R1234ze Chiller For Data Centre Cooling

USA: Johnson Controls has announced the launch of its York YVAM air-cooled magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller with low GWP refrigerant R1234ze for hyperscale and colocation data centre cooling.

The YVAM’s magnetic-bearing technology allows the system to operate very efficiently at low lift conditions. This means free-cooling coils are not needed to deliver performances comparable to air-cooled chillers with integral water-side economisers.

According to Johnson Controls, when compared to traditional air-cooled screw chillers, the YVAM can improve efficiency by 49% in non-standard part load value (NPLV) in typical data centre conditions,

“The pioneering design of the York YVAM chiller was specified for the unique needs of mission critical applications, featuring industry-leading efficiency, simplified design and low harmonics,” said Chris Paraskevakos, Johnson Controls’ vice president of product management, chillers and applied equipment.

The YVAM chiller uses a variable-speed drive with active front-end to lower energy consumption and total harmonic distortion. This means the magnetic driveline is significantly quieter than traditional air-cooled chiller drivelines that use screw compressors, Johnson Controls says. Full-load sound is said to be only 65dBA at a distance of 10m. The machine’s lubrication-free design also eliminates the complexity of subsystems and reduces the costs of routine maintenance and system checks.

To maximise uptime, the YVAM features quick start technology with integral UPS backup, allowing the chiller to return to full load in as little as three minutes after power is restored.