DOWFROST™ LC – Data Center Cooling

Data Center Cooling Solutions

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We're all familiar with the heat that electronics can generate in our personal lives, extremely loud laptop fans and exploding phone batteries may come to mind.  Now multiply that heat generated from a single unit by hundreds or thousands of more processor cores and you have a serious temperature problem on hand.  This is the exact struggle that data center facilities face every day and it is mission-critical to control and cool the sensitive electronics from the harsh temperature exposure. 

 

Traditional air cooling systems are quickly becoming cost-prohibitive and the operational cost can eclipse the cost the equipment itself.  The demand for a more efficient data center cooling system is rising and it's a major priority for anyone managing a computer room air handler (CRAH), especially when recent estimates put the energy consumed for cooling systems at nearly 40% for the electricity used by the entire facility.

 

There are a range of cooling technologies and hybrid systems that combine air-cooling and liquid-cooling loops, and at the highest level the pro's and con's can be broken down into major buckets.
 

Air-Cooled	Liquid-Cooled
Lower density of molecules, requiring more flow for equivalent cooling Reduced complexity in design & installation No liquid contamination or leak concerns	High-density of molecules allow for greater cooling efficiency Reduced power consumption Increased flexibility in rack design & cooling loops

 

Liquid cooling or "water-cooled" equipment can deliver maximum thermal control in a range of engineering designs including,

• Direct to Chip (DTC) Cooling
• Closed Loop or In-rack Cooling
• Close Coupled or In-row Cooling
• Immersion Cooling

 

Each of these data center cooling systems have their own advantages and disadvantages to be considered in the engineering design phase. DOWFROST™ LC is approved for use in DTC, in-rack (closed loop) and in-row (close coupled) cooling applications.  These systems involve liquid delivery and recycle from direct exposure and heating from electronic surfaces to a remote heat exchanger exposed to a secondary chillers loop.  The temperature from the heated loop is removed in the exchanger and cycled with airflow and ejected from the system.  The cooling loop may be fed from an in-rack cooling distribution unit (CDU) or supplied from an external CDU servicing multiple racks throughout the data center. 

Why Use DOWFROST™ LC for Data Center Cooling? 

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DOWFROST™ LC is the premier heat transfer fluid for liquid-based cooling technologies and delivers the consistency & quality that Dow Chemical is known for. DOWFROST™ LC is manufactured from virgin Dow Puraguard USP grade propylene glycol, greatly reducing the concern of foaming, foul odors, or premature degradation common amongst home-brew glycols. DOWFROST™ LC contains added corrosion inhibitors for metal surface protection including yellow metals like copper commonly used in electronics and processors.  DOWFROST™ LC provides freeze or burst protection for cooling loops exposed to sub-zero temperatures found in northern climates. 

• High-Quality Inhibited Propylene Glycol Fluid
• Prevents Biofouling, Corrosion & Oxidation
• Robust Freeze & Burst Protection
• Dyed for Easy Leak Detection
• Specially Engineered Inhibitors for High-Copper Systems
• Efficient Heat Transfer & Cooling Capacity

 

	DOWFROST™ LC 25%	DOWFROST™ LC 55%
Propylene Glycol (Vol %)	25	55
Freeze Point	-14°F (-10°C)	-40°F (-40°C)
Maximum Recommended Temperature	195°F
Volume Expansion (-40°C to 90°C)	5.2%	7.7%