search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
DATA CENTRES


Nick Osborne, Data Centres specialist at Aggreko, explains the importance of comprehensive loadbank tesng at the commissioning stage of a data centre to avoid downme before it happens.


t has been widely reported that data centre usage is set to increase exponentially. As technology advances, there is increased impetus on data centre providers to ensure facilities can function when demand is high. For operators, data centre downtime means not only cost associated with rectifying problems and compensation, but also damages stakeholder reputation. With power outage being a common reason for such an eventuality, ensuring critical power and temperature control infrastructure has been effectively tested is key to data centre uptime. Following recent events of data centre downtime, effective loadbank testing of facilities is a crucial step that, when missed, can result in outage and its ensuing problems. For example, when a UK bank suffered a major outage due to an untested data centre, two million customers were left without current account access and incurred £370m in "post-migration charges" as a result. Had their facility been properly tested before the data migration that caused the outage, they would have been able to identify the issues in the equipment before the facility was made operational.


I Test it don’t chance it


If the critical infrastructure could be the source of potential downtime, it makes sense for data centre providers to ensure all equipment is carefully tested before the facility begins work. Loadbank testing is a step that effectively determines whether a data centre is able to withstand full load demand conditions. Within this testing process, there are five key levels which must be carried out to make sure the facility can operate at maximum capacity without any failures.


1 - Factory acceptance testing: Determines whether equipment has been built and operates in accordance with the design specifications. 2 - Site acceptance testing: Ensures equipment meets specification criteria and is inspected for damage before it enters the facility. 3 - Pre-functional testing: Verifies the functionality of the equipment, which includes determining whether each device is properly installed, wired, torqued, and Megger tested prior to initial energisation.


4 - Individual system testing: Detects hotspots or weak components in the equipment, allowing for replacement before the facility is put to work. 5 - Integrated system testing: Ensures that all equipment responds appropriately to varying loads, staged machinery failures and any potential utility problems.


Following these five steps will bring as many issues as possible to the surface early on, avoiding any additional project costs as a result of changes to wiring, piping and sequencing at a later stage, on top of limiting any delays to the completion date.


Testing delivers positive outcomes By following these five levels of testing, data centre providers and other stakeholders can benefit from an effective data centre and avoid any unnecessary and costly setbacks along the course of the facility’s working life. First and foremost, this approach greatly reduces the chance of any unplanned downtime. It also ensures that all precautions have been taken to achieve the optimal operation of equipment and proper installation of mission critical equipment and integration of systems. Optimised critical power and cooling


infrastructure can also mean lower operations and maintenance costs during the lifecycle of the data centre.


When tested to the correct level in the commissioning phase, any potential problems will have been raised and rectified early on and, therefore, operators can focus on implementing effective maintenance procedures for all of the equipment in the facility. Overall, this will increase efficiency across all operation and also create a safer data centre environment for all personnel. Overall, the cost savings from thorough loadbank testing will far outweigh the cost of the commissioning project. Data centre providers and other stakeholders can rely on critical infrastructure availability and performance, reducing the total cost of ownership and delivering a healthy return on investment.


www.aggreko.com/datacentre


BSEE Ticking all the boxes with Loadbank Testing


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2020 27


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