Feature UPS & Standby Power
Cleaner, greener and running on air F
Socomec UPS solutions are playing a key role in ensuring the safe, reliable and efficient operation of one of The Co-operative Group’s most important data centres
or The Co-operative Group, the smooth running of one of its key data centres serving Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) is vital to the successful operation of the business. The main data centre serving CFS is very much part of the industrial land- scape of the north, housed in the iconic Pyramid building based in Stockport, near Manchester (see picture right). Along with ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the data centre and the business that it supports, managing the associated operational costs had been an ongoing challenge for CFS.
power system that can provide back- up power for data centres and other critical buildings.
A partnership
Socomec UPS and PNU Power brought together their complimentary skills and knowledge and worked closely with the customer, The Co-operative Bank, to deliver efficiency improve- ments and a reduction in maintenance and redundancy.
The Co-operative Bank’s Pyramid became the first major data centre in the world to use a compressed air elec- tricity generating system to supply
mented, “The development of Air- DRUPS and the flagship installation at The Co-operative Bank is the first time that compressed air has been used in this way and will certainly pave the way for data centres around the world to adopt this greener, cleaner technology.
“At Socomec we invest heavily in pioneering research and product design in order to deliver world class innovations that solve our customers’ greatest challenges in terms of energy efficiency and reliability as well as total cost of ownership.”
Hulme, concluded, “The initial capital outlay is comparable to simi- lar UPS systems although higher than those using batteries, but the total cost over the lifetime of the product is much lower making it highly attractive.”
Optimising efficiency is critical to The Co-operative Group as part of its long term environmental plans. As a pioneer in the drive towards cleaner, greener energy solutions, when the Co- operative Bank needed to replace a legacy UPS system within its data centre, the group identified a UPS system that would enable a technolog- ical shift away from the traditional lead acid battery.
Martyn Hulme, managing director Co-operative Estates, said, “At The Co- operative we are always looking at ways in which we can reduce our carbon footprint and so when our uninterruptible power supply (UPS) was up for renewal we wanted to find a greener system that would make the lead acid batteries obsolete.” Combining VFI UPS technology from Socomec plus compressed air ‘batteries’ from PNU Power, the result is an environmentally friendly, critical
22
back-up power in August 2012. Andrew Wilkinson, managing director of Socomec UPS UK com-
Above: the Air-DRUPS system
Socomec
www.socomec.co.uk T: 01285 863 327
How does Air-DRUPS work?
failure. The Air-DRUPS system cuts in as soon as the mains power is lost and uses a series of scroll generators, driven by the release of the compressed air, to provide an emergency supply of electricity for the time required to support the load until a standby diesel generator kicks in. Air-DRUPS use of compressed air is a clean, envi-
A
ronmentally friendly alternative to the scores of lead acid batteries used today to provide short term energy storage in critical power applications. The compressed air battery system uses negligible power in standby, is virtually maintenance-free with a minimum 20 year service life and is based on well test- ed and dependable technology. By using Super Capacitors to ride over any short term outages, the sys-
ir-DRUPS uses stored compressed air to generate elec- tricity, supporting critical loads in the event of mains
tem instantly delivers 100% of the UPS power required and also reduces the need for diesel generator starts caused by short outages. The initial capital outlay is marginally higher than similar UPS systems using batteries, however, this is compensated for through the reduction in total lifetime cost. The compressed air batteries do not require any component changes during the system life and can operate at higher temperatures, making the need for air- conditioning to protect the batteries redundant. The patented compressed air scroll generators that form the heart of the system are designed and manufac- tured in the UK. When combined with Socomec’s Green Power 2.0 UPS technology - unity output power factor (PF=1) - the system becomes a highly efficient double conversion true online critical power solution.
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2013 Electrical Engineering
Enter 215
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52