HiRef: tuned into reliability

A major national radio broadcaster has chosen HiRef for the air conditioning of its server rooms inside a building located in the urban centre of Milan. The installation context presents particularly sensitive characteristics: on the one hand, the need to operate in a central and densely urbanised area; on the other, the requirement to contain the system’s impact on the surrounding environment, with particular attention to acoustic comfort. In a historic city centre such as Milan, rooftop technological solutions must ensure not only reliable performance, but also sound levels compatible with the presence of commercial activities, offices and residential buildings.

For the customer, the main requirement is to ensure stable temperature and humidity conditions inside the server rooms, where IT equipment and systems supporting radio broadcasting operations are installed. In the broadcasting sector, operational continuity is an essential requirement: any thermal anomalies or interruptions in air conditioning can compromise the reliability of the technical infrastructure and, consequently, the regularity of the service.
HiRef responded to these requirements with the supply of 6 on/off direct expansion perimeter units from the TRF range, each with a cooling capacity of 25 kW, for a total system capacity of 150 kW. The units have been combined with low-noise remote condensers, selected to reduce the acoustic impact of the system in a highly sensitive urban context. The configuration with rooftop condensers has made it possible to meet the architectural and logistical constraints of the building, while keeping the external sections in a suitable position from a system design perspective and limiting sound propagation towards the surrounding environment. In this way, the proposed solution has reconciled the need for continuous cooling of the server rooms with the requirement to preserve the acoustic comfort of the urban area in which the building is located.

The supply has been completed with a long-distance kit, required to correctly manage the considerable extension of the refrigerant lines between the indoor units and the remote condensers. In direct expansion applications with extended pipe runs, the sizing of the piping plays a decisive role: it is necessary to limit pressure drops, avoid performance penalties and ensure the correct oil return to the compressor, even in the presence of height differences and significant line developments. The long-distance kit contributes to the stability of the refrigerant circuit by integrating the components required to preserve correct system operation and compressor protection over time.
Particular attention has also been paid to the choice of refrigerant. The TRF units are in fact equipped with R513A, a low-GWP refrigerant compared to traditional solutions with a higher climate impact. This choice reflects a system design approach oriented towards sustainability and the progressive reduction of the environmental impact of HVAC systems, a topic that is increasingly relevant today in light of the evolution of European regulations on fluorinated gases. The use of R513A therefore makes it possible to combine operational reliability, performance and greater consistency with the future direction of the market.

Thanks to the integration of these solutions, HiRef has developed a project capable of meeting the customer’s specific requirements: guaranteeing operational continuity for the server rooms, ensuring correct system operation despite the distance between the indoor units and the rooftop area, reducing acoustic impact in a sensitive urban context and adopting a solution with greater attention to environmental sustainability.