Urea (DEF) Distribution for a Data Centre: One Storage Tank, 22 Generator Sets
Execution design of a urea (DEF) system for a data centre: a 50 m³ storage tank with tanker offload, a modular pump skid distributing to 22 generator sets, and an independent backup filling line.
- Urea storage tank
- 50 m³
- Generator sets supplied
- 22
- Independent filling points
- 2
Emergency power at a data centre is usually described in terms of diesel and generators. But modern diesel generator sets carry a second dependency: urea solution, known as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), consumed by exhaust after-treatment systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. When 22 generator sets rely on it, urea supply stops being a consumable question and becomes infrastructure.
TEBIN designed the urea (DEF) distribution system for a data centre in Germany, delivered at the German HOAI work stage LPH 5 (execution design). Andrii Sheronov led the project as Project Manager.
How is the urea stored and filled?
The storage solution is built around a 50 m³ urea tank with a dedicated filling point, enabling direct tanker truck offload through a purpose-designed fill connection. The filling point was sized and located to meet operational access requirements and spill containment provisions — an offload that happens routinely for the life of the facility has to be convenient, controlled, and contained.
How does one tank serve 22 generator sets?
Distribution runs through a modular pump skid designed and integrated by TEBIN, moving urea from the main tank to 22 generator sets. Isolation logic was designed across the entire distribution network, so individual branches can be shut off for maintenance or in a failure scenario without taking the remaining generators off supply.
A modular pump block concentrates the pumping and control equipment into one engineered unit with defined interfaces. That keeps the mechanical room compact, makes the installation predictable, and gives the operator a single, well-documented node at the heart of the network.
What happens when the primary filling line is unavailable?
Redundancy was designed in, not assumed. TEBIN developed a dedicated secondary filling point with an independent connection to a standby generator, ensuring system resilience and uninterrupted DEF supply under primary infrastructure maintenance or failure scenarios.
For mission-critical infrastructure this is the difference between a system that works on the drawing and a system that works during the one week when the main filling line is being serviced.
Why did the pipe supports need individual design?
Rather than applying a generic support standard, TEBIN engineered individual pipe support and bracket solutions throughout the system, tailored to site-specific routing conditions and load requirements. The supports cover both above- and below-grade installations, ensuring structural integrity across the whole network.
Documentation and coordination
The complete documentation set — piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), general arrangement drawings, isometrics, support drawings, and equipment schedules — was produced across all project stages through to As-Built. TEBIN managed the full project lifecycle from concept onward, maintaining continuous coordination with the civil, electrical, controls, and vendor teams.
Project outcome
The data centre received a urea infrastructure engineered to the same standard as its fuel systems: a single coordinated storage and filling node, a modular distribution heart serving 22 generator sets, isolation logic throughout, and a backup filling path that keeps the emergency power system supplied even when the primary infrastructure is down.
Project FAQ
Why does a data centre need a urea distribution system?
Diesel generator sets with exhaust after-treatment consume urea solution — diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) — to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. When 22 generator sets depend on it, the urea supply becomes part of the emergency power infrastructure and must be engineered with the same discipline as the fuel system.
What did TEBIN design?
A 50 m³ urea storage tank with a dedicated tanker offload filling point, a modular pump skid distributing urea to 22 generator sets with isolation logic across the network, a dedicated backup filling point with an independent connection to a standby generator, individual pipe support solutions, and the complete documentation package through to As-Built.
How is the system protected against supply interruption?
A dedicated secondary filling point with an independent connection to a standby generator ensures system resilience and uninterrupted DEF supply when the primary infrastructure is under maintenance or in a failure scenario.
