The Challenge

A 2 MW data hall in a temperate climate needed to hold inlet air near 24 C while exhausting hot server air year round. Running compressors for all of that conditioning was the largest cost line.

The Solution

Engineers added a rotary enthalpy wheel between the exhaust and supply air streams, combined with an economiser cycle. In cool months the wheel plus free cooling carried most of the load; compressors ran only during peaks.

Results

• Supply air pre-conditioned before the coil, cutting compressor hours
• Latent recovery reduced dehumidification energy in humid spells
• Measured annual cooling energy down by roughly a third

Lesson

For always-on loads, even a modest effectiveness gain compounds into large savings because the system runs 8,760 hours a year. Recovery pays back faster where run time is continuous.