With the upward spiral in data-intensive business operations, worldwide, data centres, and the need to cool them, have never been more critical. With the amount of critical data stored, it is paramount to maintain the cooling needs of these units – and to do so efficiently, said Jon Pettitt, Vice President of Sales (Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific), Data Centres at Munters.

Speaking on the available cooling technologies, Pettitt said: “I recommend the indirect evaporative cooling solution for data centres, because it does not allow any outside air to infiltrate into the data hold, and this is particularly paramount in this region, where a data centre is exposed to sandstorms or poor air quality, thus reducing its lifespan.”

Citing the problem with direct cooling, Pettitt added: “The disadvantage with direct cooling is that it directly allows the outside air into the data hold. Additionally, you have to install filtration systems to clean the air, which adds to the costs; and it also increases the pressure drop on the system, thus increasing the load on the fans, leading to extra consumption of energy. With indirect evaporative cooling, all these complexities are eradicated.”

Pettitt further pointed out that in hot and humid environments like in the Middle East and Singapore, indirect evaporative cooling could save up to 40% of energy.

Elaborating on the market challenges in the region, he said: “Like other countries, our biggest challenge is the acceptance of the technology in this region. It just needs some momentum to get better, and we are creating awareness to ensure greater acceptance.”