NEXTDC Data Centre

Automatic Heating designed and supplied two 60,000-litre Thermex chilled water storage tanks for a NEXTDC data centre in Sydney. And getting them into position was no easy feat.

Australia currently ranks in the top ten data centre markets, and is projected to enter the top three within the decade. In 2025, data centres accounted for about 1% of Australia’s electricity consumption, and are projected to reach 11% by 2035.

And behind every data centre is a cooling system that cannot afford to fail.

Project Overview

NEXTDC’s data centres operate some of Australia’s most critical digital infrastructure, supporting cloud computing, AI workloads, and enterprise IT around the clock.

Data centres run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, generating dense heat with no overnight cool-down and no quiet weekend. Overheating or failure can cause major service outages and critical data loss.

A chiller needs a minimum water volume in the circuit to operate correctly. When circuit volume is undersized, return water temperature rises too quickly, and the system short-cycles.

To help NEXTDC’s Sydney data centre operate efficiently, we needed to add sufficient water volume to its chiller system to slow the rate of return temperature change. That meant a solution built just for this site.

The Solution

Two 60,000L Thermex TSIA Series buffer storage tanks
Combined circuit volume of 120,000L

The TSIA series is built for chiller systems where equipment capacity exceeds the water volume in the circuit. The tanks’ standard operating pressure is 700kPa, with a maximum of 1,500kPa, and they’re compliant with Building J Code 2019.

Dimensions, connection points, and configuration were all engineered to the site’s specific load and spatial requirements before fabrication began. The tanks arrived on site ready to integrate with the facility’s chiller plant without modification.

The Installation

This was the tricky bit.

On the day, the two 60,000L vessels had to be craned over the building and manoeuvred into position while avoiding overhead powerlines. Safety was our #1 priority.

Thankfully, the lift was completed skilfully and without incident, thanks to detailed pre-planning, a talented crane operator, and a successful collaboration between Automatic Heating, Climatech Group, and NEXTDC.

Outcome and Community Impact

The two buffer storage tanks now provide the NEXTDC facility with the circuit volume needed to maintain stable chiller operation under continuous cooling load. Return water temperature changes are buffered, compressor cycling is controlled, and the cooling infrastructure can run reliably.

Australia’s data centres underpin services that people rely on every day, from hospital patient records and government systems to banking and cloud-based business operations. By ensuring the cooling infrastructure behind those systems runs without interruption, projects like this one support the digital fabric of modern Australian life.

Key Products

Thermex TSIA Series Buffer Storage Tanks

Large capacity – Available from 500L to 60,000L in horizontal or vertical orientation, to suit any system volume requirement.
Prevents short cycling – Adds buffer volume to the chilled water circuit, slowing the rate of return water temperature change and keeping the chiller compressor within its design parameters.
Built for pressure – Standard operating pressure of 700kPa, maximum 1,500kPa. Suited to large-scale commercial and critical infrastructure applications.
Custom engineering available – For projects where standard configurations won’t work, Automatic Heating can engineer a solution to your exact spatial and hydraulic requirements.

Project Images