© RACA Journal www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 27
Feature
Reliability remains a top concern, especially in sectors like manufacturing and data centres, where cooling is mission-critical. New systems use smart sensors and predictive maintenance to prevent downtime. Backup chillers and remote monitoring ensure consistent performance, while AI-driven maintenance reduces failure rates and repair times, saving thousands annually and delivering fast returns on investment.
The industry is leaning toward modular and compact chiller systems. Modular designs offer scalability, allowing businesses to expand cooling capacity as needed without upfront overspending. Compact chillers, ideal for space-constrained environments, deliver high performance without requiring large footprints.
Reference: https:// blog. arkref. com / industrial-chiller-trends-2025- manufacturing-data-centers /? utm
Each chiller is equipped with a Daikin-designed screw compressor featuring a VFD that modulates compressor speed to match the cooling demand. This results in significant energy savings, particularly at part load, while reducing mechanical wear and extending equipment lifespan. The VFD is refrigerant-cooled, allowing for stable operation regardless of ambient temperature, dust or humidity.
Daikin ' s integrated Active Harmonic Filter also contributes to system stability by reducing total harmonic distortion( THD) to below 5 %. This enhances electrical efficiency and helps protect critical infrastructure from power-related faults.
By integrating advanced chiller technology and controls, the OSL-Hamar data centre achieves both high energy efficiency and long-term operational resilience, setting a new benchmark for sustainable data centre cooling. RACA
DAIKIN KEEPS COOL NORWAY ' S LARGEST DATA CENTRE Daikin has supplied 71 air-cooled free cooling chillers to Norway’ s largest data centre, OSL-Hamar, owned by Green Mountain. Designed with sustainability and performance in mind, the facility maintains an impressive Power Usage Effectiveness( PUE) of 1.2 and is powered entirely by renewable hydropower.
Cooling at OSL-Hamar is provided by a water-based system where free cooling chillers feed chilled water to fan arrays, which regulate the temperature in the white space. The selected units – Daikin’ s EWFH-TZ D air-cooled free cooling chillers – were chosen for their efficiency, compact design and operational reliability.
Reference: https:// www. daikin. co. za / en _ us / press-releases / daikinkeeping-cool-norways-largest-data-center. html
Chillers are more efficient at high-capacity loads, such as what is required at a hospital with 24-hour operation.
© RACA Journal www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I November 2025 27