Client Yakima Valley Farm Workers

Construction Type New Construction

Project Size 22,400 sq. ft.

Project Completion 2012

MSI Engineers provided HVAC, Hydronics and Plumbing design services for this 22,400 sq. ft. office building located in Toppenish, Washington.   The project was awarded a LEED Silver certification.

The project included a 2,000 sq. ft. data center in which the mechanical system was designed to provide 90 tons of cooling.  Two 30-ton CRAC units were provided during construction, and the infrastructure for the remaining CRAC unit was installed to facilitate easy installation as the cooling demand increases over time.

The CRAC units utilized a fluid-based economizer, which maximized energy savings while providing the accuracy and reliability demanded by sensitive data center equipment and operations.  The system is self-contained and includes controls to make intelligent decisions about cooling modes.  At ambient temperatures above 65° F, the unit functions as a normal glycol dual compressor system, with the compressors providing cooling.  Once it is cold enough outside to supply some cooling, the control opens a modulating valve serving an econ-o-coil.  The econ-o-coil provides some “free cooling,” while the compressors provide the rest of the cooling to satisfy the load.  As outside temperatures continues to decrease, the econ-o-coil has the capacity to eliminate the need for the compressors–so they shut off, providing all “free cooling.