There are standard ways to address all of these value drivers, and many companies to do that.
Every degree closer results in mechanical cooling being eliminated for potentially hundreds of hours, leading to significant energy savings.In hot, dry climates, using adiabatic cooling which cools towards the wet bulb temperature which is often much lower than the dry bulb temperature, can further reduce the number of hours of mechanical cooling required.
The balance between reducing energy / water consumption as part of the design is investigated as part of each project design.. Water usage.A growing challenge for data centre providers is water availability.Data centres utilising evaporative cooling systems need a consistent water supply for process cooling and obtaining this can be increasingly difficult in some regions.
Water stress levels (calculated by UN-Water) are low for European regions but there is much higher stress in North Africa and Asia, which may lead to fewer data centres obtaining water for process cooling.. Space efficiency of heat rejection plant.The external heat rejection unit size is typically based on the required heat rejection capacity and approach temperature (external air inlet temperature vs CHW/air outlet temperature).
Generally, the heat rejection plant is located as close to the data halls as possible, however, where there is a drive towards higher density data centres the typical space for external heat rejection may be limited.
To achieve an increased heat rejection capacity in limited space, the approach temperature of the unit may have increase (leading to an increase in the mechanical cooling hours annually).. Based on previous Bryden Wood data centre projects, we have plotted heat rejection plant properties based on their heat rejection capacity (kW/m.Terms such as DfMA, MMC, Offsite construction, Prefab, PPVC, MiC and many more are often used interchangeably resulting in great confusion not only for newcomers but also established players in the industry..
I believe the lack of clarity around nomenclature in the DfMA landscape has become a major barrier to change.A clear and universally understood definition framework would help increase stakeholder awareness and confidence in adopting innovative construction methods and could help encourage a more structured and focused conversation across the industry at large..
The minefield of different terms means there is a tendency to assume that the landscape is complicated but there really is a simple relationship between all these different elements and it starts with DfMA.. DfMA is a design approach.The clue is in the name.