Carnot Refrigeration is releasing a white paper discussing the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons used in data center cooling titled: Refrigerant Restrictions: Is Your Data Center Ready for the Transition? This report describes the impact on the environment of HFCs and the value of using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant instead.
Refrigerants used in traditional data center HVAC systems have high global warming potential (GWP), and are being phased out in Canada, on course to reduce HFCs by 85% by 2036, and the U.S., where common refrigerants such as R134a, R410A, and R407C, will be prohibited from use in new chillers starting Jan 1, 2024.
This white paper outlines the challenges data centers face with using existing refrigerants, with high GWP, including energy use within the data center and how these substances contribute to the global climate emergency. With roughly 40% of power in the data center going to cooling and data centers contributing carbon emissions on par with the entire aviation industry, this paper details how data center owners and operators can future proof their cooling systems while improving existing operations and reducing their burden on the planet.
Carnot addresses this problem by replacing HFCs systems with CRACs that use CO2, a natural, safe, and non-flammable gas, that has negligible GWP when used as a refrigerant. This proven technology has been used in Canada to cool data centers since 2012.
“This white paper demonstrates how CRAC equipment using CO2 as a refrigerant improves data center processes, reduces their costs, and reduces the use of equipment with high global warming potential,” said Marc-André Lesmerises, President at Carnot Refrigeration. “We know that making this change demonstrates a commitment to the environment and it’s exciting to help our data center customers find a solution to cool their data centers that meets their needs and the needs of the planet.”
