Monitoring the flow of water/glycol mixture in cooling system

The two buildings, the size of 4 football pitches and 4 stories high hold all the bank’s data, with one building duplicating the other in case of failure. The flow meters are installed on a wide range of pipe sizes including a large stainless steel pipe, 400mm in diameter but just 2mm thick. The Micronics clamp-on flow meters form part of the control system to maintain a steady room temperature, so essential to the smooth and cost effective running of the establishment. The temperature of the water mixture needs to be constantly adjusted and the flow monitored to optimise the energy used for heating and cooling. This also keeps the computers at a safe 14oc, delivering significant maintenance benefits. 8 of the units are roof mounted to control the main chiller operations, the rest are floor mounted to control the main flows into the data halls.

The U3000B is a clamp-on, transit time, ultrasonic flow meter, which provides accurate measurement of liquid flowing within a closed pipe and provides an effective and reliable means of measuring flow accurately. The installed cost is considerably lower than similar in-line alternatives and, in critical HVAC systems such as data centres, they offer the subsequent maintenance benefits of no system drain down requirement and minimal disruption due to dry maintenance and servicing.

Micronics were selected as the supplier due to their competitive pricing in comparison to similar technology solutions or alternatives. Tony Coppinger, Property Operations Manager was pleased with the bank’s choice of the Micronics flow meters which play a central part in the Data Centres’ cooling strategy. “The Micronics U3000B meters are installed at multiple points throughout the building’s chilled water, which is the sole source of heat removal. The Micronics U3000B meters increase the efficiency of the system by accurately balancing the primary and secondary flow rates. This in turn allows the systems’ flow rates to be accurately controlled whilst ensuring that the environment within the building envelope remains stable. Without these meters, it would be difficult to control the chilled water temperatures, without causing a risk to the critical environments.”

This example demonstrates that the opportunity for replication in similar schemes across the UK is extensive and Micronics flowmeters have also been used in the London headquarters of the Bank of England for similar purposes.