French cloud provider OVHcloud has open sourced some of its water cooling technology.

The company has open-sourced its designs promoting efficiency in the data center, specifically providing the following schematics: Manual Control Valve (MCV) and 3 Balls Flow Meter.

The designs are available through the Open Compute Project: MCV, flowmeter.

“Innovation for freedom is what defines us at OVHcloud. We are thrilled to take this motto to new heights at the 2024 OCP EMEA Regional Summit, igniting conversations with our peers and contributing to various open-source projects,” said Miroslaw Klaba, R&D director, OVHcloud.

The MCV offers a way to control fluid flow within the cooling system, and an alternative to automated methods. It is easy to adjust and doesn't require shutoff valves to be included during maintenance processes, because manual shutoff is assured. The company said the valve improves the simplicity of the system, increasing operational efficiency.

In terms of the latter development, flowmeters are an essential part of water-cooled data centers. The flow of water onto components is directly related to the amount of cooling required, making flowmeters important in managing both energy and water consumption. Organizations tend to install at least one per rack.

Flowmeters measure the volumetric or mass flow rate of a fluid, so are important when delivering cooling fluid to systems. OVH’s flowmeter uses three balls of different sizes along a tube to provide resistance to water flow; this gives an analog measurement of flow rate in l/minute. The company said this design is both cheaper and easier to maintain than a digital flow meter.