Zimmermann EcoChill DC: Ammonia Chiller for Data Centres with Project-Specific Performance Caveats

Zimmermann has made available the technical documentation for EcoChill DC, a low-charge, enclosed ammonia refrigeration system designed for data-centre cooling. Each unit is engineered to the specific project and undergoes factory acceptance testing before delivery.

System architecture

The chiller pairs semi-hermetic screw compressors with permanent-magnet motors and welded plate-and-shell heat exchangers. Controls are supplied by Siemens. The design integrates free cooling and provides redundant power supply.

Published operating parameters

The manufacturer's whitepaper lists the following figures:

• 750 kW per circuit; up to 1500 kW total
• Water inlet below 32 °C; water outlet below 22 °C
• Condensing temperature up to 58 °C
• Ambient temperature up to 50 °C
• Sound power 77 dB(A)

These are published manufacturer figures that require project-specific confirmation. The listed maxima must not be assumed to apply simultaneously.

Efficiency figures and their context

The whitepaper reports an annual EER of 16 including free cooling, while the product-page headline states an annual EER of 13. The two sources do not provide a common calculation basis that would resolve this difference, and neither figure should be relabelled as SEER or treated as a guaranteed efficiency at every site. A PUE below 1.2 is presented in the whitepaper as a data-centre requirement, not as a result guaranteed by the chiller alone.

Sources: Zimmermann product page, Zimmermann whitepaper.