Cooling confidence: precision testing with liquid cooled load banks

A leading data centre operator needed to perform Level 3-5 commissioning tests on the CDU primary and secondary loops as part of their data centre extension and refurbishment. The testing required temperatures of up to 70°C and a power load of 1.2MW per loop. To achieve this, the customer required liquid cooled load banks to simulate real-world conditions.

Since the facility employed pioneering direct-to-chip liquid cooling for GPUs, contamination control was critical. Any contaminants introduced into the primary system could compromise performance, while the secondary system needed to remain as clean as possible. The customer needed a reliable partner with expertise in large-scale commercial data centre cooling projects, particularly those in sensitive environments. That’s why they turned to Aggreko.

Aggreko provided a comprehensive load testing solution, managing everything from engineering to decommissioning. To ensure a clean and efficient testing environment, we deployed four H32 heat exchangers to isolate the primary loop and it’s PG25 glycol mix from the testing equipment, preventing contamination.

To meet the customer’s power testing requirements, we utilised twelve 600kW liquid-cooled load banks, along with a backup unit, to deliver the heated glycol mix necessary for testing the data centre’s heat rejection systems, including cooling towers, dry coolers, and the chilled water loop. The load banks were designed to allow precise, incremental heating of approximately 20kW per step, ensuring a controlled and gradual load increase on the cooling infrastructure.

Throughout the testing process, our engineering team closely monitored the equipment’s performance, ensuring accuracy and reliability while maintaining the pristine conditions required for the customer’s direct-to-chip liquid cooling system.

Aggreko’s liquid cooled load bank testing system allowed the customer to successfully commission their data centre expansion while ensuring their data centre cooling infrastructure could handle operational demands. The solution helped identify potential cooling inefficiencies early, allowing the customer to address them before they could cause downtime or revenue loss. By partnering with Aggreko, the customer achieved a smooth commissioning process, safeguarding the reliability of their liquid cooling data centre operations.