Industries & Applications

Heat Exchangers for Data Centers

In data centers, thermal control is critical. One small cooling failure can mean thousands of dollars lost in minutes.

LHE gasketed and welded heat exchangers help you maintain stable temperatures, optimize water-cooled system efficiency, and scale your cooling infrastructure to meet rising demand — with proven reliability and lifecycle value engineered in.

Site Conditions

Inland or urban: consider cooling tower isolation and free cooling first. Coastal: consider seawater cooling first

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Cooling Methods

Air-cooled: consider chillers and free cooling first. High-density AI: consider CDUs and hybrid cooling first.

Operating Goals

Energy savings: consider free cooling first. Heat reuse: consider waste heat recovery first.

Applications in the data center

Across the data center cooling system, plate heat exchangers provide efficient heat transfer between cooling circuits. They can support chilled-water systems, free cooling, liquid cooling and heat recovery while maintaining separation between primary and secondary loops.

Free Cooling (Outside Air)

Outside air reduces chiller operation in winter and in spring and autumn. A heat exchanger keeps the cooling tower water separate from the server loop, cutting energy use and operating costs.

Liquid Cooling CDU

In direct-to-chip liquid cooling for AI racks, the heat exchanger transfers heat between facility water and server coolant without mixing them. It works efficiently even at a small temperature difference, enabling a compact CDU.

Cooling Tower Isolation

A heat exchanger between the cooling tower and the chiller keeps impurities and scale out of the chiller. The plates are easy to disassemble and clean, which keeps long-term maintenance simple.

Chiller (Evaporator and Condenser)

Shell and plate heat exchangers work as the evaporator or condenser in a compact footprint. They transfer heat reliably for facilities running 24 hours a day, sized to the chiller capacity and operating conditions.

Waste Heat Recovery

Server heat can be recovered through the heat exchanger and reused for building heating or hot water. If needed, a heat pump raises the temperature to a usable level.

Hybrid Cooling (Air + Liquid)

Keep your existing air cooling and add liquid cooling for AI racks as you grow. The heat exchanger is sized to capacity and temperature, so you can expand in phases, starting where it is needed.

Seawater Cooling

The heat exchanger separates seawater from the facility cooling loop, so corrosive seawater never enters the facility. Plate materials are matched to the marine environment.

Solving the pressures of growing cooling loads

Protect uptime

Maintain stable cooling even during peak server loads to prevent system failures and downtime.

Lower cooling energy

Improve chilled water efficiency to reduce energy use per rack and cut total cooling costs.

Scale with growth

Flexible designs that integrate smoothly with expansions, edge deployments, and modular facilities.

Simplify maintenance

Compact, modular designs make regular inspections and cleanings simpler, drastically reducing downtime.

Tested, trusted, and always within reach

Certified performance

Our exchangers meet AHRI global standards, ensuring tested thermal efficiency and operational stability.

Lifecycle savings

We help you cut long-term cooling costs and maintenance needs — not just hit a low first quote.

For future cooling needs

From large hyperscale facilities to modular edge data centers, our designs evolve with your infrastructure.

Support you can trust

Domestic manufacturing and service teams mean quicker turnaround on parts, maintenance, and technical help.

Thermal stability that protects your uptime

Your cooling system is part of your business continuity. We design heat exchangers that help you maintain uptime, control costs, and grow without risking thermal instability.

Reliable performance for high-density server environments
Stable operating temperatures that protect data integrity
Energy-efficient heat transfer supporting lower loads
Fast support for design, documentation, and system integration
Local service and spare parts to keep systems online without delays

Higher efficiency, better scalability

Data center cooling is shifting from air-cooled limitations to efficient, adaptable water-cooled systems. We help you make that transition without compromising reliability.

Optimized for chilled water cooling towers and centralized plant designs
Flexibility for retrofits, modular expansions, and edge deployments
Lower long-term energy costs through better system-wide efficiency
Building management system integration for real-time monitoring and remote control
Tailored for AI, cloud, and edge computing environments

FAQ

Why use plate heat exchangers in data centers?

Stacked plates transfer heat efficiently in tight spaces and separate the cooling loops to protect equipment. They are also easy to clean and expand.

Under what conditions is free cooling possible?

When the outside air is cool enough to reduce chiller operation. It is most useful in winter and in spring and autumn, depending on the site and design.

What role does a heat exchanger play in a CDU?

It transfers heat between the facility water and the server coolant without mixing them, even at a small temperature difference.

How can the heat from servers be reused?

The heat exchanger passes the recovered heat to a building heating or hot water loop. A heat pump can raise low-temperature heat if needed.

Is corrosion a concern when using seawater?

The heat exchanger keeps seawater out of the facility, and plate materials are selected for seawater use. Details are reviewed for each project.

Liquid Cooled Server Rack in Data Center

LHE Global Service Network

With service centers in over 13 countries, LHE delivers localized support where and when you need it. We provide cleaning, testing, reconditioning, and on-site diagnostics — backed by centralized QA and engineering support.