• • • COVER STORY • • •
provider, RMD UK was selected on the basis of an open tender. Based on various single- and three-phase UPS systems from Schneider Electric, the approach to maintenance has since become much more proactive. RMD’s Scot Docherty says, “Our start point was to understand the condition of the UPS under contract using a simple traffic light scheme – there were a lot of red lights!” Together, Coy and RMD started to renew the UPS and bring them up to spec. This ongoing programme covers the UPS installed in buildings as well as adding UPS protection to some of the older campus buildings, which had never had the benefit of protection. In addition to the maintenance and modernisation services, RMD were also tasked to work with construction contractors to support them with sourcing and the installation of UPS to ensure power protection of edge server rooms in the new buildings. The expertise of RMD has yielded benefits to the university, from procurement of UPS systems to maintenance and replacement, allowing the university to match new UPS systems to the exact requirements needed in each location. “We’ve found it useful to involve RMD at the construction phase of each new building,” says Coy. “Sometimes a main contractor might recommend a UPS system that is wholly excessive to what we really need. Whereas RMD, which has specialist expertise in the field, is much better placed to recommend what sort of UPS system we need and how many battery packs should be installed. So, it’s great to have a relationship which allows us to ‘right-size’ our UPS requirements and therefore keep an eye on the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed solution.” The RMD relationship has made for a more systematic and regular approach to maintenance. “RMD knows us and our requirements and how we work,” says Darran Coy. “Now, instead of waiting until something dies before replacing it, we have an ongoing system of regular maintenance and of replacing batteries and UPS units in accordance with their condition rather than their age.” Two other important measures have been implemented as a result of the relationship. Firstly, the installation of monitoring software; using Data Center Expert - part of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT data centre infrastructure management solution, Darran Coy is now able to manage and monitor all elements of the data centre infrastructure, including UPS and cooling centrally, to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability.
Data Center Expert provides a scalable monitoring software solution that collects, organizes, and distributes critical device information to provide a comprehensive view of equipment. Importantly, the application provides instant fault notifications for quick assessment and resolution of critical infrastructure events that could adversely affect IT system availability. The software gives Darran Coy’s small team of six full visibility of infrastructure equipment spread widely across the campus in different edge locations, with the ability to prioritise remedial tasks in the event of unforeseen circumstances and respond more quickly to events.
Secondly, and further demonstrating how RMD’s expertise has benefitted the university, bypass panels as an aid to maintenance and replacement activities are now being installed as standard in the electrical design for infrastructure supporting the edge server rooms. “They’re not the cheapest things to put in,” says Coy, “But they have saved us a lot of downtime. If a battery fails and needs to be replaced, for example, you just flick a switch to bypass the UPS, and that allows you to keep IT services operating while you swap out any parts that need to be replaced.”
Results
Immediate results from the university working with RMD and Schneider Electric include improvements to power availability as well as the serviceability of its infrastructure. By increasing temperature setpoints, the university is saving energy as a first step to moving towards becoming net zero carbon for IT services.
The improved monitoring and maintenance has resulted in a more efficient and reliable power-security environment that provides peace of mind to the IT staff and also presents opportunities for improvements in the area of sustainability. The insights made available from Schneider Electric APC UPS systems, APC PDUs and APC NetBotz sensors made available using Data Center Expert software have enabled Coy and the IT team to collaborate more effectively with the University’s Sustainability Team, tasked with improving the overall carbon footprint of the campus and its sustainability. The IT team has been slowly raising temperatures in its comms room, which naturally
means using less power on air conditioning, using insights provided by a Data Center Expert and custom software written by the IT team: “I can use query data to generate helpful graphs that provide an overview of whether the temperature is right in a room and where it can be appropriate to raise the operating temperature for better overall efficiency,” says Coy. “Being able to mine the data allows us only to use the power that we need.” In addition, monitoring using Data Center Expert software together with NetBotz sensors ensures that servers, as well as the UPS batteries are kept within recommended temperatures. This ensures that warranty requirements are maintained and the batteries are in an environment that maximises their useful lifecycle. Another benefit is that equipment changes can be planned according to their condition rather than their age.
On the recommendation of RMD, physical infrastructure in edge locations is now being deployed in new builds with bypass switches as standard and upgraded in older installations, improving the efficiency of maintenance operations with no break in IT services. “We enjoy working with RMD over the years, their site engineers have given us straight advice, which we’ve found to be trustworthy. This is backed up by the quality of Schneider’s products and solutions. They not only help us deliver a first- class student experience, but also help us to achieve our efficiency and reliability goals whilst working towards greater sustainability. Together, we’re giving an edge to the education of all those choosing to enrich their lives by studying at the University of Lincoln,” concludes Darran Coy.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2024 11
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