Power Distribution I Transcript

Power Distribution I P a g e | 1
2013 Schneider Electric. All rights reserved. All trademarks provided are the property of their respective owners.
Power Distribution I
Transcript

Slide 1
Welcome to the Data Center University
TM
course on Power Distribution I.

Slide 2: Welcome
For best viewing results, we recommend that you maximize your browser window now. The screen controls
allow you to navigate through the eLearning experience. Using your browser controls may disrupt the
normal play of the course. Click the attachments link to download supplemental information for this course.
Click the Notes tab to read a transcript of the narration.

Slide 3: Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
Identify how power is distributed from the utility to the data center
Articulate how nominal voltage differs from normal voltage
Differentiate various configurations of Delta and Wye transformers
Discuss how service entrance, main electrical service panel, transformers, feeders, sub-panels,
branch circuits and receptacles are related to each other
Describe basic Power Distribution Unit (PDU) to rack electric power distribution configurations

Slide 4: Introduction
Power distribution is the key to maintaining availability in the data center. Many instances of equipment
failure, downtime, software and data corruption, are the result of a failure to provide adequate power
distribution. Sensitive components require consistent power distribution as well as power that is free of
interruption or distortion.


The consequences of large-scale power incidents are well documented. Across all business sectors, an
estimated $104 billion to $164 billion per year are lost due to power disruptions, with another $15 billion to
$24 billion per year in losses attributed to secondary power quality problems.

It is imperative that critical components within the data center have an adequate and steady supply of power.

Slide 5: Introduction
It is important to provide a separate, dedicated power source and power infrastructure for the data center.
The building in which a data center is located could have a mixture of power requirements, such as air
conditioners, elevators, office equipment, desktop computers, and kitchen area microwaves and
refrigerators.

If the data center shares a common power source with the rest of the building, and power consumption is at
a high level, it could impact the data centers air handlers, for example, and greatly increase the risk of
unanticipated downtime.


This course will explore the topic of power distribution within the data center. Lets begin with a review of
how power is transmitted to the data center.

Slide 6: Power and Transmission Overview
This is a diagram that shows the transmission of power from the utility to a building which houses a data
center. Voltage is transformed many times before it reaches the user. Voltage is either stepped up or
stepped down by a series of transformers.

The power generation facility at the utility generates three phases. Thus, three wires are used to transmit
power. Generating and distributing 3-phase power is more economical than distributing single phase power.
Single phase power only has one hot wire.

Slide 7: Power and Transmission Overview
Since the size of the wire directly affects the amount of current that can pass, it also determines the amount
of power that can be delivered. If power were distributed only as a single phase, huge, heavy transmission
lines would be needed and it would be nearly impossible to suspend them from a pole. It is much more
economical to distribute AC power using three wires.

Now that weve reviewed the basic concepts of power transmission, lets move on to nominal versus normal
voltage.

Slide 8: Nominal vs. Normal Voltage
As power is distributed across long distances over power lines, losses in voltage caused by resistance and
inductive losses can occur as the power works its way through various transformers.

The voltage received, therefore, can vary depending upon the consumers position along the power line and
depending upon the total load that the line is expected to supply.


By the time source power reaches the computer installation site, it can suffer voltage losses of up to 11%,
even under optimal conditions.

Slide 9: Nominal vs. Normal Voltage
Nominal voltage is the voltage that the power company guarantees. Normal voltage is what is typically
supplied at the site due to distribution losses. The two often represent different voltages.

If the voltage coming into the data center is either too high or too low, it can impact equipment by causing it
to run hot. This is corrected with the utilization of a transformer. Now lets explore transformers.

Slide 10: Transformer
Transformers are essential to transmit and distribute power. They must transform 3-phase voltage and
provide a mechanism to break out single phase power from 3-phase power. To achieve both of these tasks,
different types of transformers are used.

(Image on next page)



Stepping up or down 3-phase power requires what is called a Delta transformer. It is called Delta because
its circuit diagram looks like the Greek letter Delta.

