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Data centre cooling

Valve actuation for data centre cooling, with condition intelligence built in

CDU distribution, bypass, isolation and rotary mixing valves sit between compute and the cooling plant. RAT-DC gives cooling OEMs a compact, BMS-native actuator — and gives operators early warning of valve degradation where a failed valve means lost compute.

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A position alarm arrives too late

A conventional actuator confirms the command, not what is happening inside the valve. In a liquid-cooled hall, a valve that is binding or slowing can starve a rack long before it fails outright. Cooling teams need to see that change while the valve still works.

Typical applications

CDU distribution valves
Bypass valves
Isolation valves
Rotary mixing valves
Hybrid air/liquid cooling loops
Chilled water plant

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Liquid & hybrid cooling

How RIFT helps: Data centre cooling

Fast enough for modern cooling control

10 seconds per 90° as the factory default, electronically configurable slower to suit the circuit — fast isolation and gentle modulation from the same hardware.

Native to the BMS

BACnet MS/TP and Modbus RTU as standard, with commanded and actual position, travel time, load, voltage, temperature, cycle count and condition index in the data model.

Controlled failsafe

Optional supercapacitor stored energy drives the valve to its safe position on power loss, with stored-energy health reported to the BMS.

Early warning, not post-mortem

Valve Signature™ compares every movement with the commissioning baseline and flags rising torque demand or slowing travel.

Data centre cooling: the RAT platform for this market

A compact 20 Nm smart quarter-turn actuator for the cooling valves behind AI and high-performance computing — fast, BMS-native and built to show how the valve is actually behaving.

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The RIFT stack, applied to Data centre cooling

Add the layers your application needs. The actuator stays fully functional at every level.

Full stack

Layer 2

Valve Signature™

Early sight of friction, binding, slowing or rising torque demand.

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Valve Condition Index™

Healthy → Monitor → Service Recommended → Critical, readable by any BMS.

Learn more Layer 4

RIFT Sensor Hub™Roadmap

Understand the cooling circuit or pipeline, not just the valve.

Learn more Layer 5

RIFT Portal™Roadmap

Asset health, trends, alarms and service planning for the whole fleet.

Learn more

Recommended actuators

A starting point — every RIFT actuator is configured to the valve, supply and control signal.

New platform

RAT-DC

20 Nm smart quarter-turn

BACnet MS/TP & Modbus RTU
Valve Signature™ built in
Optional supercapacitor failsafe

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SMART

RAS SMART

10–30 Nm

IP67 protection as standard
Bluetooth set-up from Android devices
On/off or 4–20 mA modulating control

View RAS

SMART

RAM SMART

40–100 Nm

Part-turn and multi-turn configurations
IP67 for harsh environments
Built-in touchpads for set-up

View RAM

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Frequently asked questions

Which valves is RAT-DC designed for?

RAT-DC is a 20 Nm quarter-turn platform for compact rotary valves — ball and butterfly valves used for distribution, bypass, isolation and rotary mixing. Linear-stroke valves such as most PICVs sit outside its first release; talk to us about your valve schedule.

Does it need a cloud connection?

No. Control, commissioning and condition data all work locally and over BACnet MS/TP or Modbus RTU. The RIFT Portal is an optional supervisory layer.

Can OEMs integrate it into a CDU?

Yes. RIFT works with CDU and cooling-system OEMs at design stage, with a documented BMS data model and diagnostics that add value to your product.