Exploring power flow and heat transfer technologies
BY BRIAN FORTENBERY, Electric Power Research Institute
A data center is a large concentrated load about 20 times more energy-intensive than the typical commercial building and 80 to 100 times more energy-intensive than the typical home. They operate continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Between 2000 and 2006, the number of servers being installed in the United States increased from 5.5 million per year to...
Q: What are some of the negative power quality impacts from voltage variances and transients on variable frequency drives (VFDs)? And, what are some recommended solutions to resolve this VFD site issue? OUR EXPERT | Paul Wright, P.Eng, engineered drive solutions manager, Electrical Controls...
Grounding and Bonding are the least understood, the most misinterpreted and confusing elements in modern electrical and electronic systems and leads to poor design and installation work — especially as it relates to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and to the National Electrical Code (NEC)...
Conquering challenges with wireless measurement systems BY COLIN PLASTOW, Fluke Electronics Any type of manufacturing or industrial environment presents a number of challenges when taking measurements. Whether you need to check performance over time or run spot checks, there are many situations...
The importance of load studies BY KATHLEEN WOLF-DAVIS with CASY HENRY, Megger If you’re running an industrial power system—whether for an airport, a mill, a factory or a smelter—you’re focused on more than the traditional utility concept of keeping the lights on. You definitely need that...
Line-interactive uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems play a vital role in maintaining seamless operation during power outages. Their integration with backup generators, however, can pose challenges regarding synchronization and power quality. While both UPS systems and generators serve as...
Grounding and Bonding are the least understood, the most misinterpreted and confusing elements in modern electrical and electronic systems and leads to poor design and installation work — especially as it relates to the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and to the National Electrical Code (NEC)...
Insulation Resistance (IR) test, often called Megger test, is more than 100 years old and assumed to be a very straightforward test. During my inspection and testing work in the past 15 years in Canada, US, and internationally, I have seen different practices of performing and interpretation of IR...
Guidance for calculation of efficiency in data centers BY VICTOR AVELAR, Schneider Electric The benefits of determining data center infrastructure efficiency as part of an effective energy management plan are widely recognized. The standard metrics of power usage effectiveness (PUE) and its...
Correcting the misconceptions of ground testing BY JEFF JOWETT, Megger Ground resistance testing is sometimes described as an “art”, and indeed something can be said for that description. Familiarity with the basic issues and common problems, however, can take much of the “art” out of it...
Industrial-strength solutions to improve safety BY MIETEK GLINKOWSKI, ABB A major source of disruption and downtime in data centers is human error. And their largest safety hazard is in the increasing size of the electrical systems that power them. Both of these risks can be addressed at two...
