Customer Profile: Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY, has served as an important military asset since shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field performs a variety of operations including close air support, air interdiction, intelligence collection, and quick strike capabilities. The Hancock Field Base is used to remotely pilot MQ-9 Reaper drones on combat and surveillance missions. It also serves as a maintenance and training facility for drone crews.
Challenge: In 2019, the U.S. Airforce sought to expand its fleet of MQ-Reaper drones at the site by sending an extra four aircrafts, two mobile ground control stations, and new training equipment to the base. With the expansion of this program, the base required updates to its main control center to support the additional equipment. A large data room was needed to handle the program’s remote monitoring needs.
Stark Tech Solution: The Stark Tech team recommended and installed two (2) Vertiv Liebert DSE 85kw into the base’s upgraded data center. These units were selected to match the units used in the Reaper training room on the same base. The pumped refrigerant economization system minimizes compressor use and can eliminate the need to bring outside air and contaminants into the data center.
The high-performance thermal management solution is up to 50% more energy efficient than legacy solutions due to its innovative design and longer useful life. Most data rooms are controlled at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and often, outside air temperature is lower than the indoor space. To support cooling measures, pumped refrigeration is used across the outdoor condensers to cool the refrigerant at reduced compressor capacity. In some instances, it can even eliminate the need for compressors in colder weather.
This solution adds capacity efficiently with its modular, scalable design and eliminates the need for additional chillers, cooling towers, and ductwork. This, along with the use of Electronically Communicated (EC) fans, greatly reduces the energy cost over the year.
The team also installed two (2) Vertiv Liebert Mini-Mate variable capacity systems. The system not only saves capital and operational costs, it also increased IT protection through a high-efficiency variable capacity design, lower maintenance requirements, and built-in remote monitoring and management software.
Project Result: This project took approximately 48 weeks to complete. The Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) units have been successfully maintaining the space with energy efficiency. And the new aircrafts and equipment have allowed the base to almost double the number of Reaper drone pilots and sensor operators trained at Hancock Field from 45 to 85 per year.
Equipment Installed:
- Vertiv CRAC units
- 2- 85kw DSE
- 2- 5 ton Mini-Mate’s
