A new cooling technology developed in South Wales has moved a step closer to commercial use after tests showed it could help data centres remove heat more effectively without replacing the coolant they already use.
Super-Efficient Thermal Transfer Fluid (SETTF) has been developed and patented by Haydale plc, the advanced materials and clean-technology group based in Ammanford.
Rather than replacing the coolant already used in a data centre, SETTF is added to it in very small amounts. It is designed to improve the cooling performance of glycol-based fluids, which are widely used because they protect against freezing and corrosion but are less effective at transferring heat than water.
In testing, SETTF increased the thermal conductivity of a coolant containing 22% glycol by around 28%, bringing its heat-transfer capability back to the level of pure water while retaining glycol's protective benefits.
For data-centre operators, that could potentially mean more efficient cooling, lower energy use or greater capacity to cope with the increasing heat generated by AI and high-performance computing.
The technology has also been tested on a live processor cooling rig, where it matched water for coolant flow, pump power and processor temperature, with no settling, fouling or thickening of the fluid observed during testing.
Haydale CEO Simon Turek said:
“Where freeze protection is required, glycol has historically meant accepting a corresponding reduction in thermal performance. Our testing demonstrates that SETTF can restore the thermal conductivity of a fully inhibited glycol coolant to the level of pure water, without increasing viscosity or compromising the underlying protection provided by the coolant.
“As AI processors become more powerful, rack densities increase and operators seek to run cooling loops hotter, every degree of thermal headroom matters. The opportunity is not simply to improve the coolant, but to allow an operator to decide how to use that gain – through lower flow, cooler processors, lower cooling energy or additional compute capacity.”
To take SETTF towards commercial deployment, Haydale has signed agreements with two specialist technology companies covering the product's supply chain, qualification and route to market.
Liquitherm Technologies Group, trading as DC Cooling Solutions, will provide the glycol and inhibitor package used with SETTF and lead its qualification with equipment manufacturers and standards bodies.
Stephen Hickson, Liquitherm's Group CEO and CTO, said:
“The SETTF test results are very encouraging.”
He said the ability to improve cooling performance while retaining the protection required in direct-to-chip cooling systems could prove important in enhancing processor performance, adding:
“Our focus is now on qualification and integration into our data-centre cooling fluid range and similar HVAC environments served by the Liquitherm group and our global partners.”
Cambridge-based Levidian will supply the G3 graphene used in SETTF. Haydale then treats, or ‘functionalises', the graphene at its Ammanford facility using its proprietary HDPlas process, enabling the material to disperse effectively through the cooling fluid.
Levidian's Chief Commercial Officer Ian Hopkins said:
“SETTF represents an exciting, high-value application for our G3 graphene.”
He added that Levidian's materials expertise and international production platform could support the technology as it expands into markets seeing rapid growth in AI infrastructure.
“We look forward to working with Haydale and Liquitherm on qualification and first commercial deployments,” he said.
Haydale and its commercial partners are already in advanced discussions with data-centre operators representing around 200MW of capacity, equivalent to approximately 200,000 litres of treated coolant.
The first installations are being targeted within the next 12 months, although it is not yet confirmed whether the current discussions will result in orders.
Haydale says its existing functionalisation capacity at Ammanford is sufficient to support around two million litres of treated coolant a year, equivalent to approximately 2GW of data-centre capacity.
Haydale, Liquitherm and Levidian intend to work together on the manufacture, marketing and distribution of SETTF as the product moves through further qualification and towards its first commercial deployments.
The next stage will include further qualification, higher-load system testing and work with data-centre operators towards the first installations.