Slide 11: Transformer
Transformers are built by taking two wires and wrapping them around an iron core. Iron is used due to its
magnetic qualities. AC power is supplied to the first wire, called the primary coil.




As the current flows through the primary coil, it induces current in the second wire (called the secondary
coil). This phenomenon is called the law of induction. The strength of the induced current depends upon the
number of times the second wire is wrapped around the iron core. By adjusting the number of turns on the
secondary coil, the transformers output current and voltage can be determined.

Slide 12: Step Down Transformer
A step down transformer will take the voltage coming into the transformer and produce an output of
decreased voltage. For example, 600 volts come in and 480 volts go out. The transformation takes place
without any electrical connection between the input and output.


Slide 13: Step Up Transformer
The step up transformer works in a similar manner. The only difference is that the primary coil has fewer
turns or windings than the secondary coil. In the case of the step up transformer, the voltage coming into the
transformer is less than the voltage going out of the transformer.

Slide 14: Wye Transfromer
Another type of transformer is a Wye transformer. This transformer also gets its name from a Greek letter
because its circuit diagram looks like the Greek letter Wye.


The Wye transformer is different from the Delta transformer because it outputs not just three-phases but
also a neutral wire.

Wye to Wye transformers are not as common as Delta to Delta transformers, but can sometimes be found
to support distribution in cases where the utility is not the primary power source. An example would be the
upstream of a UPS and downstream of a generator.


Slide 15: Delta to Wye Transformer
To break out single phase from a 3-phase source a Delta to Wye transformer is required. A Delta to Wye
transformer takes in three phases and a ground and it outputs three phases and a neutral.

Slide 16: Isolation Transformer
A transformer that contains an equal number of turns or windings in both the Primary and Secondary coils is
called an isolation transformer.

The voltage coming into the transformer is equal to the voltage coming out of the transformer.


Remember that within the transformer, the law of induction dictates that transformation takes place without
any electrical connection between the input and output. The benefit of the isolation transformer is that it
filters out electrical spikes on the input, thereby providing better power quality on the output.

Now that weve covered transformers, lets discuss the service entrance.

Slide 17: Service Entrance
A continuous connection exists between the power generation station and the wiring inside a building which
houses a data center. The point where the responsibility of the electrical infrastructure shifts from the utility
to the owner or tenants of the building is called the service entrance. Power meters are typically placed at
the service entrance to accurately track the power usage. A good way to find the service entrance is to look
for the building main earth ground. This is the ground for the entire building electrical system. It is typically
a steel rod driven into the building foundation or earth around the foundation.

Slide 18: Service Entrance
A service transformer will sit just outside of the service entrance. This transformer will vary from building site
to building site. For most businesses, the service transformer will be a 480 Volt delta transformer.

Beyond the Main Service Entrance, the power is distributed within the facility. Power distribution within the
facility can be broken down into six areas:


Main electrical service panel, transformers, feeders, subpanels, branch circuits and receptacles.

Lets explore each of these items in more detail, beginning with the main electrical service panel.

Slide 19: Main Electrical Service Panel
The service transformer is wired directly to the main Electrical Service Panel. This panel has several key
components, so lets take a look at a typical diagram of the main electrical service panel, and examine each
of these components.

The first component is the neutral bus. The neutral bus is a bar to which all the neutral wires are connected.
This is done to keep all of the neutral wires referencing the same voltage.


The next key component is the neutral to ground bond. This bond connects the neutral bus to the electrical
ground of the building. If this bond is not made, neutral problems, such as high impedance can occur.
Impedance is when the flow of alternating current (AC) encounters opposition in an electrical circuit.

The earth ground connection is the next component well examine. This connection acts as the ground
reference for the entire electrical infrastructure. It is made by driving a grounding electrode into the earth.



This electrode is then connected to the Main Service Panel via the neutral bus which is bonded to the
ground bus using the neutral to ground bond.

