Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust


Energy-saving cooling for hospital server rooms

STULZ UK ensuring zero downtime for critical IT applications with the STULZ MiniSpace EC

The Site

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a turnover of around £222 million and employs over 3,300 staff. The Trust delivers high-quality healthcare to the residents of the London Borough of Hillingdon and surrounding areas, with a total catchment population of over 350,000.

STULZ UK previously supplied cooling units for Hillingdon’s IT server room in 2007. At the end of 2017, the units were coming to the end of their life cycle and needed upgrading. Having provided a decade of reliable service, STULZ was the obvious choice to provide the upgrade and were  invited  to  look  at  how  energy efficiency could be further improved, with the latest cutting-edge technology.

 

Key benefits - Upgrading to a Minispace EC

  • EC Technology ensures enhanced air management

  • High motor efficiency of up to 92%, offering savings in running costs

  • Higher capacities coupled with pro rata energy savings of over 10%

  • Precision cooling, with zero downtime

  • Compact design allowing capacity expansion in same footprint

The Requirement

Older, legacy rooms are typically built in a piecemeal way – featuring varying densities, along with ageing infrastructure. This means that temperatures can become unstable over time. STULZ was tasked with ensuring the temperature was optimised. The solution needed to minimise carbon footprint, ensure maximum efficiency, while upscaling capacity. Air distribution was also key – the Trust required precise regulation of room temperature, with cooling directed only to areas where it was needed. As the server room supports critical applications, such as patient records and GP referrals, zero downtime was a priority.

The Solution

STULZ  experts  provided  a  thorough  assessment  –  offering  advice  on  thermal optimisation, to meet the Trust’s current and future needs. The existing units were rated at 18kW per unit, with a belt and pulley arrangement and conventional compressors. These were replaced with three MiniSpace EC Air Cooled DX units – rated at 25kW per unit, featuring EC fans as standard, along with the latest compressor technology. The high-efficiency EC technology ensures flexible fan speeds, for enhanced air management, while reducing energy consumption.

The Benefit

The units provide high motor efficiency of up to 92%, reaping savings in running costs, as well as providing quiet, reliable operation. While the new units deliver a much higher cooling capacity, their compact size meant they could be installed in the same footprint as the previous units. Like most Trusts, space is an issue, and this solution has reduced the need for additional and costly building work. The technology also complies with relevant standards DIN EN 61340-5-1 (Protection of electronic devices from electrostatic phenomena) to ensure there is no risk of interference with sensitive medical equipment.

 

The Result

Capacities have been increased for the Trust and efficiency gains will be achieved on a pro rata basis – energy savings of over 10% should be possible. Since installation, the units have been providing reliable operation, under continuous load, and the project has successfully met Hillingdon’s stringent demands for high efficiency and reliability.

 

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