Power Systems Monitoring

All the systems in the Data Center are continuously monitored and pro-actively maintained to make failures extremely rare.

Pacific Controls solution monitors power quality and consumption at each and every level, as described below:

• Level 1: Utility Power - The utility and transformer output power are measured and monitored. This provides a clear indication of transformer efficiency and loss, and also provides a baseline figure for power delivered to the building.
• Level 2: Cooling and Lighting: The power consumed by cooling equipment – including chillers, air handlers and closely coupled cooling equipment alongside the racks – is measured to understand consumption patterns.
• Level 3: Power Systems: The power input into the protected power distribution UPS systems and corresponding outputs are measured through digital sensors and integration with the UPS management system. This provides key efficiency and consumption figures at server, rack, room, floor and building level. Multiprotocol engines provide several key functions such as regular data logging, alarm notification, and enforcement of use cases and controls. Logging activities are, in all cases, redundant in case of any single failure.

In the NOC, the data is logged and archived. Intelligent algorithms programmed by the SMEs analyse the data and auto populate the preventive maintenance report, which helps to prevent unexpected downtime.

The applications continuously benchmark infrastructure performance, helping to ensure that desired PUE and other metrics are met.

Bus Bar and Switchgear Monitoring - Infrared point sensors and thermal imaging cameras are used to provide safe non-contact measurement of real-time bus bar temperatures. This provides both instantaneous alarms for faults in the switchgear cabinet and trend analysis for predictive maintenance, which prolongs the life and efficiency of the equipment and minimises shutdowns. The NOC has real time information about the state of both live and redundant electricity delivery paths, and uses this information to notify the operators about any anomalies.

Uninterrupted Power Supply Systems - The UPS Systems are monitored in real time by integrating their controllers with the IP systems. Data is logged and archived in the NOC and analysed against the designed energy efficiency and power quality. Performance is continuously predicted from real-time data and any sign of a problem developing will raise an alarm, minimizing the chance of an unplanned shutdown.

Power Distribution Units - PDUs and the status of individual breakers are also monitored in real time by integrating their controllers with the IP systems and the NOC. This makes it possible to load power supplies more efficiently, dynamically keep track of alarms and ensure continuous power supply to the servers. The NOC monitors the pattern of breaker load against the allocated load for a particular customer. Pacific Controls notifies customers about any excess over the mutually agreed load and auto generates bills accordingly.

DC Power Plant, Rectifiers and Battery Monitoring System - Similarly the rectifiers and supervisory controllers of the DC power plant are integrated with the iDCMS and the data mined to identify patterns in various critical monitoring and management parameters. The NOC compares these with benchmarks to raise alarms about potential problems.

Battery monitoring ensures that backup power is ready in case of an unexpected power failure. The iDCMS monitors battery conditions cell-by-cell, including cell voltage, cell resistance, string current, and temperature. If any parameter is approaching a defined threshold an alarm is raised at the NOC. This predictive approach ensures almost zero downtime and efficient battery maintenance and replacement.

Generators and Fuel Tanks - Generators provide essential back-up power and must be continuously monitored to ensure that they will start when needed. The iDCMS schedules regular test runs and monitors engine operations to detect pre-alarms or failures using Gbots. The diesel storage tanks are continuously monitored, including rate of change of fuel level, to detect leaks and theft and prevent environmental pollution from spills. The refuelling date and time is notified to the maintenance teams ahead of time. All electrical and operational parameters are monitored in real time to maximise efficiency. Pre-emptive maintenance ensures generator availability and a rapid response to service problems.