Latest News: White Papers New White Paper “Containerized Power and Cooling Modules for Data Centers”


Containerised data centre infrastructure, also called Facility Modules, can be 60% faster and 20-30% cheaper to deploy than traditional counterparts. A new White Paper considers their advantages and disadvantages as well as which environments can best benefit from their use.


When data centre stakeholders are faced with the challenge of deploying new power and cooling infrastructure (e.g., chillers, pumps, CRACS, CRAHS, UPS, PDUs, switchgear, transformers etc.), is it better for them to convert an existing room within the building or to construct an extension to house additional power and cooling equipment? Or could it be more cost effective and technically feasible to source the power and cooling using a series of facility modules?


Traditional 40 ft by 20 ft (12 m by 6 m) ISO shipping containers are probably the most recognisable form of containerised solutions; however the term does not fully capture the extent of portable, modular solutions available today. For this reason APC prefers the term ―facility module‖ which not only embraces containers, but also includes other modules that are built on a skid or delivered as multiple form factor modular buildings.


To overcome issues of custom engineering as well as maximise the benefits of economies of scale and standardisation, facility modules are pre-engineered, pre-assembled and integrated, and pre-tested data centre physical infrastructure systems (i.e., power and cooling) that are delivered as ―plug-in‖ modules to a data centre site. This means the elimination of much of the integration work done on-site in traditional data centre builds.


The deployment of facility modules can result in savings of 60% in deployment speed, 22% in first cost, as well as 18% in Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when compared to a traditional build out of the same infrastructure. However, facility modules can also present implementation challenges in some data centres and may not be an effective solution for every application.


In addition to considering the savings which can be made through the use of pre-engineered and right-sized infrastructure solutions, the new white paper also therefore charts some of the drawbacks of integration, environmental and other physical risks to facility modules, as well as the limitations of the form factor especially as far as human ergonomics are concerned.


White Paper #163 ―Containerized Power and Cooling Modules for Data Centers‖ by Dennis Bouley is available for free download.


Download white paper


Designing Effective Human Machine Interface Systems White Paper


As technology systems grow more complex, issues of end-product equipment safety, ease of operation and reducing the risk of human error are becoming extremely important.


Designers today know that the operational performance, efficiency, and safety of a wide range of systems — from semicon- ductor fabrication equipment to mass transit vehicles — are closely related to the interaction between humans and ma- chines, the human machine interface (HMI).


The selection and seamless integration of HMI components, such as switch controls, actuators and indicators, are critical to the success of equipment designed for human operation. Doing it right provides the ―human touch‖ so desirable in modern controls. Design engineers who develop HMI solutions with this in mind will deliver applications with additional market advan- tage and greater sales potential.


Download EAO White Paper


For all the most up to date news and products visit www.thepanelbuilder.co.uk November 2011 Page 4


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