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Super computer chosen to run pumping solution

The Australian Federal Government invested $AUD50M for the Climate HPC Centre Project, $AUD25.3M of which was for the construction of the National Computational Infrastructure’s (NCI) purpose-built data centre, housed at The Australian National University in Canberra. 

The facility houses the most powerful computer systems available to researchers in Australia. The supercomputer debuted in 2012 ranked #24 worldwide on the “Top 500” list of best supercomputers.

Completed in October 2012, the facility is spread across 4000sqm.  The NCI facility provides high performance data storage and cloud computing services that enables researchers to process large volumes of data that would otherwise take years to complete. 

The aim of the centre is to raise the ambition, impact, and outcomes of Australian research through access to advanced computational and data-intensive methods, support, and high-performance infrastructure.

The complexity and uniqueness of the design presented several unprecedented challenges.  Key considerations included meeting demanding schedules, ease of installation and maintenance, project coordination, cleanliness, aesthetics, and reduced mechanical room footprint. Switching from welding to grooved-end mechanical pipe-joining systems proved to be the solution that met all the owner’s criteria.

To address these requirements, Benmax selected Victaulic roll grooved piping systems for the HVAC system.   A complete range of Victaulic couplings and fittings were installed with ease, with only a small number of equipment and tools required on site, making it the perfect piping solution for the mechanical room at NCI’s facility.  

The ease and speed of installing the 13 pump sets with Victaulic pump dressing products helped Benmax Group deliver the project safely and on schedule. The use of suction diffusers freed up a lot of space for s greater number of computers and equipment to be installed. 

The Victaulic pipe-joining solution was quick to install and reduced the field man-hours at every stage of project management while eliminating liquidated damages. 

The fundamental design of the Victaulic method allowed for the majority of pipework to be cut and grooved in the Benmax workshop and delivered ready for installation. Compared to traditional pipe joining methods, such as flanging or welding, using a grooved-end pipe joining installation was faster, easier and simpler, saving both time and money.

The Victaulic grooved pipe joining method also eliminated the safety concerns associated with open-flame pipe joining methods, meaning that workers were not exposed to dangerous fumes. 

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