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BETTESWORTHConstruction

Retrofitting a Server Room for Single-Phase Immersion Cooling: A Practical Facility Guide

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Retrofitting an existing server room for single-phase immersion cooling is feasible, but it is a facilities-engineering project rather than a tank purchase. The reliable path is to survey the building, qualify the servers and dielectric fluid, connect a technology-cooling loop (TCS) to the facility-water system (FWS), pilot one isolated zone, and expand only after thermal, safety, electrical and service criteria are met.

Immersion can remove almost all IT heat from the room air path, yet it does not automatically make existing CRAC units, chillers, drainage or fire systems redundant. The design must account for structural loading, fluid containment, ventilation, access, residual room loads, water temperatures, redundancy and the maintenance workflow.

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Can an existing server room be retrofitted for single-phase immersion cooling?

Yes, when the room and building services can support the tanks, fluid, heat exchangers, piping and safety systems. A retrofit is usually lowest risk when one modular zone is converted first, with a clear boundary between immersed equipment and air-cooled equipment that remains in service.

Do not order tanks until the design basis is documented. The project team should include facilities, electrical, mechanical, fire-protection, IT operations, environmental-health-and-safety and the immersion-system supplier. Local building, fire, occupational and environmental authorities may impose requirements that differ by jurisdiction.

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How does single-phase immersion move heat out of the room?

Servers operate while submerged in a nonconductive dielectric liquid. Pumps circulate that liquid through a heat exchanger, commonly inside or next to a coolant distribution unit (CDU). Heat crosses the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger into the building’s water loop and is then rejected by a chiller, dry cooler, cooling tower or another approved heat-rejection system.

ASHRAE identifies the immersed liquid loop as the technology cooling system (TCS) and the building-side loop as the facility water system (FWS). Its data-center guidance describes immersion as a bath in which pumped fluid transfers heat to a dedicated coolant-to-water heat exchanger connected to chilled or condenser water.

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“The thermal mass of the liquid vat often enables these systems to ‘ride-through’ a cooling failure with little or no supplemental circulation.”

That ride-through characteristic can provide useful time during a pump or water-system interruption, but it is not a substitute for the required uptime design. Controls still need alarms, orderly workload action and a defined shutdown or bypass procedure.

ASHRAE also says that “nearly 100% of the heat would be rejected” from the room in a full-immersion system. Treat this as a qualitative design statement, not a guaranteed energy-saving percentage. Lighting, people, electrical equipment, network devices that remain air cooled, tank-surface losses and ventilation still add room heat.

What should the design basis contain before any equipment is selected?

The design basis turns a general cooling objective into measurable acceptance criteria. Record the following for the current load and the expected expansion case:

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  • IT inventory: server models, CPU and GPU thermal design power, installed memory and storage, power draw, rack or tank population, and equipment that cannot be immersed.
  • Growth and workload: expected density increases, representative high-load applications, boot behavior, maintenance windows and any accelerated-computing equipment with unusual thermal limits.
  • Operating targets: liquid supply and return temperatures, allowable server inlet conditions, flow range, pressure limits, alarm thresholds and the maximum temperature rise permitted by the selected system.
  • Reliability objective: required availability, maintenance strategy, failure ride-through, emergency power and whether pumps, CDUs and heat-rejection paths will be N, N+1 or 2N.
  • Room boundaries: which tanks, racks, switches, storage systems, power equipment and monitoring devices will remain air cooled.
  • Service model: how a server is lifted, drained or allowed to drip, where it is placed for inspection, how fluid is topped up or filtered, and how contaminated absorbents and used liquid are handled.

Ask the tank and server suppliers to confirm compatibility in writing. A server that fits physically may still have restrictions involving fans, seals, cable jackets, thermal-interface materials, hard drives, optical devices or warranty conditions.

How do you survey the existing room and building?

A site survey should produce drawings, measured clearances, load calculations and a list of code questions—not just photographs. Review each area below before the concept design is frozen.

Floor structure and access

Calculate the operating weight of each tank, dielectric liquid, servers, frames and any service platform. Compare the resulting point and distributed loads with the structural engineer’s allowable values; do not rely on a raised-floor rating alone. Check slab penetrations, seismic restraints where applicable, doorway widths, lift capacity, turning radii, delivery routes and the path for removing a full tank or CDU.

