Castrol, one of the world’s leading lubricant brands and a subsidiary of BP, has joined the partner programme of the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) to help accelerate the research and development of next-generation immersion cooling fluids for use in data centres. Castrol will also look to develop mid- to long-term solutions with support from RISE to address the challenges associated with the development of next generation computing and materials.
RISE is an independent, Swedish state-owned research institute focused on future technologies, products and services, and one of the global leaders in holistic data centre research. By joining RISE’s partnership programme, Castrol aims to combine its fluid, material science and thermal management expertise with RISE’s state-of-the-art testbed and research capabilities to help facilitate the further development of the Castrol ON range of single-phase Immersion Cooling Fluids while accelerating the adoption of immersion cooling with the other project partners.
Optimising efficiency and energy usage
Immersion cooling involves submerging server and IT equipment in a non-conductive dielectric liquid. Compared to conventional cooling methods, immersion cooling can help reduce the consumption of energy and water needed to cool servers, and enables the reuse of some waste heat. Castrol products already offer advanced thermal management performance, very low viscosity, high fluid stability for enhanced safety, and strong electrical component compatibility. Castrol ON Fluids are used in IT hardware cooling, power electronics and high-performance batteries.
Rebecca Yates, bp Technology’s Vice President Advanced Lubricants Products, said: “Immersion cooling is a fast-developing sphere of innovation, spurred on by the global need to optimise the efficiency and energy usage of the world’s most powerful data centres. Through this collaboration, Castrol and RISE will accelerate development of immersion coolants and develop underpinning science which addresses challenges associated with the development of next generation computing”.
Enabling direct bi-lateral collaboration
Tor Björn Minde, Director ICE Data Centre at RISE, said: “We want to excel in data centre technologies by working with the industry. A partner programme helps with dialogue and enables direct bi-lateral collaboration. This way we can continue to develop our thought leadership together with our partners.”
