Liebert EconoPhase offers 40 to 50 percent reduction in energy consumption

Customers purchasing the Liebert PDX range of direct expansion cooling units now also have the option to add-on the Liebert EconoPhase, the first-ever pumped refrigerant economiser, rigorously tested in the US market for four years. This provides new levels of cooling efficiency for small-to-medium data centres and businesses, resulting in substantial cost savings.

The Liebert EconoPhase module combined with the Liebert PDX units provides a 40 to 50 percent reduction in energy consumption when compared with the current most efficient direct expansion model. The system is also capable of achieving partial Power Usage Effectiveness (pPUE) levels below 1.1, equating to an annual energy cost reduction of approximately €200,000 or more when compared to a pPUE of 1.3 for a 1 MW data centre.

“We strive to deliver innovative solutions and the launch of the Liebert PDX with EconoPhase demonstrates that major increases in cooling efficiency can easily be
achieved, without compromising reliability and performance,” said Roberto Felisi, product marketing director Thermal Management, Emerson Network Power in EMEA. “This system further enhances our thermal management portfolio which, in turn, offers the most efficient and cost effective solutions available on the market.”

The Liebert EconoPhase is the industry’s most advanced refrigerant economiser, delivering freecooling without water usage costs. This technology allows the system
to transition to the economical operation when the external temperature is lower than the internal temperature of the facility, prompting the unit to shift from
compressor mode to economiser mode. This results in a substantial reduction in power consumption as the Liebert EconoPhase module uses approximately 10 percent of the power used by the compressor. When the external environment is no longer compatible with the Liebert EconoPhase operation, the system simply reverts back to a typical air-cooled expansion system, turning off the economiser module.

The integrated Liebert iCOM™ ensures that the freecooling unit is able to automatically switch between both operating modes seamlessly and effectively. The
intelligent control allows the system to adjust airflow patterns and quickly adapt to changing IT loads. This increases efficiency by optimising component operation
for lowest total system power, whilst also maximising freecooling hours through automatic economiser transition control.