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Measure service clearances around lids, pumps, filters, heat exchangers, electrical panels and lifting equipment. A tank that fits the room but cannot be opened or removed without dismantling another system is not maintainable.

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Electrical distribution and grounding

Inventory available voltage, breaker capacity, fault-current ratings, panel space, emergency power and upstream selective coordination. Pumps, controls, heaters, leak-detection equipment and lifting devices may need separate circuits. Bond tanks, piping and exposed conductive parts according to the electrical design; a nonconductive fluid does not eliminate shock, arc-flash or grounding requirements.

Water and heat rejection

Locate chilled-water, condenser-water or dry-cooler headers and confirm their flow, pressure, temperature, water chemistry, seasonal range and redundancy. Record available capacity at the design wet-bulb or ambient condition, not only the nameplate rating. Existing chillers, cooling towers and dry coolers may be reusable, but the Vertiv liquid-cooling guidance notes that modifications may be needed to maintain the temperatures required by a liquid system.

Drainage, fire protection and ventilation

Map every floor drain, trench, sump and pipe route. Confirm whether any spill could reach sanitary or storm sewage; the design should prevent that path. Review sprinkler classification, detection, fire-resistance ratings, egress and the fluid’s local classification with the authority having jurisdiction.

Document existing CRAC units, outside-air ventilation, exhaust capacity and pressure relationships. Open-bath systems may require ventilation specified by the fluid safety data sheet (SDS), even when the liquid has a high flash point.

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Which immersion architecture is appropriate for a retrofit?

There is no universal best arrangement. Choose the architecture that meets service access, density, fluid, water-temperature and redundancy requirements with the least disruption to the occupied room.

Decision Option 1 Option 2 Retrofit implication
Tank form Open bath Enclosed or chassis system Open baths simplify direct access but expose more fluid surface and require careful ventilation and spill control. Enclosures can reduce exposure and fluid volume per service zone but add doors, seals and pressure-relief considerations.
Phase Single phase Two phase Single phase pumps liquid through a heat exchanger and avoids boiling in normal operation. Two phase relies on evaporation and vapor condensation, bringing different pressure, vapor-management and fluid requirements; it is not a drop-in substitute.
Heat exchanger Integrated in the tank Separate CDU An integrated unit can save floor space and piping. A separate CDU can centralize filtration, controls and redundancy and may make phased expansion easier.
Heat rejection Chilled water Warm water, dry cooler or condenser water Warmer-water designs can reduce chiller work if the IT operating limits and local climate permit. Verify approach temperature, seasonal performance and available flow before selecting the source.
Redundancy N N+1 or 2N N may suit noncritical workloads with a controlled shutdown. N+1 or 2N adds capital and space but supports maintenance and a higher uptime target.

For most retrofits, a modular tank or tank group with isolation valves, a serviceable CDU and room for a second unit is easier to phase than a single room-wide installation. Keep air-cooled capacity for equipment that cannot be immersed and for recovery during CDU or facility-water work.

How do you choose and qualify a dielectric fluid?

“Nonconductive” describes electrical behavior; it does not mean nonhazardous, nonflammable, harmless to workers or unrestricted for disposal. Obtain the supplier’s current SDS and technical data sheet (TDS), and have safety and environmental specialists review them before purchase.

Check at least:

  • evaporation or minimum evaporation temperature, flash point and local fire classification;
  • viscosity and thermal conductivity over the full operating-temperature range;
  • electrical properties and how contamination or aging changes them;
  • compatibility with seals, gaskets, plastics, cable jackets, labels, connectors, solder masks, thermal-interface materials, storage media, pumps, valves, filters and heat-exchanger materials;
  • storage, transport, spill response, personal-protective equipment and disposal route;
  • availability of replacement fluid and whether mixing different formulations is prohibited;
  • server manufacturer warranty, service instructions and approval for immersion.

Single-phase systems should not exceed the fluid’s minimum evaporation temperature unless vapor can be contained. The Open Compute Project immersion requirements also call for fluid and health-and-safety documentation to be available to operators. Label every tank with the exact fluid name and lot or fill information so an emergency responder does not have to guess.

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How should the TCS and FWS interface be engineered?

