Data Center Cooling
Portable data center cooling: OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable AC up to 30 tons single-unit, plus MovinCool Climate Pro spot coolers for high-density rack rows. Supplemental cooling, emergency cooling, and chiller-maintenance bridge cooling from Cantherm Distributors.
When data centers need portable cooling
Data center primary cooling is permanent infrastructure — chilled-water plants, CRAC/CRAH units, in-row cooling, or hot/cold aisle containment systems. But every data center eventually needs portable cooling for one or more of these scenarios:
- Chiller maintenance. Annual maintenance, repairs, or replacement of primary chillers requires bridge cooling while the chiller is offline.
- Supplemental cooling. High-density rack rows that exceed the primary cooling system’s per-rack capacity require supplemental cooling to prevent thermal-throttling.
- Emergency cooling. Primary cooling failures — pump failures, refrigerant leaks, control system failures — require immediate portable cooling deployment to prevent IT equipment damage and uptime SLA breach.
- Surge cooling. Peak summer load combined with high IT load can push primary cooling beyond its design capacity.
- New deployment phase-in. Phased buildouts where IT equipment loads exceed the partially-installed primary cooling capacity.
OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable AC
Cantherm distributes the OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable air conditioning series, scaling up to 30 tons single-unit. OWC uses water as the heat-rejection medium — either condenser water from the data center’s existing chilled-water loop or a portable cooling tower. This eliminates the hot-exhaust-air management challenge that air-cooled portable units present in tight server room and data center environments.
OWC is engineered for the duty cycle data centers demand: continuous operation, tight temperature tolerance, and reliable operation under high IT-load conditions. The 30-ton single-unit capacity covers most data center supplemental cooling needs without requiring multiple units across the floor.
MovinCool Climate Pro for high-density spot cooling
For high-density rack rows where one or two cabinets exceed the primary cooling capacity, MovinCool Climate Pro 26 portable spot coolers deliver 26,000 BTU/hr of targeted cooling directly to the hot aisle. Climate Pro 18 covers smaller spot-cooling situations. Both are built by Denso since 1982 for mission-critical 24-hour operations.
MovinCool Climate Pro is the right answer for: high-density GPU racks, AI training clusters generating concentrated thermal load, surge cooling on the hottest few racks during summer peak load, and emergency cooling while waiting for OceanAire OWC deployment.
Data center cooling deployment timing
- Emergency call to 800.661.WARM. Cantherm sales engineering sizes the appropriate cooling package on the call — OWC, Climate Pro 26, or combination — based on data center floor area, IT load, chilled-water loop availability, and required deployment timing.
- Same-day truck dispatch for MovinCool Climate Pro 26. Available from Winnipeg warehouse inventory.
- 24-48 hour truck dispatch for OceanAire OWC. Larger water-cooled units typically ship within 24-48 hours of order confirmation.
- On-site connection. OWC connects to building chilled-water loop or a portable cooling tower for heat rejection. MovinCool Climate Pro 26 connects to standard 208/230V power with flexible exhaust ducting.
Frequently asked questions about data center cooling
What tonnage of portable cooling do data centers need?
Data center portable cooling sizes by IT load (watts per rack) rather than floor area. Standard density (5-7 kW/rack) typically needs roughly 1 ton of cooling per 3.5 kW of IT load. High-density GPU rows (15-30 kW/rack) need significantly more concentrated cooling. OceanAire OWC scales up to 30 tons single-unit, covering most data center supplemental cooling needs. Call 800.661.WARM for IT-load-specific sizing.
Why is OceanAire OWC water-cooled instead of air-cooled?
Air-cooled portable AC exhausts hot condenser air through flexible ducting routed outside the cooled envelope. In data centers, routing hot exhaust to the outdoors is often impractical or impossible. Water-cooled OceanAire OWC rejects heat to building chilled-water loop or a portable cooling tower, eliminating the hot-exhaust-routing challenge. Result: cleaner installation, no compromise to data center hot/cold aisle airflow design.
How fast can Cantherm deploy emergency data center cooling?
MovinCool Climate Pro 26 portable spot coolers ship same-day from Cantherm’s Winnipeg warehouse for emergency situations across western Canada. OceanAire OWC water-cooled units typically ship within 24-48 hours due to size and water-connection planning. Call 800.661.WARM with your data center location and current cooling situation for deployment timing.
Can portable cooling bridge a planned chiller maintenance window?
Yes. OceanAire OWC water-cooled portable AC is engineered for continuous duty cycles during planned chiller maintenance windows. Capacity scales up to 30 tons single-unit and multiple units can be combined for larger data center floors. Plan deployment 1-2 weeks before maintenance start for OWC unit reservation. Call 800.661.WARM to coordinate maintenance-window cooling.
What about cooling for high-density GPU and AI training clusters?
High-density GPU racks (15-30 kW/rack) generate concentrated thermal load that often exceeds primary cooling system per-rack capacity. MovinCool Climate Pro 26 portable spot coolers deliver 26,000 BTU/hr directly to the hot aisle of specific high-density racks. For full GPU row supplemental cooling, OceanAire OWC at 20-30 tons covers the load. Call 800.661.WARM for AI-cluster cooling sizing.
Does Cantherm provide on-site support for data center cooling deployments?
Cantherm provides cooling equipment with operating manuals, parts, and service support. On-site installation is typically coordinated with the data center facility management team or its mechanical contractor. Cantherm sales engineering supports unit selection, sizing, and configuration. Call 800.661.WARM for deployment planning.