Heat transfer in data centers

When outdoor temperatures are favorable, ambient air can be used to remove heat from the data center without relying on evaporative cooling systems and power consuming chillers, thus reducing the PUE of the datacenter. In this Free Cooling mode, heat is transferred from the facility cooling network to a separate cooling circuit through a Tranter Heating & Cooling line Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger, before being rejected to the atmosphere by air-cooled heat rejection equipment, i.e. V-coolers. Using Tranter Gasketed Plate & Frame Heat Exchangers in an open-air cooling system keeps the water systems separated and protects critical cooling infrastructure while enabling efficient heat transfer, reducing water consumption, thus improving WUE, simplifies operation, and provide an energy-efficient alternative for rejecting heat from data center cooling systems.

A Tranter Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) is a critical component within modern Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) used to support high-density AI, HPC environments. The GPHE provides highly efficient heat transfer between the facility water loop and the IT Water loop that serves direct-to-chip, or other liquid-cooled technologies.

Tranter's Heating & Cooling Line GPHE generates excellent heat-transfer, enabling exceptionally close temperature approaches and minimizing the required pumping power which all improve PUE, CUE and WUE .

The modular construction of Tranter GPHEs provides significant operational flexibility by adding plates within the existing frame as IT loads grow. This scalability allows data center operators to align cooling infrastructure with server deployment schedules while preserving valuable white-space footprint.

A Tranter Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) is an ideal solution for recovering valuable waste heat from liquid-cooled data centers. Installed between the CDU return circuit and a secondary heat consumer loop, the GPHE efficiently transfers thermal energy from the IT cooling system to applications such as district heating networks, heat pumps, greenhouse heating, industrial processes, or domestic hot water systems while maintaining complete hydraulic separation between the two circuits.

Tranter's Heating & Cooling Line GPHE creates superior heat transfer coefficients, allowing very close temperature approaches and maximizing the amount of recoverable energy.

By converting waste heat from the Liquid Cooled Circuit into a valuable energy resource, a Tranter GPHE helps data center operators improve overall facility efficiency, reduce operating costs, support sustainability objectives, and create new opportunities for energy reuse and monetization.

Within the chiller system, Tranter Shell & Plate Heat Exchangers transfer heat between the refrigerant and the cooling water circuits, allowing heat removed from the data center to be discharged through the Intermediate GPHE Cooler and cooling tower.

Tranter Shell & Plate Heat Exchangers provide an efficient and compact alternative to traditional shell-and-tube evaporators and condensers, helping operators achieve lower operating costs, improved energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and increased cooling capacity within a smaller plant footprint.

The compact welded plate design combines the thermal efficiency of plate heat exchangers with the pressure and temperature capabilities of traditional shell-and-tube equipment, making it particularly suitable for high-performance refrigeration systems.

Tranter Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) used as a Cooling Tower Intermediate Cooler provides an efficient thermal barrier between the open cooling tower circuit and the critical closed-loop cooling system of a data center. By isolating cooling tower water from chillers, CDUs, and facility cooling equipment, the GPHE prevents fouling, corrosion, scaling, and contamination from entering the clean data center cooling circuit.

Tranter Heating & Cooling Line GPHE with it’s ThermoFit® plate design creates intense turbulence and high heat transfer, allowing close temperature approaches in a compact, fully serviceability unit.

It also supports Free Cooling when ambient temperature allows, Tranter GPHE enables to bypass or reduce chiller operation, allowing direct heat rejection. This can substantially reduce energy consumption, operating costs, carbon emissions, and water usage (PUE, CUE and WUE ).

Data centers must maintain stable cooling performance even when outdoor conditions limit the effectiveness of free cooling. Water-cooled chillers provide this additional cooling capacity through a closed refrigeration cycle. Here, Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchangers act as the evaporator and condenser within the chiller, transferring heat between the refrigerant and the facility water systems. This arrangement delivers reliable year-round cooling while supporting efficient operation across changing ambient conditions.

Tranter Shell & Plate Heat Exchangers provide an efficient and compact alternative to traditional shell-and-tube evaporators and condensers, helping operators achieve lower operating costs, improved energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and increased cooling capacity within a smaller plant footprint.

A Tranter Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) is an ideal solution for utilizing seawater as a natural heat sink in data center cooling systems. Installed between the seawater circuit and the closed-loop facility cooling water system, the GPHE provides highly efficient heat transfer while completely isolating the data center cooling infrastructure from the corrosive seawater environment. This protects chillers, CDUs, pumps, piping, and IT cooling equipment from saltwater contamination while maximizing reliability and uptime

The Tranter GPHE can operate as a full or partial Free-cooling heat exchanger, allowing the chiller to be bypassed. During Free Cooling operation, heat from the data center is transferred directly to the seawater through the GPHE without mechanical refrigeration. Since chillers are typically the largest consumer of cooling energy in a data center, free cooling can produce substantial improvement in PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), CUE (Carbon Usage Effectiveness), and WUE (Water Usage Effectiveness).

Modern data centers generate large amounts of low-temperature waste heat. Rather than rejecting this heat to the atmosphere, the heat pump captures and upgrades it into a valuable energy resource. Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchanger serves as the evaporator within the heat pump system, transferring thermal energy from the data center cooling network into the refrigerant circuit. By recovering waste heat, operators can improve energy efficiency while supporting building heating and district heating applications.

Large industrial heat pumps often use recuperators to maximize efficiency and maintain performance across varying operating conditions. Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchanger serving as a compact and highly efficient recuperator, recovers and redistributes thermal energy within the heat pump cycle, improving temperature lift and enhance COP while reducing compressor energy consumption.

Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchanger combines the thermal efficiency of plate technology with it’s fully welded plate pack design with the robust pressure containment of a shell-and-tube exchanger.

A Tranter Gasketed Plate Heat Exchanger (GPHE) serves as a highly efficient thermal interface between a data center heat recovery system and the district heating network. The exchanger transfers recovered waste heat, either directly from the data center cooling system or via a heat pump, to the district heating circuit while maintaining complete hydraulic separation between the two systems.

Tranter's Heating & Cooling Line GPHE enabling exceptionally close temperature approaches and maximizing the amount of energy transferred to the district heating network. This high thermal effectiveness minimizes temperature losses and helps operators maximize the value of recovered heat while reducing overall energy consumption and carbon emissions.

As heat reuse becomes a strategic priority, Tranter GPHEs provide the reliability, performance, and scalability required for long-term district heating integration.

The heat pump raises low-temperature waste heat from the data center to temperatures suitable for heating applications. Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchangers act as heat sink condensers within the heat pump system, transferring upgraded thermal energy into the heating network. By using multiple stages, the system can efficiently produce higher water temperatures while maintaining performance across varying heating demands. The recovered heat can then be used to support district heating systems, commercial buildings, and industrial processes.

Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchanger offers a compact and thermally efficient solution thanks to the fully welded plate technology and robust shell structure.

Large industrial heat pumps rely on compressor lubrication systems to ensure reliable operation under demanding conditions. Tranter Shell and Plate Heat Exchanger removes excess heat from the lubrication oil circuit, helping maintain optimal oil temperatures and protect critical compressor components. Effective oil cooling improves system reliability, extends equipment life, and supports efficient operation across varying load conditions. The compact shell and plate design provides high thermal performance while minimizing footprint requirements within the heat pump plant.