Summary
Tricel Water supplied six hot-press sectional GRP water storage tanks for a large-scale data centre facility in the South of England.
Each tank measured 3 m × 3 m × 3 m and provided a nominal capacity of 27,000 litres. Together, the six tanks provided 162,000 litres of installed storage capacity.
The tanks formed part of the facility’s process cooling infrastructure. Three tanks were required to maintain normal process performance, while the remaining three were configured as contingency assets.
Shortly after commissioning, a severe storm uprooted a large tree, which fell onto the tank array and caused significant structural damage to two tanks. Despite the damage, cooling operations remained uninterrupted because sufficient standby storage remained available while remedial works were completed.
Project Information
At a Glance
A large-scale global data centre facility in the South of England required process water storage to support its cooling infrastructure.
Data Centres
Tricel Weston
Six externally flanged sectional GRP water storage tanks were supplied, each measuring 3 m × 3 m × 3 m with a nominal capacity of 27,000 litres.
The project involved supplying six sectional GRP tanks to provide stored water for the data centre’s cooling system, with a total installed nominal capacity of 162,000 litres.
The storage system needed to support continuous process cooling while providing sufficient reserve capacity if individual tanks became unavailable.
August 2021 — Six sectional GRP tanks supplied.
Post–commissioning – Severe storm damaged two tanks.
Cooling operations continued while remedial works were completed.
The six-tank configuration demonstrated its contingency capability when two tanks sustained storm damage. The remaining storage maintained cooling operations while remedial works were undertaken.
Project Background
Process Water Storage for Data Centre Cooling
The continued operation of a data centre depends on more than its electrical supply. Computing and telecommunications equipment generates heat continuously, making the associated cooling infrastructure an important part of facility operation.
For this large data centre in the South of England, stored water supported the site’s process cooling requirements.
Tricel Water supplied six hot-press sectional GRP tanks. Each tank measured 3 m × 3 m × 3 m and had a nominal capacity of 27,000 litres, resulting in 162,000 litres of total installed storage.
The system did not depend on all six tanks for normal operation. Only three were required to maintain full process performance. The remaining three were configured as contingency assets, providing additional storage availability if part of the system became unavailable.
Delivery Approach
Tricel's Engineering and Delivery Approach
The data-centre installation combined modular sectional construction with multiple independent storage tanks to provide the required process-water capacity within the available site conditions.
Hot-Press Sectional GRP Construction
The installation comprised six hot-press sectional GRP water storage tanks.
Each tank used externally flanged sides and base construction, with dimensions of 3 m × 3 m × 3 m.
Modular Installation
The sectional format enabled the tanks to be installed within the spatial and structural constraints of the project while still providing substantial individual storage capacity.
Rather than transporting a complete 27,000-litre vessel to its final location, sectional construction allowed the tank structure to be formed from modular GRP panels.
Six-Tank Configuration
The facility’s total water storage requirement was distributed across six individual tanks rather than a single storage vessel.
This configuration provided greater flexibility in how the available storage was operated.
Three Operational Tanks
Only three of the six tanks were required to maintain full process performance under normal operating conditions.
These tanks provided the water required by the site’s cooling process.
Three Contingency Tanks
The remaining three tanks were configured as contingency assets.
This meant additional storage remained available if operational tanks were unavailable because of maintenance, damage or another unplanned event.
The Brief
Understanding the Challenge
The data-centre process water storage project centred on four requirements.
•Process Cooling Demand: The facility required stored water to support the cooling systems necessary for data-centre operation.
•Storage Capacity: Six 27,000-litre tanks were required, providing a total installed nominal capacity of 162,000 litres.
•Operational Resilience: Only three tanks were required for full process operation, allowing the other three to act as contingency assets.
•Site Constraints: The storage system needed to provide the required capacity within the spatial and structural constraints of the installation area. The modular sectional GRP format was used to address these conditions.
Programme
Timeline
Six hot-press sectional GRP water storage tanks were supplied for the data centre facility in the South of England.
The six tanks provided 27,000 litres each, with three required for normal process operation and three retained as contingency assets.
A large tree was uprooted during a severe storm and fell onto the tank array, causing significant structural damage to two units.
The contingency arrangement maintained sufficient storage and supply continuity while remedial works were carried out.
Outcome
Resilient Process Water Storage for Data Centre Cooling
Total nominal installed storage capacity across the six sectional GRP tanks.
Six individual hot-press sectional GRP tanks were incorporated into the installation.
Each 3 m × 3 m × 3 m tank provided a nominal storage capacity of 27,000 litres.
Three tanks supported normal process operation, with three additional tanks configured as contingency assets.
A severe storm caused significant structural damage to two tanks shortly after commissioning.
Despite the damage, the facility’s cooling operations remained uninterrupted while remedial works were completed.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are multiple water storage tanks useful for data-centre cooling systems?
Using multiple tanks can allow stored water capacity to be distributed across separate units. Depending on the system design, individual tanks may be isolated for inspection, maintenance or repair while other tanks remain available.
What information is needed when specifying a data-centre process water tank?
The specification should establish required storage capacity, process water demand, available footprint, tank dimensions, connection requirements, structural loading, access restrictions and the level of contingency required by the cooling system.
Why is the supporting foundation important for sectional GRP tanks?
Sectional tanks require an appropriately designed and level supporting structure. Tricel Water’s current data-centre guidance specifies a foundation levelness tolerance of ±2 mm over the full footprint and recommends surveying the base before procurement.
Can sectional GRP tanks be used where access is restricted?
Yes. Sectional tanks are constructed from individual GRP panels rather than being delivered as one complete vessel. This can make them suitable for locations where the access route would prevent installation of an equivalent one-piece tank.
What should be considered when planning redundancy for process water storage?
The required redundancy should be based on the cooling system’s design, required autonomy, consequences of tank isolation or failure, maintenance requirements and the amount of storage needed to maintain operation during an incident.
Can individual tanks be isolated for maintenance?
A multi-tank arrangement can permit individual tanks to be isolated where the associated pipework, valves and system controls are designed accordingly. The complete hydraulic arrangement needs to be considered during specification.
Why should tank capacity be considered alongside cooling demand?
Storage capacity needs to relate to actual system demand. The designer should consider consumption rate, refill rate, contingency duration and required operating reserve rather than selecting tank volume independently of the cooling-system requirements.
What site information should be checked before ordering sectional tanks?
Important information includes the available footprint, foundation condition and levelness, access route, headroom, maintenance clearances, connection locations, structural loading and the sequence in which components will reach the installation position.
About the Global Data Centre Facility
The original case study identifies the client only as a global data centre facility in the South of England.
The company name and precise site location are not published. For that reason, the rebuilt case study should not assign a client name, facility classification, Tier rating or other operating information that cannot be supported by the project material.
The project required process water storage as part of the site’s cooling infrastructure, with the storage arrangement designed so that three tanks could support normal process requirements while another three remained available as contingency assets.
ABOUT TRICEL WATER
Tricel Water manufactures GRP water storage tanks for data centres, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings, infrastructure and industrial applications.
Its sectional GRP range can be configured to meet different capacity, footprint, access and installation requirements, including projects where tanks must be assembled from modular panels at their final location.
For data-centre projects, Tricel Water provides sectional cold water storage systems for applications including process cooling and associated critical water-storage requirements.
