Power backup in data centers. Something going on. 24 I MTU Report 03/10

Transcription

1 Power backup in data centers Something going on 24 I MTU Report 03/10

2 Energy All over the world, Internet commerce is growing at an incredibly rapid rate as more and more people become accustomed to banking, shopping, searching and networking with one another online. With this rapid growth, comes an equally expanding demand for fail-safe electrical power for data centers that provide the technological backbone to every online application. These high-tech facilities protect the digital infrastructure of some of the most successful and well-known companies in the world, who in turn rely on MTU Onsite Energy for infallible standby power. There doesn t seem to be much going on. But behind the doors of the data center you ll find the accumulated expertise of a company. If there is a power outage that expertise is no longer accessible. MTU Report 03/10 I 25

3 Energy «From banking to online retailing, managing the technology that moves and monitors that data is a key to success in virtually every major industry today.» Data centers may not look impressive from the outside and it s difficult to imagine that they house the technological heart of major corporations. 26 I MTU Report 03/10

4 Housed in a building of more than 100,000 square feet under one roof, a modern data center is a technological irony, a bricks and mortar symbol of the very Internet Age that has in many ways rendered bricks and mortar obsolete. They are often referred to by insiders as plants but they don t manufacture anything. Their ultraefficient mechanical, safety, and climate control systems boast redundant engineering that has more in common with a space station than an office building. Power Flow Guarantees Information Flow The identities and specific locations of today s large modern data centers may be something of a mystery, but their crucial place in the Internet-based economies of the world is not. A data center houses the computer systems, telecommunications gear, thousands of data storage servers and miles of cable that contain and enable the flow of the digitized information that is the lifeblood of any organization. From banking to online retailing, managing the technology that moves and monitors that data is a key to success in virtually every major industry today. That makes the primary goal of the data center nothing less than the absolute assurance of business continuity, regardless of external disruptions. A complete loss of electrical power, irregularities in the voltage being delivered (known as transients ) and brief power outages originating at the local electrical utility are serious threats to the stability and integrity of a data center. In addition to the computer and telecommunications hardware that require continuous uptime, thousands of square feet of elevated server racks that are at the heart of any data center require constant cooling to function properly. The complex, energy-efficient water-chilling systems that generate and circulate that cooling air also demand steady, predictable electrical power. Every data center needs a reliable, transient-free electricity supply, and a multilayered backup power system to guarantee the unrestricted flow of electricity even when the electrical grid doesn t provide it. While the need for continuous power is the same for every data center, each company s risk tolerance and internal structure has a significant impact the design of the standby power system. As these four MTU Onsite Energy customer applications reflect, data center standby power system configurations are as diverse as the online operations they support. 1. Example: Internet Services Company Standby Power System Objectives: Reduce system complexity and single points of failure without reducing reliability Well-known for its leading search engine, Web portal and service, this company has online offerings available in dozens of languages attracting hundreds of millions of users each month. The company has installed 21 MTU generator sets that form the core of its backup power system at several data centers. Each genset provides 2,000 2,250 kw of emergency power for a total of approximately 44 megawatts. Naturally, the company s power scheme includes layers of redundancy: Multiple utility feeds provide the first line of defense, and if an outage occurs at one substation feed, the second one will automatically take over. Next, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems instantaneously take over if the utility feeds fail completely, providing power until the standby generator sets start. Many companies use generators running in parallel, but this Internet services com - pany has opted to use individual generator sets to back up different segments of the data center load. In this unique installation designed by MTU Onsite Energy, every generator set in the system is kept in synchronization with a reference source, which is either another generator set or another utility feed. Since every generator set is in sync with a common source, power transfers are instantaneous and produce no disrupting transients.

5 2. Example: Software Development Company Standby Power System Objectives: Replace competitors generator sets with higher-capacity systems and improved drive engine stability With annual revenue in the tens of billions of dollars, this major software development firm also offers popular online services and entertainment products. MTU Onsite Energy has supplied gensets to four of this firm s data centers. MTU Onsite Energy was the only manufacturer capable of supplying generator sets at the required power level that was greater than 2,500 kw. The new MTU Onsite Energy units featured larger alternators to handle the sub-transient reactance and drive engines that featured 25 percent greater cylinder displacement, giving the engines much more reserve power than the units they replaced. Pleased with the results of this retrofit project, the software developer later chose MTU Onsite Energy to supply gensets for another innovative data center that pioneered the use of multiple computer server modules housed in freight containers. Designed for fast installation, the containers are ready for use once connected to power, climate control and networking equipment.this new data center uses eleven MTU Onsite Energy 2,800 kw generator sets powered by MTU 20V 4000 engines, featuring oversized alternators to accommodate the sub-transient reactance from the nonlinear loads. Also included are dual battery banks and chargers and dual fuel/water separators with special valves that allow users to change fuel filters without having to deactivate the generator. 3. Example: Online Retailer Standby Power System Objectives: A value-oriented standby power system allowing redundancy between and within multiple data center locations This Fortune 500 company, one of the world s leading online retailers, chose MTU Onsite Energy to supply standby power for several of its data centers and was willing to accept a slightly higher level of risk in order to reduce the cost of the project. MTU Onsite Energy responded by participating in the design of an innovative, value-oriented backup power system. The retailer has multiple data center locations and preferred a backup power strategy that shares redundancy between and within data centers. This means that if utility power is lost at one data center and the emergency standby system also fails, the data load is seamlessly shifted to another online data center. In addition to enhancing power reliability, these decentralized data centers offer faster data communication speed and improve the all-important retail customer experience. 4. Example: Data Center Operator Standby Power System Objectives: Reliability goal of percent, equal to one four-second outage annually This leading U.S.-based owner and operator of wholesale data centers used by technology companies turned to MTU Onsite Energy for an emergency standby power system with exceptional reliability. Given the extraordinarily high cost of downtime both in revenue and reputation, the customer s primary decision driver on the project was performance. MTU provided a new system that includes a number of MTU Onsite Energy 2,250 kw generator sets integrated into a rotary UPS system. In addition to helping the firm meet its reliability requirements, the generator sets were designed with oversized alternators to handle the high nonlinear loads caused by the UPS systems and variable-frequency drives, and feature extremely fast seven-second startup times. In addition, the gensets met the strict emissions standards of the state Department of Environmental Quality. Mike Principato To find out more, contact: Dave Pitzer, dave.pitzer@mtu-online.co, Tel

6 Energy The MTU Onsite Energy gensets are assembled in Mankato, USA. «MTU Onsite Energy emergency standby plants are specifically designed to meet the needs of the customer.» Advantages of MTU Onsite Energy Generator Sets MEMO > Generator sets that are conservatively designed and offer high reliability, rapid response to load changes, superior fuel economy and reduced emissions > Gensets that are configured, tested and certified at the factory > Support from a customer service network that includes over 300 distributors and service centers throughout North America and a technical sales team that pays attention to detail and delivers solutions on time and within budget > Greater capacity per cylinder: reduces stress on the engine and requires less maintenance MTU Report 03/10 I 29