Design the technology loop and facility loop as separate, serviceable systems joined by a rated heat exchanger or CDU. That separation limits contamination risk and allows the facility-water plant to remain under its normal water-treatment program.

Technology cooling system

  • Size pumps for the selected fluid’s viscosity, elevation, fittings, filters and heat-exchanger pressure drop at the coldest expected condition.
  • Provide supply and return isolation valves, flexible connections where vibration or movement requires them, strainers or filters, drains that lead to controlled collection, and high-point venting where appropriate.
  • Install temperature sensors at tank or loop inlet and outlet. Add flow, pressure, level and fluid-quality sensing when the system supports it.
  • Provide expansion volume or pressure-relief provisions for enclosed sections. Never trap a liquid-filled section between closed valves without a relief strategy.
  • Select wetted materials, elastomers and fittings from compatibility data for the exact fluid, not a generic “oil-resistant” claim.

Facility water system

  • Confirm design flow, supply and return temperature, pressure, water chemistry, filtration and allowable pressure drop with the plant operator.
  • Check whether the chiller, tower, dry cooler, pumps and controls have spare capacity at the worst seasonal condition.
  • Provide isolation and bypass arrangements so one CDU can be serviced without shutting down the entire room when the uptime objective requires it.
  • Coordinate control sequences: low FWS flow, high FWS temperature, high liquid temperature and loss of pump power should produce defined alarms and, where justified, an automatic IT-protection action.

In a raised-floor room, route pipes so they do not block required airflow or access panels. In a slab room, overhead routing with drip pans can keep a leak away from servers and electrical gear, provided the structure and seismic or fire-stopping details are engineered.

What containment, ventilation and fire controls are required?

Design for the largest credible release, not only a slow seep. A dual-hull tank, curbed area or leak tray should hold at least the volume of the largest container, including interconnected piping and tanks where applicable. Provide a controlled collection point and prevent any route to sanitary or storm sewage.

The OCP specification states: “Any open bath liquid system may only be placed in a well-ventilated room, as specified in related MSDS documentation provided by the dielectric liquid provider.” Follow the exact ventilation rate, temperature limits and exposure controls in the fluid SDS and local code. Do not assume that ordinary CRAC recirculation is adequate ventilation.

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Stock absorbents, over-pack containers, compatible pumps and labeled waste containers for a catastrophic release. Post the fluid SDS, spill procedure, emergency contacts and PPE requirements in the room. The OCP guidance calls for spill-management and operator training for each fluid, not generic training alone.

Protect electrical assemblies from splash and vapor exposure, maintain clear egress, and coordinate fire detection and suppression with the authority having jurisdiction. Enclosed systems need pressure relief and a documented response to abnormal pressure or temperature. Open baths need lids or covers where the supplier requires them and controls to prevent operation outside the fluid’s permitted temperature range.

Do you need to remove the CRAC units?

Usually not at the beginning. Full immersion can remove nearly all IT heat from the room air path, but residual loads remain and some equipment will still be air cooled.

Calculate heat from lighting, occupants, UPS and power electronics, network switches, storage systems, control panels, pumps, tank surfaces and ventilation air. Keep enough sensible and latent capacity to hold the room’s environmental limits during normal operation and during an immersion-system outage. Removing CRAC equipment before those calculations can leave no recovery path when a tank, CDU or water plant is unavailable.

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After the pilot and a full residual-load study, you may reduce airflow, repurpose a CRAC unit for humidity and standby duty, or remove redundant equipment in a later construction phase. Any change must preserve access, fire-code compliance and the environmental conditions required by non-immersed devices.

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What monitoring and controls should be installed?

At minimum, monitor dielectric-liquid temperature at inlet and outlet, pump status and overheating alarms. A production retrofit normally benefits from a broader point list:

  • tank or loop level and leak detection in each containment zone;
  • liquid flow, differential pressure and filter condition;
  • FWS supply and return temperature, flow and pressure;
  • pump current, vibration or fault status and CDU operating mode;
  • fluid quality indicators selected by the supplier;
  • tank, room and electrical-equipment temperature;
  • power to pumps, CDUs and heat-rejection equipment;
  • communications to the building-management system, DCIM or server-management interface such as Redfish where supported.

