Customised from the first site visit
Inside the server rack, solutions can often follow established standards. Outside the rack, requirements are typically project-specific.
Factors such as cooling medium, pressure, temperature, flow, pressure drop, space constraints and the way the hose is installed all have to be taken into account.
At one Danish customer, rubber hoses were originally specified. On site, it became clear that the adhesive in the planned insulation was not compatible with the rubber.
At the same time, the hoses had to be routed under the floor without bends or loads that could shorten their service life.
The solution was therefore changed to a stainless-steel hose.
“When we go on site and see how the solution actually has to be installed and work in practice, we can identify completely different conditions,” says Kasper Høier Nielsen, Sales & Marketing Manager at Dunlop Hiflex Scandinavia.
Thoroughly tested before the solution is repeated
Local dialogue makes it possible to translate the requirements into a prototype that can be assessed in the actual installation.
Length, couplings and routing can be adjusted before the solution is repeated in larger quantities.
Preassembled hose assemblies can be pressure-tested, while selected quick-disconnect couplings for data centre cooling are 100 per cent helium leak-tested.
Once the prototype has been approved, the solution can be transferred to standardised series production.
Ownership by the Alfagomma Group provides access to the manufacturer’s product development, testing facilities and production expertise, while consulting and customisation take place close to the Scandinavian projects.
Certification makes the requirements tangible
Dunlop Hiflex operates under an ISO 9001-certified quality management system.
At product level, fire requirements can be documented through specific classifications. Alfagomma’s 959 Evolution EPDM hose for liquid cooling in data centres, for example, has a flame-resistant outer cover classified UL 94 V-0.
“If you cannot cool, you cannot utilise the compute capacity the data centre was built for either,” says Magnus Bæktoft, Segment Manager Cooling Solutions at Dunlop Hiflex Scandinavia.
For the owner, consultant and contractor, the point is that hoses and couplings should be considered early in the design process.
This creates a better opportunity to select a customised, thoroughly tested and documented solution before changes become expensive.
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