers from overheating. While high-quality cooling towers are designed for recycling a significant percentage of water, they are also breeding grounds for Legionella bacteria and a significant threat to public health.

Routine cleaning and disinfection of cooling towers along with a comprehensive Legionella risk management program can enhance the efficiency of operations.

Proper control of cooling water parameters and right water chemistry program will help prevent corrosion and scaling to occur in data center cooling facilities.

Closed Loop

Closed loop cooling systems are less vulnerable to external contaminants caused by exposure to the environment. However, issues like fouling, corrosion, scale, dirt, grease, debris and biological growth can hamper their efficiency.

Regular cleaning, the use of right corrosion inhibitor and passivation of closed loop cooling system reduce energy-robbing deposits and keep water side problem under control.

Biofilm/Microbiological Control

Biofilms develop on the interiors of water systems in data centres. It can cause corrosion damage, harbor waterborne pathogens and decrease heat transfer efficiency four times more than calcium scale deposits.

Timely biofilm removal, control and prevention solution can improve the hygiene level of water in data centres.

Effluent Reuse

Given the volume of water that data centres consume, they also release vast amounts of wastewater. This calls for recycling the water as much as possible. Recycling of water is an environmentally balanced cooling solution to offset the consumption of water.

Data centres can set up pH, filtration and RO processes to treat and reuse the water on the premises. Another alternative is to build a wastewater treatment plant. They can also consider recycling treated water from the community municipalities.

Managed Operations at Hyperscalers

A study says that there are close to 597 hyperscaler data centres globally – more than double from 2015. The coming years will witness the establishment of new hyperscalers or the expansion of the existing hyperscalers.

You can imagine the complexity of water management processes in these hyperscalers! That’s why hyperscalers need dedicated and end-to-end managed operations to handle their water challenges.

Digital Enablers

Data and digitization have established their footprints in every field. It was only a matter of time that data centres leveraged them for water management. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, sensor systems, and IoT make it easy to shift to intelligent water solutions.

For example, data centres can implement a real-time automation system that continuously monitors and controls water treatment programs based on changing system demands. Similarly, automated biofilm technology can monitor microbial control and predict early signs of potential problems.

Such digital enablers can improve water operations and reduce energy costs.

Design and Engineering

Data centre water management design and engineering should be flexible and scalable. It is based on on-site location, availability of the nearest water source, floor layout, power supply mechanism, type of cooling systems, environmental regulations, and many other factors.

The design and engineering should be such that it manages water resources efficiently while reducing carbon footprint, operational expenditure and socio-economic burden on the community.

Finding the Right Solution

It is necessary to find a partner that provides you with the right solution for water treatment in data centres. NCH Asia provides a turnkey and cutting-edge solution under Chem-Aqua specialization, which comprises a comprehensive range of products, services, and patented equipment to optimize water usage in data centres.

Get in touch with NCH Asia today for an in-depth analysis of your data centre water treatment requirements and collaborate for holistic solutions.