No Downtime Costs
With increasing data centre complexity and rising demand comes an increased risk of downtime – and its associated costs. Outages are common and costly – but that they can also be anticipated and avoided.
Of those who have suffered an outage, 80% believe* their biggest or most recent outage was actually “preventable”. Power issues are the single biggest cause of outage making it essential to deploy solutions that guarantee maximum power availability.
*Source from Uptime Institute
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Anticipate insulation faults thanks to RCM (Residual Current Monitor) monitoring system
The data centre operator must ensure the electrical installation's continuity of service. The occurrence and circulation of residual currents from IT bays can generate power outages. Only by monitoring these currents can ensure continuity of service.
Monitor residual currents
For TN-S earthing systems the use of a residual current device (RCD) is mandatory. The relevant requirements are set out in IEC 60364-4-41.
RCD exemption is allowed under the supervision of a skilled operator.
As recommended by EN 50600-2-2: Data centre facilities and infrastructures, monitoring the residual current by an RCM (Residual Current Monitor) can identify the occurrence of an insulation fault to avoid any risk of service interruption or fire.
With the presence of an RCM, periodic measurement of insulation resistance is not necessary in accordance with IEC 60364-6 standard .
* Also called differential current or earth fault current.
Socomec solution
DIRIS Digiware RCM innovative residual current monitoring system
DIRIS Digiware RCM was designed to equip a data centre's entire electrical distribution. Residual current measurement is accurate from 3 mA. The data is centralised, viewed on a screen and available on a dedicated web server. Several alarm types are available:
- Single threshold
- Dynamic threshold according to the variation in load current (patented technology)
- Comparison with the earth current
Variations in residual current are recorded by time, day and week. In case of alarm, the operator is informed by a local LED alarm, a remote notification and an email.
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Efficiently manage Lithium-Ion batteries thanks to backup storage solutions
The operator of a data centre must ensure the continuity of power at the lowest operating cost.
Batteries used with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) account for a significant portion of the costs. Lithium-ion batteries have many advantages over other technologies. They are increasingly used in UPS applications but require an effective management system to optimise lifespan and performance.
Monitor the lithium-ion battery
There are several advantages to using a lithium-ion battery for UPS applications: smaller footprint, low weight, rapid charging option, and cyclical and calendar-based ageing.
To increase reliability and reduce the consequences of a failure, the lithium-ion battery must be equipped with an integrated interactive control system that ensures accurate and individual cell monitoring.
Prevent any danger with an adequate battery management system
It is recommended to use high-performance, proven and safe lithium-ion battery modules. It is also necessary to follow all the module parameters and monitor the internal protection of the cabinets. An interactive management system is required with the UPS to ensure batteries charge and discharge appropriately.
Socomec solution
Li-Ion Battery UPS energy storage system
Li-Ion Battery UPS provides an ultimate backup storage solution based on lithium-ion battery modules for UPS applications. It features an embedded cell-to-cell parameters monitoring and interactive control system enabling high performance in all critical operating conditions.
It works with UPS MODULYS XL 200 - 4800 kVA, MODULYS GP 25 - 600 kVA and DELPHYS GP 160 - 1000 kVA.
The system is a reliable and efficient solution that dynamically adapts the operation of the UPS to the status of the lithium-ion battery.
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Master the control and transfer between power sources thanks to transfer switching equipment
Data centre facilities rely on dedicated transfer switching controls and multiple layers of backup to power critical equipment that are essential for the day-to-day operations of the facility.
Every minute of downtime can result in massive losses in revenue.
Resilient design to provide maximum availability
Redundancy through multiple layers of backup is and will carry on being an essential part of the electrical installation design of a data centre. The ever growing power and cooling requirements increase the need for purpose-built automatic transfer switching equipment (ATSE) that are not only certified to IEC 60947-6-1 but also include special functions that are dedicated to data centre applications.
Upstream main incoming redundant power supply transformers and backup generators – Automatic transfer switching equipment (ATSE) with high ratings.
Socomec solution
ATyS and STATYS transfer switching equipment
Socomec provide purpose-built transfer and control solutions that include unique functionality specified for modern data centre applications.
The ATyS range of ATSE is one of the widest on the market with ratings available from 40A to 6300A. The STATYS range of STS provides a fast and seemless transfer with ratings from 16A to 1800A. Furthermore, ATyS C Universal ATS controllers provide main distribution panels with data centre logic for ANY Class or brand of TSE.
