Page 21 - EngineerIT December 2022

POWERING DATA CENTRES

Eaton installs its largest African

modular power system at Africa

Data Centres’ Midrand site

aton announces the successful installation of a
modular power system earlier this year at Africa Data
ECentres’ 10 MW facility - its largest installation on the
continent to date.
When the largest pan-African network of interconnected
data centre facilities, Africa Data Centres, grew its business to
include data storage solutions, it required significant upgrades
and improvements to expand the capacity of its legacy building
in Johannesburg. The enhanced facilities had to meet data
centre site requirements with supporting power solutions – all
of which had to be configured to fit into a very limited space
and accommodate a restricted on-site installation time.
Despite time and space constraints, and difficult operating
conditions, Eaton delivered a configurable xModular power
system that extended the electrical infrastructure of the facility
without interfering with day-to-day operations, providing an it is a self-contained system with a patented design, which allows for
innovative ‘plug and play’ solution that is scalable for easy different types of scalabilities and better redundancy that may not
upgrade in the future. be provided by a more conventional UPS,” says Armand van Niekerk,
According to Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres, Data Centres Segment Lead for Africa at Eaton. “It is easy to install,
“Due to the nature of our business, on-site installation time upgrade and reconfigure, saving considerable time and costs for
had to be restricted and limited to final assembly and cable businesses.”
connections only.” “The air-insulated Power Xpert UX IEC withdrawable medium
To address these prerequisites, Eaton built the modular voltage switchgear offers world-leading vacuum technology in a
units off-site at its manufacturing plant in Germiston, and compact footprint and arc flash classification, making it a safe,
planned and managed the process of delivering the weighty reliable, efficient choice as part of this solution. Additionally, the
units by road, using specialised trucks and air-suspension Eaton Power Xpert 9395P UPS offers complete isolation of output
loading trailers, and then lifting them into place using specially power from all input power anomalies to deliver 100% conditioned,
hired 700 T cranes. perfect sine-wave output, even during severe power disturbances,”
“Apart from physical requirements, we expected says van Niekerk.
the solution to offer stability and reliability under all He adds that the Energy Saver System built into the installation
environmental and power supply conditions, in a robust improves efficiency levels by 99% by placing power modules on
prefabricated structure. Adequate load handling capabilities standby when double conversion is not required. The system
were essential, as well as ease of operation and maintenance,” can however switch to double conversion mode in a matter of
Durvasula said. milliseconds if required.
The solution was expected to offer a total integration of Other benefits of the tailored modular system include continuous
Eaton products into one system with an approach intended to function by the energy saver system at ambient temperatures of up
protect the data centre from the repercussions of inconsistent to 40 degrees Celsius without de-rating. In addition, the UPS is easily
power supply and the ongoing ‘load shedding’, or power scalable, the number of power modules can be specified, and the
blackouts, that South Africa has become accustomed to. layout can be chosen to suit the installation. With more than 90%
Eaton’s fully integrated turnkey solution included the of materials used in its manufacture able to be recycled, this will
Power Xpert UX IEC withdrawable medium voltage switchgear, significantly reduce their lifetime carbon impact.
the Eaton Power Xpert 9395P UPS, and Eaton’s lithium-ion “This is an easily adaptable design that can be duplicated and
battery combinations. rolled out as a turnkey solution for other partners in the future,”
“As part of the design we installed Eaton’s modular UPS as concludes van Niekerk. n

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