Heat Exchangers for Data Center Cooling: Liquid Cooling and Heat Reuse

Data centers reject large, continuous heat loads and increasingly use liquid cooling. Plate heat exchangers sit between the facility water system and the IT (technology) cooling loop, isolating the clean, treated server-side water from the facility side while transferring heat efficiently. This isolation protects sensitive direct-to-chip and rear-door cooling circuits from facility-water contamination and pressure swings.

In a coolant distribution unit (CDU), a compact gasketed or brazed plate heat exchanger separates the primary facility loop from the secondary technology loop. The secondary loop runs treated water or a water-glycol mix at controlled temperature and quality to the racks; the primary loop carries heat to chillers, dry coolers or a heat-reuse system. Close temperature approach is critical because every degree of approach raises the required chilled-water temperature and erodes free-cooling hours.

A waterside economizer uses a plate heat exchanger to reject heat directly to a cooling tower or dry cooler when ambient conditions allow, bypassing the chillers. Because plate units achieve approaches of 1–2 °C, they maximise the number of hours per year the site can run on free cooling — a major driver of PUE and energy cost in temperate climates.

Server waste heat is low-grade but abundant. Plate heat exchangers transfer it into a district heating return loop or a heat-pump evaporator, turning a cooling cost into a heating supply for nearby buildings. Material is typically 316L; titanium is used where the facility side carries seawater or aggressive make-up water.

Data center duties prize compactness, close approach temperature, low pressure drop, high reliability and easy serviceability under continuous operation. Gasketed plate units suit large CDU and economizer duties (serviceable, scalable); brazed plate units suit compact in-rack and smaller CDU applications (sealed, space-efficient).

Shanghai Jiangxing supplies gasketed and brazed plate heat exchangers for CDU loop isolation, waterside economizers and server heat-reuse systems, sized for close approach and continuous duty. Send your heat load, approach target and loop temperatures to Evan, jxmike@shheatex.com, or WhatsApp +86 173 1725 8304.