Set separate warning and critical thresholds with time delays to avoid nuisance alarms. Define what each alarm does: notify an operator, start a standby pump, close a valve, reduce workload, initiate an orderly server shutdown or escalate to an emergency response. Keep alarm history and calibration records.

How do you install and commission a pilot zone?

A pilot should be large enough to represent the intended workload but small enough to isolate. Use the following sequence.

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  1. Approve the method statement. Include lifting plans, electrical isolation, fluid handling, PPE, spill response, fire watch where required, emergency contacts and acceptance criteria.
  2. Verify the empty installation. Inspect tanks, frames, lids, lifting points, containment, pipe supports, labels and access clearances before adding fluid.
  3. Leak-test piping and containment. Test the TCS and FWS sides using procedures and pressures approved for their components. Check every joint, valve stem, flexible connector, drain and sensor penetration.
  4. Verify electrical protection and bonding. Confirm breaker settings, emergency-power behavior, grounding continuity, disconnect labeling and interlocks.
  5. Clean and fill the system. Flush or clean components as the fluid supplier requires, filter the initial fill, record fluid lot and volume, and prevent water or incompatible oils from entering the tank.
  6. Commission controls with no IT load. Prove pump rotation, valve positions, sensor scaling, alarm thresholds, standby sequences, FWS interlocks and loss-of-power behavior.
  7. Record baseline conditions. Capture liquid supply and return temperature, flow, pressure, room temperature, FWS conditions, pump power and noise or vibration at stable operation.
  8. Introduce a limited server set. Use equipment approved for the exact fluid. Verify boot, network links, storage behavior, workload temperatures and access to service points.
  9. Run representative workloads. Exercise normal and high-load conditions while checking temperature stability, fluid level, leaks, material changes, alarms and maintenance access. This is a commissioning activity, not a claim of an independent benchmark.
  10. Document acceptance. Compare results with the approved design limits. Record open issues, corrective actions, emergency procedures and the conditions required before expansion.

How do you expand after the pilot?

Migrate in controlled blocks rather than filling every tank at once. Add one tank or CDU group only after the previous block meets thermal, electrical, reliability, safety and service criteria.

For each phase, preserve an air-cooled fallback for non-immersed systems and identify a safe state for loss of TCS flow, FWS flow, pump power, controls or heat rejection. Keep spare pumps, filters, seals, compatible fluid, absorbents and calibrated sensors on site according to the supplier’s recommended lead times.

Use change control for every new server model, fluid top-up, firmware update, piping modification and alarm-limit change. A fluid change is not a routine refill: it may require compatibility review, draining, cleaning, waste handling and renewed warranty approval.

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What maintenance workflow should operators follow?

Write procedures around the actual service path. Before removing a server, isolate the workload, identify the lifting method, allow the unit to drain or drip in the designated area, cap or protect connectors as specified, and record the tank position and fluid exposure. Keep a clean inspection bench away from electrical distribution.

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Routine rounds should check level, temperature, flow, pressure, filter differential pressure, leaks, containment condition, pump status and alarm history. Periodically inspect seals, hoses, cable jackets, labels and lifting hardware for swelling, softening, cracking or residue. Sample or test fluid only by the supplier’s method; an improvised test can contaminate the bath.

Train operators on the exact fluid, tank design and emergency isolation points. The OCP requirements emphasize that documentation, spill training and operator training belong in the room, where responders can reach them during an incident.

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What are the common retrofit failure modes and fixes?

Failure mode Likely cause Design or recovery action
Tank or floor movement Unverified point load, uneven slab or inadequate restraint Stop loading, isolate the area and obtain structural and restraint review before operation.
High liquid temperature Insufficient FWS flow, fouled heat exchanger, failed pump, undersized heat rejection or blocked filter Follow the alarm sequence, transfer to standby equipment if available, reduce or shut down IT load and inspect flow, pressure and heat-exchanger approach.
Repeated low-level alarms Leak, evaporation, trapped air or incorrect sensor calibration Do not simply add fluid. Inspect containment, joints and level instrumentation; replenish only with the approved fluid after the cause is resolved.
Unexpected material swelling Incompatible seal, gasket, plastic, cable jacket or thermal-interface material Remove affected parts, quarantine evidence, consult compatibility data and obtain supplier approval before returning equipment.
Room becomes too warm after CRAC reduction Residual loads or non-immersed equipment were underestimated Restore airflow or standby cooling, remeasure residual loads and revise the room environmental sequence.
Spill reaches a drain Containment breach or unreviewed floor route Stop the source, protect people, isolate the drain if safe, deploy compatible absorbents and follow the SDS and environmental response plan.
Nuisance alarms Thresholds too tight, sensor drift, poor time delays or unstable control loop Check calibration and trend data, then tune warning and critical limits through formal change control.

