BLACKIRON Data is the first data center provider in Canada to utilize Emerson Network Power’s Liebert® DSE room-based data center cooling system. BLACKIRON Data partnered with Emerson Network Power to select and install the technology at their new Toronto DC3 site, Canada’s first Tier III design and construction-certified data center facility.
“We had three objectives in building our newest data center in Toronto — make it environmentally friendly, attain third-party certifications and guarantee 100% availability for our customers,” said Ron Ethier, vice president, data centers and operations, BLACKIRON Data. “The Liebert DSE allows us to meet all three of our objectives. The system leverages Toronto’s cool temperatures for optimum efficiency and energy use without sacrificing performance or disrupting our availability guarantee for customers. Utilizing this new precision cooling technology was one of the key elements to the Toronto data center successfully achieving Uptime Institute and LEED certifications.”
BLACKIRON Data’s Toronto DC3 facility uses multiple 40-ton Liebert DSE cooling systems to regulate cooling in the 50,000-square-foot data center, with power density at 15kW per rack. Each system features variable speed fans, staged evaporator coils, tandem Copeland Scroll™ Digital compressors and innovative pumped refrigerant economizers to ensure highly efficient and effective cooling, no matter the season.
With the environment in mind, an important element of the design and build of DC3 was to avoid the waste water often associated with water-cooled chillers. BLACKIRON insisted on using cooling technology that did not use water, a configuration that benefits both the environment and customers. The installation of this system has allowed BLACKIRON to save up to 100 million liters of water waste a year, as traditionally associated with operating a data center of similar size.
Liebert Econophase™, the industry’s first pumped refrigerant economizer, leverages cold outside air to cool the refrigerant used in the Liebert DSE system, reducing or eliminating compressor operation. This system provides cooling within the data center, allowing BLACKIRON to cool a large space without chiller plants and chilled water. With Toronto’s cool temperatures, this translates into free cooling more than 75% of the year, allowing BLACKIRON to significantly lower power usage and energy expenses. During the summer, the Liebert DSE utilizes the most efficient variable capacity compressors for operation.
“We are well-positioned to help customers solve their unique challenges through our innovative products and solutions, our expertise in end-to-end data center controls and our service,” said Steve Madara, vice president, global cooling, Emerson Network Power. “Our team was thrilled to deliver an integrated system that has enabled BLACKIRON Data to use water-saving refrigerant-based economizers for such a large portion of the year, helping them to realize a great amount of energy and financial savings.”
Since opening its doors in September 2012, BLACKIRONs Toronto data center has seen maximized energy efficiency and offers superior performance and availability for its customers. With a 100% availability guarantee and aggressively reducing power consumption and related energy costs, BLACKIRON Data has raised the bar for data centers across the continent.
