Thamesgate :Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for Server Choice

ServerChoice provide secure managed hosting, private cloud and collocation services to leading Internet-dependent organisations. Known for their highly resilient approach, ServerChoice faced several challenges when they decided to develop a brown-field site to house their new “SC-2” data centre in Welwyn Garden City.

CASE STUDY

Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice

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CASE STUDY | Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice

SERVERCHOICE

Welwyn Garden City “SC-2” Data CentreServerChoice already ran an existing Tier 2+ standard data centre, SC-1, at a site elsewhere in Hertfordshire and wanted to build a new data centre to meet demand for their growing services. The new SC-2 data centre was to go beyond this and be truly world-class, by being built to Tier 4 standards. These types of facilities incorporate higher levels of resilience in critical power, cooling and data systems and are more complex and expensive to build.

In addition to wanting a design that could be certified as a Tier 4 data centre, ServerChoice also targeted an energy efficiency of 1.2 PUE (power usage effectiveness) at full load. This would give ServerChoice the ability to offer clients the highest resilience level whilst making SC-2 one of the most energy-efficient data centres in the UK.

To meet these challenges, ServerChoice had to find a data centre infrastructure company who could both innovate and deliver the project on-time and to budget. Following a market review, ServerChoice appointed the Thamesgate Group as their main contractor.

Thamesgate worked with Tony Woodley, ServerChoice’s Data Centre Manager, to complete a full design appraisal before committing to a final proposal for the new building. The project included a number of innovative solutions to problems presented by the existing building infrastructure, and how to accommodate the PUE and future expansion targets.

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Power Resilience and Energy EfficiencyTo provide resilience for the electrical and IT infrastructure, dual AC supplies and an N+1 redundant architecture were adopted for all critical services. New LV switchgear wasinstalled, fed from the existing sub-station incomer but with the facility to run from a second sub-station incomer at a later date.

A 550kVA Elcos generator was installed upstream of two high-efficiency 200kVA Riello Master Plus UPS systems to provide resilient power. The Riello UPS modules were connected in an N+1 parallel-redundant configuration, sharing the load through decentralised control. If one UPS failed or was taken out of circuit for maintenance, the other UPS would automatically power the load.

The standby generator provides emergency backup should the mains power supply fail - to support the UPS, cooling system and lighting. The generator was supplied with a 72 hour fuel tank and the UPS have a 10-minute battery.

The new LV Switchgear was designed to accommodate future generator expansion through a bolt-on panel. The switchgear included A and B sections with internal Bus Bars connected via a Bus Coupler. This allowed the switchgear to provide dual power feeds (A and B) to the UPS systems and cooling system.

The Bus Coupler could be opened as needed and extra supplies connected. The UPS design itself was also future-proofed: the configuration allowed for further Riello Master Plus UPS to be added, providing two separate UPS groups (A and B) as the data centre expanded.

Maintenance and electrical testing facilities were also designed into the switchgear, allowing each section to be switched out of service without disruption to the load.





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Notes:The Tier-classification was developed by the Uptime Institute to classify the level of operational resilience offered by a data centre. For more information see:http://uptimeinstitute.com/TierCertification/

Space Optimisation and Cooling EfficiencyState-of-the-art cooling was built-into the SC-2 data centre, optimising space and energy usage. The design team calculated that nine CRAC (computer room air conditioner) units would be sufficient to cool up to five pods, each containing 16 server racks.

Each of the CRACs was supplied power from a static changeover switch. This could automatically select between dual power feeds (A or B) from the new switchgear to guarantee electrical supply resilience. An additional CRAC unit was installed to provide N+1 capacity to the overall cooling system.

A raised computer-room floor, common in many data centres, was not an option at SC-2. The building had solid concrete floors and so the decision was taken to use the hot-aisle containment system as a key return channel for the cooling system.

The design relied on the CRAC units flooding cool air into the server room. This was drawn into the server racks and then vented into the ‘hot-aisle’ corridor. From here the warm air was fed into the ceiling void to create a segregated hot-air return to the CRAC units. The cooling design ensured the server racks received cool air from the bottom of the rack to the top, removing any ‘hot-spots’ and optimising the return temperature to the CRAC units for maximum efficiency.

The ceiling void was also used for the cable containment system (Cat6 data cabling and fibre infrastructure). Each pod was supplied with ‘top-entry’ connections from the ceiling containment, which in turn housed the AC electrical supplies and the structured data and fibre cabling. The design provided cable diversity within the routes, and sufficient distance from the hot-air-flow return to the CRACs. In addition to the UPS and generators, Thamesgate were also responsible for the design and installation of energy-efficient lighting, complete with presence detection, and the fire protection system (employing VESDA early-warning air sampling and FM200 gas suppression system).

The project was completed to time and budget, with Tony Woodley commenting:

“I am very happy with the work Thamesgate provided. They proved themselves to be knowledgeable, professional, and didn’t sell us anything we didn’t need. They worked hard and made honest recommendations; always looking to save us money. ServerChoice already have plans for the next phase of the data centre expansion, and we look forward to working with Thamesgate again soon.”

Nick Watkins, MD of Thamesgate commented:

“Working closely with Tony on this project was a pleasure from start to finish. He was insistent that cost savings were never made at the expense of the quality of materials used, and so we were able to deliver a first-class data centre that all of us here at Thamesgate are very proud of.”





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Thamesgate :Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for Server Choice