The final component well explore, deals with the service transformer. The ground of the service transformer
is also connected to the neutral bus to keep the ground reference consistent between the incoming power
and the distributed power.




Slide 23: Facility Transformer
Within the facility, transformers are used to provide either Delta or Wye power for either isolation, stepping
up or down voltage or to break out a single phase from a 3-phase source.

They are also useful in breaking down a facilitys power requirements into zones. Each zone can be
provided with a dedicated transformer with a specific VA rating. Typical ratings range from 30 kVA to 225
kVA. Transformers are ideal for this partitioning effect because they isolate loads from the Main Service
Panel. Thus, power problems such as harmonics and overloaded neutrals can be isolated from the main
electrical service.


However, whenever a transformer of 1000 VA or larger is used within the facility, the secondary winding
must be grounded to building steel. In this case the transformer is considered a separately derived power
source and must be grounded as such.

Slide 24: Subpanels
Subpanels are metal boxes that contain all the buses and breakers for distribution to receptacles and loads.
They are sized by the number of circuit breakers and bus configurations.

Typical subpanels include 240/120V single phase with three wires and 208/120V 3-phase with four wires.
Subpanels are constructed and configured to ensure that all phases are equally loaded.

Slide 25: Feeders
Feeders are the conductors and conduits that run between main service panels, transformers and
subpanels. They are wired according to National Electric Code (NEC). Feeders are subject to very strict
voltage drop parameters. Only 2% of the voltage available at the main service panel can be lost over the
entire length of the feeder circuit.

Slide 26: Branch Circuits
Branch circuits connect the load to the final over current protection device. In most cases, the final over
current protection is a sub-panel with circuit breakers.

Branch circuits consist of conductors and conduit. The size of the conductor cables in both the feeder and
branch circuits are outlined in National Electric Code (NEC) article 310.

Slide 27: Dedicated Branch Circuits
Dedicated branch circuits are usually needed for sensitive equipment such as computers and medical
instrumentation, unless power conditioning equipment is employed for that equipment. A dedicated branch
circuit is one that has all three wires (hot, neutral and ground) isolated from all other equipment outlets so


that noisy appliances or equipment on nearby general-purpose branches will not interfere with the sensitive
equipment.

Slide 28: Dedicated Branch Circuits
The degree to which an electrician can achieve a noise-free circuit for sensitive equipment is usually
dependent upon a number of factors:
The quality of power delivered by the utility
The age and design of the building
The integrity of the grounding system throughout the building
The amount of electrical noise generated within the building
The degree to which electrical loads are balanced throughout the building

In some cases, it is necessary to isolate the circuit all the way back to the main distribution panel at the
service entrance.

Slide 29: Receptacles
Receptacles are the final piece to the distribution puzzle. The receptacles allow loads to be attached to the
electrical distribution using a cord and plug. They come in many sizes and shapes. This is due to the wide
range of power requirements by all electrical loads in existence today.

(For more information on plugs, please refer to the Data Center University Course entitled Fundamentals of
Power.)

Now that weve addressed each of the components in the service entrance, lets move on to the different
methods of power distribution, beginning with direct connect.


Slide 30: Direct Connect Power Distribution
Many factors come into play when deciding on a power distribution layout from the PDUs to the racks. The
size of the data center, the nature of the equipment being installed and budget are all variables. However,
be aware that two approaches are commonly utilized for power distribution in the data center.

One approach is to run conduits from large wall mounted or floor mounted PDUs to each cabinet location.
This works moderately well for a small server environment with a limited number of conduits. This doesnt
work well for larger data centers when cabinet locations require multiple power receptacles.

Slide 31: Direct Connect Power Distribution
Running each electrical conduit directly from the source power panel in more or less a straight line to a
destination cabinet requires rivers of conduits to cross over one another. Over time, both power and data
cables could become quite congested under the floor. This is problematic when it comes time to relocate
whips or perform electrical work in the data center. It is also problematic for maintaining unobstructed air
distribution to the servers, if a raised floor is used as a plenum for cooling.


