The criticality of uptime doesn’t need to be explained to data center professionals. In an industry where just 99.9 percent uptime is considered risky to the most powerful and active centers, every detail must be accounted for.

As server capacity and processing power continue to grow, driven by the increasing demands of artificial intelligence and other technologies, so too does the need for reliable and consistent cooling strategies. Irregularities in cooling can lead to inefficiencies in processing power, or in a worst-case scenario, outright failure, creating catastrophic outcomes for data centers.

Data center operators must take every measure to ensure optimal temperature control, and one important factor should be top of mind: highly engineered fluids that keep modern cooling systems operating as intended. While immense engineering and design effort goes into optimizing data center cooling systems, and these systems fundamentally rely on specialized fluids to transfer and dissipate heat, far less attention is paid to the equally critical engineering behind those fluids themselves, despite their central role in enabling systems to operate efficiently and reliably at scale.

From traditional air-cooling systems to liquid cooling systems, fluids supporting both are far more than simple lubricating oils, especially as data centers take advantage of both technologies to meet their cooling needs. These fluids are critical in the efficient, effective, and reliable operation of modern cooling strategies. In this article, we’ll explore the role of refrigeration compressor lubricants and their ability to contribute to more effective air cooling for data centers, the risks of misapplication, as well as how new advances in fluid engineering are taking immersion cooling to new heights.

A shift in refrigerant technology in modern air-cooling systems

One of the most important factors in modern data center air cooling system design is an ongoing shift to the use of refrigerant gases that maintain a low global warming potential (low-GWP) profile. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), long used for cooling and refrigeration setups in many applications, are being replaced by new low-GWP refrigerant gases including:

• HFO (hydrofluoroolefin)
• HFO & HFC Blends
• Natural Refrigerants

While these new gases are being deployed in many industries, they are especially pivotal for data centers. New projects are under close scrutiny around resource use, community impact, and other factors, and the use of low-GWP refrigerant gases in new cooling systems can, in part, reduce the carbon footprint of new and existing centers. Data centers remain under particular pressure to reduce their Scope 2 emissions, and the use of low-GWP refrigerants can contribute to achieving those goals.

Regulatory factors are also at play. For example, the 2020 American Innovation and Manufacturing Act aimed to promote the use of HFC alternatives beginning in 2025 and beyond, resulting in the adoption of low-GWP refrigerants listed above. Additionally, the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, adopted in 2019, represents an international agreement to gradually reduce HFCs; as of 2025, 171 states have ratified the amendment.

Implications for compressor lubricants

This shift has significant implications for data center cooling, as refrigerant technology plays a critical role in overall data center reliability and availability. New refrigerants tend to interact much differently with the lubricating fluids that protect modern refrigeration compressors, enabling their reliable and predictable operation.

Consider that compressors function as the core of the refrigeration cycle: First, the compressor takes low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant vapor and compresses it into a high-temperature/pressure refrigerant vapor. This vapor then goes into the condenser, where it cools the refrigerant vapor into a liquid and heat is rejected into the environment. The liquid refrigerant is then boiled off in the evaporator, absorbing heat from the space being cooled. The refrigerant vapor then heads back to the compressor and begins the cycle again.

Within the application, lubricating fluids are co-mingled with the refrigerant at various concentrations depending on lubricant miscibility, system design, and operating conditions. The refrigerant aids the movement of the lubricant, while the lubricant provides protection for machine elements throughout the compressor, enabling them to function efficiently and effectively.

As refrigerants and lubricants interact, the chemical makeup of the refrigerant influences how well the lubricant can perform its job. Poor compatibility can affect the viscosity of the lubricant and thereby compressor reliability. If these capabilities are compromised, it can lead to excessive wear on critical metal parts and premature failure of the equipment. And this can be a disastrous consequence for data center uptime.

Meanwhile, compressors designed for data center cooling are also moving toward higher compressor evaporating temperatures, which will significantly improve energy efficiency, cost, and reliability, and it’s now feasible due to how modern IT hardware and cooling architectures work. These higher temperatures, however, can further strain the lubricating fluid and alter viscosity, compromising performance.

For data centers, this all means one thing: Lubricating fluid selection is critical. While new cooling systems come factory-filled with the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM’s) preferred lubricant—optimized for their choice of refrigerant and operating conditions—aftermarket and service fill requirements are at your discretion or that of your maintenance staff. It may seem like a minor detail within the scope of your operation, but the wrong lubricant can be detrimental to your refrigerating compressors and thereby your entire cooling strategy. And when your cooling strategy is compromised, so is your operational security. For this reason, it is always recommended to consult your OEM-approved lubricants to maximize system effectiveness when selecting maintenance-fill lubricants.

Immersion cooling: the next frontier

Traditional air-cooling technologies will always have a place in data centers. However, as data centers grow in scale and computational intensity, the next level of cooling focus is shifting to the chip level. It is the combination of strong compressor technology and chip-level liquid cooling that delivers the performance, efficiency, and resilience needed for leading-edge AI workloads.

Immersion cooling directly addresses air cooling’s limitations. By submerging servers in non-conductive cooling liquids, immersion provides superior thermal management and enables energy efficiency. Liquid cooling fluids transfer heat up to 1,000 times more effectively than air, enabling faster heat dissipation and maintaining optimal temperatures even under peak workloads. Immersion cooling eliminates the need for traditional air-cooling components like fans and air conditioners, cutting cooling energy consumption by as much as 87 percent. In a data center supporting 40MW of IT, that means 14MW of savings in power used to cool processors. In a 400MW data center, that could scale to 140MW of energy savings.

However, immersion cooling setups are only as effective as the fluids used within these applications. High-powered servers encompass sensitive electronics, after all, and optimal thermal management depends on highly tailored fluid engineering that won’t interfere with effective operation. The right fluids should demonstrate excellent durability, material compatibility, cooling performance, and more. Off-the-shelf dielectric fluids won’t cut it, and those looking to benefit from immersion cooling should seek out high-performance, patented technologies to meet their needs.

For data centers, the stakes of maintaining a reliable, efficient cooling strategy could not be higher. And no matter the route you take for your needs, be it air cooling, immersion cooling, or a combination of both, your choice of critical fluid technology is worth careful consideration.

Working with the right channel partners to source the high-performance fluids that cooling infrastructure relies upon is essential to modern data center operations. The right fluid provider, armed with the right fluid technology, supports the entire critical data center ecosystem, enabling advanced refrigerants, reliable compressor operation, and next-generation liquid cooling.

After all, the costs associated with misapplication can be monumental and can highly compromise the 99.999 percent uptime expected of today’s data centers.