CE+T’s Power Fusion System provides innovative emergency power for data centers

Data centers may contain hundreds or thousands of servers that centralize an organization’s IT operations. These servers may store information, data and software that are critical to an organization’s day-to-day operations. Any interruption of server operations, such as equipment failure, cyber-crime, human error, or weather or power outages can lead to expensive downtime that may cripple an organization. Data centers must therefore perform reliably and be available for use without interruption 100% of the time, 365 days per year.

A recent survey of 63 data centers indicate that the average cost of data center downtime has increased from about $690,000 in 2013 to $740,000 in 2016 — a 38% increase amounting to about $9,000 per minute. One-quarter of the data centers surveyed identified power system failures to be the root cause of unplanned downtime. However, emergency and back-up power can be reliably and cost-effectively provided to data centers using the CE+T Power Fusion System.

Current technology

Traditional data centers operate in a centralized power scheme (Figure 1), where the servers operate from an electrical power grid during normal operation. If power is interrupted from the grid, the servers operate from a centralized uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system that contains batteries and electronics. The UPS suppresses power surges and provides temporary power until the diesel-powered generators can be started. Over a prolonged power outage, the data center can operate off the diesel-powered generators until power from the grid is restored.

Figure 1. Traditional power for data centers.

There are numerous problems associated with traditional centralized emergency or backup power systems. First, a newly established data center may not have a significant number of servers; however, a centralized UPS system must be sized to enable future expansion. This may lead to a significant initial capital investment through the purchase of more UPS capacity than is initially required. Opportunity costs can also be high. A centralized UPS system takes up valuable floor space within the data center that could be occupied by additional servers. Based on experience, a centralized UPS system can occupy up to 20% of the total data center floor space. Finally, during periods of peak power utilization, batteries may be used to supplement grid power. Power distributed to a server rack that is not actually consumed is stranded, and if not reclaimed becomes wasted. The total amount of stranded power can be significant in a typical data center with numerous server racks. These disadvantages translate into higher total costs of ownership for a data center.

CE+T Power Fusion System

The CE+T Power Fusion System (Figure 2) provides an innovative and game-changing approach to providing emergency and backup power to servers in data centers. Rather than connecting all servers to a centralized UPS, this system consists of modular distributed power fusion satellites, which are self-contained UPS systems with power converters, batteries and power monitor electronics, each capable of supplying 2.5 kW to 10.0 kW of power to one or more local servers. To save on valuable floor space, the satellites can be installed on racks above the servers. The satellites form an interconnected DC power grid or bus that can use power from batteries, renewable power sources, emergency power generators and the electrical grid. The Power Fusion System centrally monitors the satellites within the grid and provides continuous control and power distribution to the IT elements in the data center under normal, peak, backup and emergency situations.

Figure 2. CE+T Power Fusion System block diagram. Source: CE+T

The Power Fusion System offers several advantages over a centralized UPS system.

1. Power can be purchased in 2.5 kW to 10 kW modular increments, enabling data center managers to right-size and purchase only the power that is needed for the current IT infrastructure. The system can be easily expanded to accommodate future growth by purchasing and installing additional power modules.

2. Since the satellites are installed above the racks, valuable floor space that would otherwise be dedicated to a centralized UPS is free for additional servers, or the data center can be housed in a smaller facility.

3. The Power Fusion Satellites are centrally controlled and interconnected by a DC bus, which offers several advantages.

a. It creates a switchless connection capable of combining and mixing several energy sources (e.g., grid power, renewable sources, local energy sources, batteries). This further eliminates potential switching and synchronization issues.

b. It distributes power to only those IT elements that need it, reducing the amount of stranded and distributed power.

c. Since all energy sources are available at all times, the DC bus becomes an energy reserve with infinite backup time, which could be used as a grid replacement, an energy mixer or a spinning reserve for fault clearance or grid support.

d. The programmable controller regulates the energy mix from several different sources and provides features of microgrids, such as demand management, peak shaving and load shifting.

4. The satellite modules are hot-swappable, reducing maintenance costs and system downtime, resulting in increased availability.

These advantages enable data center managers to realize significant reductions in total cost-of-ownership by using the CE+T Power Fusion System versus a centralized UPS system.

CE+T company information

Founded in 1934, CE+T Power is a leading supplier of modular power solutions with a global presence based in Belgium, China, India, Luxembourg and the United States. The company has specialized in the development and manufacturing of power electronics since the 1960s, and was the inventor of the modular power inverter in the late 1980s. Today, CE+T Power is committed to providing high-performing yet cost-effective AC and DC power solutions that leverage their long-standing experience and know-how together with innovative and cutting-edge technology. CE+T Power systems and solutions ensure the reliability, security and continuity of business data, information, software and operations even if a primary electrical power source fails. More information about CE+T’s products and services can be found on their website.