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All About Oil Fouling – How it Could be Draining Your Data Center’s Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)

All About Oil Fouling – How it Could be Draining Your Data Center’s Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)

Power usage effectiveness, or PUE, is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data center. PUE is determined by dividing the amount of power entering a data center by the power used to run the computer infrastructure within it.

Many in the data center/facilities management industry may have never heard of the concept of oil fouling, which happens immediately and causes multiple performance issues over time. So what is oil fouling? It’s a costly energy ‘inefficiency problem’ and, at the same time, an opportunity to solve completely. Read on to learn how.

Oil fouling is the discovery of The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), who says oil fouling occurs in most HVACR systems nearly immediately when some lubricating oil is lost from a compressor during normal operation. Since oil inevitably leaves the compressor with the discharge gas, systems using halocarbon refrigerants must return this oil at the same rate at which it leaves. ASHRAE states that unless oil is removed continuously from the point where it collects, it will cover the heat transfer surface in the evaporator, reducing performance. As the oil and refrigerant mix, the chemical composition of both is drastically altered. Contaminating oil films are deposited throughout the system, and it is these oil deposits (or oil fouling) that ultimately cause multiple problems.

The result of oil contamination is frequently noticed at the expansion device. Materials dissolved in the refrigerant-lubricant mixture, under liquid line conditions, may precipitate at the lower temperature in the expansion device, resulting in restricted or plugged capillary tubes or sticky expansion valves. A few milligrams of these contaminants can render a system completely inoperative. Any migrating oil in any refrigeration or air conditioning system is costly, both in kWh consumption and money and lost time spent on maintenance and repairs.

Effects on the System

Oil fouling of the heat transfer surfaces of air conditioning and refrigeration systems will cause a loss of efficiency that will continue to accumulate until equilibrium is reached between flow force and adhesion. At this point, the oil boundary layer formed has achieved its maximum thickness, producing a maximum loss of efficiency. Published ASHRAE information confirms performance is degraded by as much as 30% due to the build-up of lubricants on internal surfaces. Higher percentages up to 40% have been observed in systems 20 years old or older.

How This Affects Data Centers’ PUE & Why It Should Be of Interest to All Facilities Managers

According to Green Data Center News, “A system which is ‘oil fouled’ must work harder to reach necessary temperatures to keep the data center equipment from breaking down. These longer run times result in the use of more power and less useful life from your equipment. And lost capacity will lead to additional capital expenditure.” (see full article at http://www.greendatacenternews.org/articles/share/667611/) Oil fouling is likely draining the data center facility’s equipment of energy and life expectancy. According to ASHRAE, “Oil fouling will cause a loss of about 7 percent efficiency the first year, 5 percent the second year and 2 percent the following years. Performance is degraded by as much as 30 percent due to the build-up of lubricants on internal surfaces.” This equates to real dollars lost.

For many years, little could be done about oil fouling. That is, until the global introduction of Nano LiquiTec® with Graphene Dynamics®. Nano LiquiTec® with Graphene Dynamics® is the world’s first truly synthetic catalyst and green nanotechnology engineered specifically to ELIMINATE oil fouling. Nano LiquiTec® with Graphene Dynamics® decreases equipment runtime by allowing a system to reach target temperatures more efficiently.

Decreased runtimes = lower electricity costs, fewer equipment repairs, and less maintenance.

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Nano LiquiTec™ is the world’s first truly synthetic catalyst and green nanotechnology engineered specifically to eliminate oil fouling, an expensive problem you may not know you have. Click to learn more.

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Nano LiquiTec® reduces energy bills more than 20 percent on average by reducing KWH consumption. Find out how it can work for you.

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