What will the retrofit cost and how long will it take?

There is no defensible universal cost or payback figure. The major variables are tank and CDU capacity, fluid volume and type, structural work, piping distance, heat-rejection modifications, electrical upgrades, containment, controls, redundancy, server replacement and local code requirements.

Obtain a site-specific quotation after the survey and fluid qualification. Require the proposal to separate equipment, construction, controls, commissioning, training, spare parts, fluid handling and disposal. Ask for assumptions about FWS temperature and flow, design IT load, future growth, redundancy and the work required to keep the room operational during installation.

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Schedule risk is usually driven by structural review, long-lead CDUs or tanks, fluid availability, electrical shutdown windows, fire-code approval and the need to move servers in controlled batches. A phased pilot can shorten the first deployment while preserving a decision point before full-room construction.

What acceptance criteria should authorize full deployment?

Before approving the next phase, the owner and design team should sign off that:

  • all intended server models and fluids have written compatibility and warranty confirmation;
  • floor loading, access, restraints, containment, drainage, ventilation and fire-code questions are closed;
  • TCS and FWS flow, temperature, pressure and heat-rejection capacity meet the design basis;
  • electrical protection, grounding, emergency power and interlocks operate as documented;
  • warning and critical alarms are visible to the responsible operators and produce the intended action;
  • pilot workloads remain within approved thermal limits, with no unexplained leaks, material degradation or fluid-quality issue;
  • maintenance, lifting, spill response, waste disposal and non-immersed-equipment procedures are trained and posted;
  • a bypass, orderly-shutdown or fallback-cooling plan exists for pump, CDU, controls and facility-water failures.

When any item is open, keep the project at pilot scale or correct the issue before adding load. Immersion cooling is most reliable when the building systems, operations team and IT equipment are designed as one system.

How do you decide whether to proceed?

Proceed when the site can carry the operating weight, the facility-water plant can meet the required temperatures and flow, the fluid and servers are compatible, and the owner can operate containment, ventilation, monitoring and maintenance systems correctly. Defer or redesign when those conditions depend on unverified assumptions.

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The practical sequence is therefore: define the load, survey the building, select a modular architecture, qualify the fluid, engineer separate TCS and FWS loops, install containment and controls, commission a representative pilot, and expand only against written acceptance criteria. That approach captures immersion’s heat-removal benefit without treating the retrofit as a simple equipment swap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can existing servers be immersed without changing their warranties?

Only if the server manufacturer and immersion-system supplier approve the exact model, fluid and service method in writing. Fan removal, thermal-interface changes, storage-media restrictions and post-immersion repair procedures can all affect warranty coverage, so retain the approvals with the asset record.

Can a single-phase tank share water with other cooling equipment?

It can, provided the shared loop has enough flow, temperature margin, water-quality control and redundancy for the combined load. Hydraulic separation through a rated heat exchanger or CDU, with isolation and bypass capability, is usually needed to prevent one system’s maintenance or contamination from disabling another.

What happens if immersion fluid gets on a server during maintenance?

Follow the fluid-specific SDS and service procedure rather than powering the unit immediately. Move it to the designated drain or inspection area, allow the prescribed drainage period, inspect connectors and materials, and obtain supplier guidance on cleaning and return to service.

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Is a high-flash-point dielectric liquid automatically acceptable in an occupied building?

No. Fire classification, evaporation behavior, exposure limits, ventilation, spill containment and disposal rules still apply. The authority having jurisdiction and the current SDS determine what the room requires.

Can immersion cooling eliminate all room ventilation?

Not necessarily. Open-bath systems may require ventilation for the fluid, and people, residual heat, electrical equipment and non-immersed devices still create room loads. Keep or redesign ventilation only after the fluid and residual-load calculations are approved.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply. Prices as of November 14, 2026 12:04 pm GMT+0000.

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