Irish Government goes for Oasis data center cooling solution

When the Office of Public Works (OPW) in Ireland built their data center, they were looking for the most energy-efficient cooling solution on the market. The choice fell on Oasis, an indirect evaporative cooling system from Munters.

Ireland is an attractive location for the data center industry. Many hyperscalers from the US have established themselves there, and several of them rely on cooling solutions from Munters.

Craig MacFadyen, Director of Offer Strategy and Portfolio Management Data Center Technologies at Munters, explains the attraction of both Ireland and Munters.

“Ireland is the closest port of call in Europe from the US, which means that the communication speed back to the US is faster from there,” he says. “The country also has a very favorable climate for cooling. It is rarely above 30° Celsius. There is access to renewable energy and language is not a barrier. In fact, Irish contractors are responsible for building the majority of data centers in Europe.”

Why Munters?

Munters has a good reputation in the market, not only as a provider of energy-efficient solutions but also as a reliable partner, according to MacFadyen.

“As a company, we have always been at the forefront of developing new technology. We were first with evaporative cooling. We were first with the thermosiphon system. We are always working to create the perfect environment for the processes we deliver to, and to do it as efficiently as possible.”

MacFadyen points out that Munters is particularly known for its close customer relationships.

“If there are problems, we fix them. We don’t disappear but make sure that our customers are 100% satisfied with what they get and that everything is working as it should.”

Another thing that distinguishes the company's cooling solutions is that its systems have few moving components, which is a major advantage for an industry that invests a lot of time and effort in minimizing risk.

“The data industry is risk-averse and one of the best ways to minimize risk is to use simple and straightforward systems,” says MacFadyen. “That’s why Oasis and SyCool are attractive. In addition to being incredibly energy-efficient, both are designed to reduce the amount of mechanical cooling that often causes system failures.”

Oasis – the best solution for OPW

Munters has installed 14 Oasis units in OPW's 2.4 megawatt facility. Here, the Irish authority will store all data to support the implementation of policy. The installation is funded by the Irish Government and the EU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan program*.

“We never actively propose one solution over another before we have all the facts,” says MacFadyen. “We always ask our customers what their needs are and under what conditions the cooling should be. Based on that, we propose the most optimal cooling solution.”

Facts about Oasis

Munters Oasis® system is an indirect air-side economizer and indirect evaporative cooling solution.

The system uses evaporation to remove heat without increasing indoor humidity. It significantly reduces energy usage, sometimes by as much as 80 percent compared to traditional systems.

Oasis works by transferring heat to outdoor air through a heat exchanger, without mixing indoor and outdoor air, which ensures efficient cooling in a variety of climate conditions.