Data centers are growing in rapid pace which creates significant challenges in all three areas (energy, space and water) to build and operate data centers. Data centers consume large quantities of water for cooling which exacerbates concerns in areas with water scarcity issues. Use of recycled water for data center cooling has emerged as an opportunity with several potential benefits including reducing dependance on potable water and water footprint and creating a sustainable solution that may help data center owners towards their ESG goals. On the other hand, implementing recycled water comes with challenges that may include lack of regulatory framework and public understanding, requiring significant CAPEX and OPEX for treatment, storage and distribution and consistently and reliably meeting high water quality standards. This webinar discusses challenges and how we address those challenges to make recycled water a reliable supply source for data center cooling.
Learning Objectives - to be familiar with:
1. Commonly used cooling approaches for data centers
2. Water quality requirements for cooling
3. Typical treatment and storage requirements
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Heather Cheslek has been a practicing engineer for over 25 years and leads Black & Veatch’s Global Industrial Water Solution based out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Her experience covers all aspects of planning, optimizing, designing, and constructing water and wastewater infrastructure to help clients solve the most complex challenges. She has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a registered professional engineer. Heather is an active member of several state-wide and national organizations and serves on the Professional Advisory Board for MSU’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.
Dr. Ufuk Erdal leads Black & Veatch’s Global Water Reuse practice, bringing over 30 years of experience in planning, pilot testing, technology validation, facility design, and commissioning of advanced treatment facilities. He has delivered key water reuse projects in California, Arizona, Nevada, and globally, providing climate-resilient, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions. Dr. Erdal has applied AI and machine learning to optimize plant performance and asset management. Before joining Black & Veatch, he led a data center cooling initiative, developing a patent-pending approach to reduce the carbon footprint. He has contributed to water reuse regulations in Arizona, California, Georgia, and Idaho, and served on the Water Research Foundation Board from 2017 to 2020.
Jim Oliver has over 40 years of experience in water resource development and supply evaluation. Mr. Oliver oversees the water supply assessments for industrial clients, such as energy and data center customers. He has been the technical leader in many U.S. and international projects related to water supply sourcing, water treatment, water reuse, water disposal, water rights and water supply permitting. He has worked with municipalities, water investors and large industrial water supply customers. Based on this water supply work, Jim has developed specialized workflows to quickly evaluate water options based on supply, water quality, administrative availability and sustainability to help industrial customers understand the optimal water supply. These evaluations frequently involve present value assessments and risk evaluations based on permitting issues and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles related to water as part of the industrial water supply chain decisions. Most recent work has involved assessment of poor-quality water (reclaimed, brackish or produced water) for hyperscale data center cooling and power generation development.