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Minimise UPS failures thanks to high MTBF power modules
The failure rate of modular uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) is considered extremely low as each module is separate, to isolate any failures. The main problem is with the reliability of each module, the risk of failure increases with the number of modules in the application.
Avoid frequent UPS outages
The internal failure rate of the UPS system is proportional to the number of power modules and inversely proportional to the MTBF* of a single power module.
As the number of power modules is defined by the power and redundancy of the system, the only way to achieve acceptable reliability is to use power modules with a very high MTBF (i.e. a very low failure rate).
Because of the MTBF is so important, its value is calculated using a rigorous statistical approach and provided to the end user. In addition, a specific series of strength, durability and reliability tests must be carried out.
To ensure the credibility of this value, MTBF certification must be carried out by an independent laboratory and real field data is provided to confirm the calculated predictive MTBF.
* MTBF: mean time between failures
Socomec solution
MODULYS GP power modules
MODULYS GP power modules, a unique fully modular and redundant UPS solution, have a MTBF calculated at above 1,000,000 hours. This calculation was carried out by an independent specialist laboratory after 2 years of rigorous testing, with official certification available on request.
After a few years, with several thousand power modules installed and a few hundred million hours of cumulative operation, the measured MTBF is more than 1,500,000 hours, exceeding the calculated MTBF. An official statement of this measured value, updated every 6 months, is available.
This result is unique in the UPS industry and can only be achieved by designing power modules that are based on reliability, not cost.
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Limit the impact of a fault thanks to static transfer systems
The implementation of a static transfer system (STS) in an installation ensures the continuity of service of critical applications. In the event of a fault, it enables power redundancy by switching from one source to another without a blackout . However, it is essential to distinguish its cause in order to treat it effectively.
Limit the impact of the fault within the installation
In the event of a fault, the voltage of the installation is severely affected and risks causing a loss of loads. In particular the management of faults related to short circuits within a critical installation using static transfer systems (STS) is particularly important.
In order to guarantee the continuity of the supply to their load, the STS must:
- Operate autonomously
- Be able to detect and differentiate a short-circuit downstream or upstream
- Carry out a transfer of sources without overlap to avoid the propagation of the fault
- Ensure the islanding of a short-circuited load
In the event of a short-circuit downstream of an STS, it must isolate the fault to prevent its propagation and alert the operator. The other STS connected to the same source must protect their load by immediately transferring it to an alternative source without propagating the fault.
Socomec solution
STATYS static transfer systems
The STATYS range of static transfer systems (STS) incorporates in its design more than 30 years of experience and 4 generations of STS. The thousands of hours of operation and the many units installed have improved the detection and qualification of faults. It maximizes availability by guaranteeing transfer without overlap as well as fault isolation in the event of a downstream short-circuit.
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Manage energy availability for precision cooling thanks to connected transfer switching equipment
IT equipment generates a lot of heat and many data centres have air conditioning units that force cold air under the floor to cool the dense array of servers. Others extract the heat from servers by bolting the racks directly against heat exchangers running cold water from plant cooling towers and chillers. Whilst one design may be considered better suited and more efficient depending on its environment, precision cooling is critical and accounts for up to 40% of the energy consumed in a data center.
Manage smart backup power for precision cooling
Data centres use sophisticated and diverse cooling systems to carefully control their environment. Typically this is done by managing liquid, gas or air-cooling for computer room air conditioners (CRAC) or computer room air handler units (CRAH).
Power availability and management for cooling systems are usually installed very close to the load and must be reliable. This can be assured by purpose built Class PC automatic transfer switching equipment (ATSE) certified to IEC 60947-6-1, GB 14018.11 for China or UL 1008 for North America.
Smart starting and stopping of cooling is essential to preserve the life of the equipment whilst intelligent ATSE with communication and dedicated control functions improve efficiency and reliability.
Socomec solution
Socomec provide automatic and remotely operated transfer switching equipment and ATS controls that are ideal for precision cooling applications in any datacenter. The ATyS range of ATSE includes smart logic for power management through communication and is one of the widest and most robust transfer switches available on the market. IEC / GB ratings are available from 40A to 6300A and UL certified ratings are available from 100 to 1200A.
All Socomec IEC transfer switching equipment are available as an enclosed solution as well as an open type (loose product) for installation in the distribution board or HVAC control cabinet.
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