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Austin WILLIAMSON
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Introduction

Critical Power Systems and controls are increasingly becoming an integral element of a building’s power infrastructure in our data and communications connected society.

Banking, finance, telecommunications, security, media, critical infrastructure and the Internet itself all rely on critical power and control systems to operate without disruption.

With the development of “smart city” networks, “smart buildings”, autonomous vehicles, edge computing and artificial intelligence in the 21st Century, these systems and services will increasingly require the provision of “mission critical” and energy efficient datacentre power and cooling infrastructures to support the modern world.

Examples of systems and services requiring these infrastructures include:

  • Banking and finance
  • Insurance
  • Critical infrastructure – Power, including balance of plant and real time dynamic demand response, Gas and Water services
  • Security – National and International, including Cyber security
  • Weather forecasting
  • Power and embedded generation – renewable energy and battery storage technology
  • Transportation – Road, Rail and Air
  • Hospitals, medical
  • Media and telecommunications
  • “Smart cities” and demand side power management (IoT)

As an integral part of Foreman Roberts offering we have the experience and expertise to develop proposals, feasibility studies, topologies together with the design and specification of systems, and confirm the operational performance of mission critical power infrastructures and cooling systems ensuring the most energy and operational efficient designs are created.

This includes assessment of the infrastructures’ annualised and peak Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and requirements in relation to Datacentre Infrastructure Management (DcIM), compliance with the Uptime Institute Tier Classifications and Client requirements.

As we create ever larger critical and Hyper-scale datacentres, their systems  cannot be considered in isolation. Many of these systems are highly complex and must operate in the most efficient and harmonised way while providing concurrent maintainability and redundancy at all levels of the critical power, cooling and control system installations.

As well as traditional build, off-site and modular construction methods are increasingly being deployed to reduce program and CAPEX. Early engagement with the Client, Professional Team and the complete vendor chain is key to successfully delivering these facilities. Foreman Roberts will help and advise the team and prepare critical engineering option appraisals and solutions, including recommended procurement of long lead-in items of plant and related MEP systems; ensuring the best solution is selected.

Moreover, many existing datacentre and mission critical power and cooling installations are approaching, or at, their end of life requiring refresh. The methodology and approach relating to datacentre refurbishment, including CAPEX and OPEX, can present significant challenges particularly in live operational facilities.

Foreman Roberts Critical Systems Team can assist in determining the strategy and help provide practical design solutions for critical infrastructure, UPS and generator controls replacements. This includes migration from existing to new infrastructures, their integration and functional testing while maintaining existing systems. Foreman Roberts will provide strategic advice and support to the Client, Stakeholders and Professional Teams every step of the way during the replacement and integration of these systems.

scope of services:

  • 33 to 11 kV Critical Power generation, substations and distribution
  • Scalable Hyper-scale infrastructure concepts to 500 MVA and 150 kV distribution
  • Critical low-voltage distribution
  • Vendor reviews and recommendations
  • Protection schemes and reviews
  • Recommendations for temporary power and UPS systems
  • Power migration strategies
  • Space planning and plant replacement strategies
  • UPS technology and their application
  • Network contingency analysis
  • Single Point of Failure (SPoF)
  • Review of Power Quality / Harmonic Studies
  • SCADA systems
  • Route Cause Analysis (RCA) and Fault tree analysis
  • Distribution and UPS equipment Life cycle and Total Cost of Ownership assessments
  • Review of existing plant and protection device obsolescence
  • Attend Factory Acceptance and Site Acceptance Testing , FATs and SATs and Integrated Systems Testing (ISTs).
  • Earth network model study reviews, including potential gradient and hot and cold zone assessments
  • Cooling system designs, assessments and application of Partial and Free-cooling solutions for energy reduction and improving PUE, ensuring compliance with the recommendations of the “Green Grid”