Data center - case study
LA IBX
Critical Systems Testing, Inc., (CST) performed mechanical and electrical testing on
this critical data center in Los Angeles, CA. in 2006.
This high profile data center, with over 75,000 square feet of conditioned data floor
area, is the first in an ongoing series of data centers being commissioned by CST.
challenge
Creating a high level of reliability for mission critical facilities, under load, in all types of failure scenarios.
Outcome
Shortly after completing the project in mid 2006, the
Los Angles metro area suffered a significant ‘brown – out’ which resulted in
multiple failures in many of the local data centers. The LA IBX Data Center,
however, performed flawlessly, with no interruption to services experienced.
Problems Encountered
Primary among them was the programming of
the automated program which controlled the mechanical systems. During the
failure testing under load it was noted that the chillers would shut down in a
cascading failure causing complete loss of cooling to the data floor. After analysis
it was found that the building automation system was shutting the chillers off
during the restart sequence after the simulated loss of utility power test.
This was only one of many conditions found during testing that would have
compromised the ability of the facility to operate in a mission critical environment.
From generators, to fuel systems, to the central plant
Developing The Strategy
Critical Systems Testing, Inc has
developed an ‘Integrated Systems Test’ which accomplishes this goal.
Functional testing and inspection of the mechanical and electrical systems
revealed many critical flaws which could have caused this facility to fail had they
not been identified and remediated. the comprehensive testing and analysis performed by CST was invaluable to insuring that this facility
performed, as designed, under all types of operating conditions.
results
The resulting solutions not only increased reliability and reduced operating costs, but increases the ability to generate new customers
and significantly reduces the potential exposure to liability resulting from loss of services.
