Instrumentation Excellence Awards: Meet the finalists


that they require use large amounts of power – currently accounting for one to two per cent of total global energy consumption. On top of that, these are critical environments – typically requiring 99.999 per cent uptime!


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SO, WHY IS THE DAISY-CHAIN SOLUTION SO IMPORTANT? If we imagine a 100m datacentre aisle, with 30 instruments at 3m spacing, each with a dedicated cable and a 3m cable drop – that single aisle would require about 1,695m of cable. That’s more than a mile! In contrast, if the same aisle is equipped with Vaisala’s daisy-chain solution, the cabling drops to just 187m, representing an 89 per cent drop in carbon footprint.


WHAT IS SENSOR CHAINING? Sensor chaining is where one long cable stretches across the entire length of an industrial facility, continuously measuring environmental conditions. A typical example of this application is a datacentre server aisle where energy costs are high and the costs of temperature control have to be managed as accurately as possible. Each probe monitors temperature and humidity and, because they are spaced at regular intervals throughout the data hall, conditions are maintained at optimal levels all the way along the chain. Sensor chaining, also known as daisy chaining,


consists of a cable running from a control panel down two aisles, with temperature and humidity probes attached via three-way splitters along the length. A typical datacentre, for example, might have a 60-meter run of sensors, but the solution could extend up to hundreds of meters. In optimal conditions the solution would work for much greater distances too. In a sensor chain, only one power supply is


needed to run hundreds of probes from a single control panel, and since the Vaisala sensor chain is a plug-and-play solution there is flexibility to add more racks or change the datacentre layout at any time – users simply remove the sensors and reuse them elsewhere. The plug-and-play functionality also means that probes can be easily switched out for calibration whenever needed, ensuring long-term accuracy and reliability with no downtime. The traceable multi-point calibrated Vaisala


HUMICAP Humidity and Temperature Probe HMP113 is the ideal probe for sensor chaining and has proven itself in many installations. A stainless-steel model, the Vaisala HUMICAP Humidity and Temperature Probe HMP110, is also available.


THE NECESSITY FOR MODULARITY The needs of colocation datacentres, where space is rented out to multiple tenant


he demand for datacentres is skyrocketing as digitisation, automation and AI start to kick in. Ironically, while these developments enhance sustainability, the datacentres


DAISY CHAInS: An elegAnt, SImple,


SuStAInAble monItorIng SolutIon Imagine a string of Christmas tree lights – one long cable with many bulbs. Now imagine that those bulbs are actually temperature/humidity sensors – a sensor daisy chain, the latest industrial measurement innovation from Vaisala. So, what’s so clever about this innovation? And why does it matter? Anu Kätkä from Vaisala explains…


companies, differ from those of hyperscale datacentres with a single owner-occupier. While both require optimal atmospheric conditions to protect sensitive equipment and a reliable monitoring solution to control them, colocation datacentres ideally need a modular setup to cope with changing customer requirements and shifting operational layouts.


QUICK AND EASY TO INSTALL – AND CHANGE The Vaisala sensor chain solution can be installed quickly and easily by a technician or facility manager with no need for a systems integrator. With each probe taking just seconds to attach and with no hard wiring, installation time and cost are significantly lower than traditional solutions. A typical fixed sensor solution can be inherently


wasteful. If the system requirements and layout change – perhaps a new client is moving into the datacentre for example, or expansion is necessary, it is not uncommon to have to replace all of the sensors at the same time, which can number in the thousands. With an interchangeable sensor- chaining solution all of the individual sensors can be reused indefinitely throughout their lifetime, improving the sustainability of the facility. Users simply switch the probes out and plug them into the new layout.


FLEXIBILITY, RELIABILITY, AND ACCURACY ALL IN ONE SOLUTION The sensor chaining solution is not just flexible after it has been installed – it is a flexible solution in design too. As well as the HMP113 and HMP110, the hard-wired Vaisala Humidity and Temperature Transmitter HMW110 is also available, which has an optional integrated display. A daisy-chained HMW110 provides a more accurate reading than wall-mounted sensors because there is free airflow for 360° around its probe. Users can choose to have a display unit at the beginning, middle, and end of the sensor chain, use display units throughout or have no displays at all, depending on their specific requirements. This flexibility extends to the communication


protocol too. The sensors typically utilise a Modbus protocol, but if a 4-20mA connection is necessary, it is still possible to have a modular


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solution with a cable plugged straight into the transmitter. The sensors have a magnetic bracket on the back so they can be easily attached to the side of a metal rack, saving time on wiring and installation and delivering the benefits of a daisy-chained solution. It is worth considering that it can take 30–40


minutes of installation time per hard-wired device and there might be a couple of thousand on site, the time saved with a magnetic plug- and-play solution is therefore very significant. The sensor-chaining solution has proved


extremely reliable, but in the very unlikely event that there is cable damage, the building management system will generate an alert so the relevant sensors can be unplugged and replaced. Redundancy can also be built into the system, with each cable run covering two aisles – this means if a cable isn’t working then readings are picked up from the second bus.


BEST-IN-CLASS ACCURACY AND 24/7 SUPPORT Vaisala sensors are best-in-class in terms of accuracy and measurement stability, giving them a longer, more reliable lifetime. A sensor- chaining setup makes them interchangeable as needs change, adding the essential benefit of flexibility while increasing the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the solution. Regular calibration will keep sensors


performing reliably and since the system is plug- and-play, downtime is not required – simply swap sensors out when needed. Vaisala also offers 24/7 technical support and a field calibration service where experts can calibrate equipment on site.


Vaisala www.vaisala.com


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