Specialists turn ‘mission impossible’ into low-noise solution for CMI data centre

CMI contracted Royal HaskoningDHV Data Centres team to design a new 6.8MW data centre on a plot in Frankfurt. The key challenge faced by the team was to identify a technical solution which ensured the data centre operated within stringent noise limits specified for the site during the day and night.

Acoustic screens placed around the building provided a solution, but also a new challenge. The screens interfered with efficiency of the cooling systems by disrupting air flow. To solve the problem, we turned to our computational fluid dynamics specialists.

Integrated team of specialists develop fine-tuned solution

“Fluid dynamic investigations of airflows in combination with wind directions and noise calculations enabled us to explore what was happening in every area of the plot and how each element affected the noise calculation, explained Jorge Moura, Royal HaskoningDHV resident director Germany. “It was an incredibly detailed analysis which assessed the impact of noise emitted from every piece of equipment at nine separate locations in the surroundings.”

With these calculations, it was possible to precisely position the equipment and sound screens to meet regulations and cooling requirements. Traditional building calculations used for building permits were not sensitive enough to validate our solution and a specialist company needed to be found for regulatory approval.

We solved what had appeared impossible and optimised the space too
“Our big advantage is that we have all the expertise in house, which enabled us to solve this very complex challenge which had looked impossible,” Jorge added. “It meant we could bring together diverse specialists to integrate all the elements, working together as one towards the same goal.”

Adding further value to the solution, our design team optimised the use of space. This enabled the IT capacity to be increased and reduced construction costs by around 10%.