Flanges for data center projects in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam, on the Andhra Pradesh coast, is becoming a data center hub: Google broke ground on an AI hub there in April 2026. Here is what a coastal site at gigawatt scale means for the cooling piping.
For data centers in Visakhapatnam we supply ASME B16.5 Class 150 carbon steel flanges in A105 for chilled water and condenser water, ASME B16.47 and AWWA flanges for large mains, and 316L stainless flanges, pickled and passivated, for CDUs, technology cooling loops and stainless steel exposed to sea air. Every heat comes with an EN 10204 3.1 certificate, and orders go by road from our works in Gujarat.
The Visakhapatnam data center market
Visakhapatnam does not yet appear in the market surveys that track India's data center capacity, but a single project there is planned at close to 1 GW. On 28 April 2026, Google broke ground on its AI hub at Tarluvada: an investment of US$15 billion over 2026 to 2030, with AdaniConneX and Nxtra by Airtel building the data center buildings and connecting infrastructure. Jeet Adani of the Adani Group described it as nearly 1 GW in a single location. Three subsea cables will land in the city, and Google is working with Sponge Collaborative on a watershed management plan for the area around the campus (Bharti Airtel).
At that scale, the main chilled water and condenser water headers are likely to be above 24 inches, where ASME B16.47 weld neck flanges or AWWA flanges take over, and phased construction leaves header ends closed with blind flanges. AI halls carry their heat in liquid, through CDUs and stainless technology cooling loops.
Climate and what it means for the piping
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Hottest month, average daily high | 36.7 °C (May) |
| Record high | 45.4 °C |
| Record low | 10.5 °C |
| Annual rainfall | 1,055 mm, 58% of it from June to September and 31% from October to December |
Visakhapatnam is hot and humid, on the Bay of Bengal. At the airport the average daily high peaks at 36.7 °C in May; the record high is 45.4 °C and the record low 10.5 °C, far above the -29 °C (-20 °F) to which ASME B16.5 rates A105 flanges. Rain, 1,055 mm a year, comes from both monsoons: 58% from June to September and 31% from October to December.
For a coastal campus, treat outdoor carbon steel flanges as exposed to sea air and paint them with the pipe after installation, and use 316L for stainless steel outdoors. Humid air most of the year means chilled water flanges need insulation with a continuous vapor barrier.
Flange specification for Visakhapatnam projects
| System | Flange | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Cooling towers and condenser water | A105, ASME B16.5 Class 150, weld neck or slip-on; ASME B16.47 or AWWA C207 on large mains | Painted with the pipe; sea air outdoors |
| Chilled water plant and facility water | A105, Class 150 RF; ASME B16.47 Series A or B above NPS 24 | Blind flanges on header ends for later phases |
| Outdoor stainless steel | 316L rather than 304L | Better resistance to chloride pitting |
| CDUs and technology cooling system | 316L, Class 150, weld neck or lap joint with stub end, pickled and passivated, 100% PMI | Same grade as the pipe; no slip-ons on the TCS |
Every flange is stamped with its grade, size, class and lot number and ships with an EN 10204 3.1 certificate. Send us your line list and we quote each line as specified.
Getting flanges to Visakhapatnam
Flanges go by road from our works in Umbergaon, Gujarat, to the campus or your contractor's yard in Visakhapatnam, with every line marked and certified to your line list.
Domestic orders are invoiced with GST and travel with an e-way bill. Your engineer or third-party inspector is welcome at the works before dispatch. Supplying data center projects in India covers standards, inspection and ordering.
Flanges for other Indian data center markets: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Bengaluru.
Frequently asked questions
Which flanges suit a gigawatt-scale AI campus?
On the plant side, A105 flanges to ASME B16.5 Class 150 up to 24 inches and ASME B16.47 above, with blind flanges on header ends for later phases. On the white space side, 316L flanges, pickled and passivated, for CDUs and technology cooling loops.
Is 304L good enough near the sea?
For flanges outdoors in salt air, 316L is the safer choice: its molybdenum gives it better resistance to chloride pitting than 304L. Indoors, on a clean technology cooling loop, either grade works, and 316L is the usual choice.
Do you supply AWWA flanges for large water mains?
Yes. We supply AWWA C207 steel ring flanges and AWWA C228 stainless steel flanges. See AWWA C207 flanges and AWWA C228 flanges.
Sources
- Bharti Airtel, press release on the groundbreaking of Google's AI hub in Visakhapatnam (28 April 2026)
- India Meteorological Department 1991 to 2020 normals and records for Visakhapatnam airport, as tabulated in Wikipedia's climate table
- ASME B16.5, Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings: pressure-temperature ratings