RQ Box technology at the Condorcet Data Centre (Paris)

The RQ Box technology secures air conditioning via free cooling in a data centre exposed to environmental pollution

"Our decision to use the Alpha MOS RQ Box is based on the quality of references provided within the industry. The pollutant detection technology installed in our Condorcet data centre has no doubt contributed to TelecityGroup's recognition as the 'Best European Data Centre' in 2010." Nicolas Buono, Director of Operations – TelecityGroup France. The Condorcet Data Centre is located in northern Paris and is managed by TelecityGroup, Europe's leading provider of premium network independent data centres. The IT hosting facilities are cooled using direct free cooling in order to help reduce energy consumption. Fresh air is used to cool computer rooms, decreasing the environmental impact which come with traditional air conditioning systems.The challenge is to secure the free cooling air conditioning system in order to ensure that potential pollutants from the outside air do not enter any computer room hosting sensitive devices.

RQ Box solution for odour and gaseous pollutants monitoring

• 2 RQ Box electronic noses
• Each analyser, installed in an air intake, controls a cooling device. If excessive pollution is detected, a warning is generated in real time to automatically disable the free cooling system and trigger the traditional air conditioners, which prevents contamination from polluted air.
• Wireless communications system
• RQ Net software for data acquisition and display of results

Results

• Protection of sensitive equipment and reduction in environmental impact
• Outside air quality used as a parameter for controlling the air conditioning system
• Immediate response thanks to real-time alerts
• Promotes a more energy-efficient data centre
• The use of direct free cooling helps reach the target Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.5. PUE for an average data centre is 2.5.
• Directly reduces CO2 emissions by 5,000 tons
• Pollution detection technology matches the Group’s requirements
• An efficient, reliable combination of the RQ Box and free cooling