Slide 32: Traditional Power Distribution
Another option for power distribution to the racks is to install the PDU in the rack unit itself. In this case the
distribution is as close as possible to the load, fewer feet of cable are required and the solution is completely
mobile. In both the direct connect and distributed power schemes, significant amounts of cabling would have
to be removed from the raised floor in order to move the PDU to a new location.

Slide 33: Optimized Power Distribution System
Data center power distribution systems have evolved in response to the needs of the modern data center.
Improvements to power distribution systems have been introduced over time.

Today, an updated power distribution system could have several enhanced features, most notably:
Branch circuit power metering
Overhead cable tray with flexible power cords
Overhead fixed busway with removable power taps
High power, pluggable rack power distribution units
Transformerless Power Distribution Units, and
Power capacity management software

Here we see a diagram of a data center employing one example of a modern power distribution system. In
this example, 480 volts of power comes from the panel to the UPS and then goes through an attached
distribution panel to the IT load. The power is stepped down to 208 volts via a transformer built into the rack
housing the PDU. A series of branch circuits bring the power to the servers located in the associated IT
enclosures.




Here is another example of a similar power distribution system that distributes to IT rows using one or more
overhead busways. The busways are installed up front and traverse the entire planned IT rack layout. When
a group of racks is to be installed, a low-footprint modular PDU is installed at the same time and plugged
into the overhead busway.



The connection to the busway is also shown in here. Instead of traditional circuit breaker panels with raw
wire terminations, the modular PDU has a backplane into which pre-terminated shock-safe circuit breaker
modules are installed. This arrangement allows the face of the PDU to be much more narrow, and
eliminates on-site termination of wires.



The modular PDU initially has no branch circuit modules installed. The power circuits from the modular
PDU to the IT racks are flexible cable that are plugged into the front of the modular PDU on site to meet the
requirements of each specific rack as needed. The branch circuit cables to the IT enclosures are pre-
terminated with breaker modules that plug into the shock-safe backplane of the modular PDU.

For equipment that requires a dedicated branch circuit, such as most blade servers, a single cable from the
PDU carries one, two, or three branch circuits that plug directly into the blade server, with no additional rack
PDU (i.e. power strip) required. For mixed equipment in the rack, an assortment of rack PDUs are available
that provide various receptacles and current ratings and may be interchanged.

In this system, a PDU for a new row of IT enclosures, along with all of the associated branch circuit wiring
and rack outlet strips, can be installed in an hour, without any wire cutting or terminations.

Options also exist for the deployment of transformerless, rack-based distribution units. An example of such
a deployment would include a 415 volt line to line UPS that directly feeds the transformerless PDUs that


distribute to the racks. In the case of North America a 480 volt to 415 volt step down transformer could be
installed upstream of the UPS.

Slide 37: Standard Power Distribution
The standard power distribution system for a typical data center in North America is a 277/480V 3-phase
power system supplying distributed Power Distribution Units (PDUs) which convert the voltage to the 208V
and 120V single-phase branch circuits utilized by IT equipment. This arrangement is represented by the
one-line diagram shown here.

Other parts of the world typically receive 400V from the utility and convert it to 220V at the service entrance.


Slide 38: Summary
Lets conclude with a brief summary.
It is imperative that critical components with the data center have an adequate and steady supply
of power. The delivery of power is the key to maintaining availability in the data center. Avoiding
instances of equipment failure, downtime, software and data corruption lies the management of
power distribution.
As power is distributed across long distances, over power lines, losses in voltage caused by
resistance and inductive losses can occur as the power works its way through various
transformers. Voltage is either stepped up or stepped down by a series of these transformers.
Transformers are essential to transmit and distribute power, because if the voltage coming into the
data center is either too high or too low, it can impact the equipment by causing it to run hot.
There are a wide range of receptacles used throughout the world today are due to the wide range
of power requirements by all electrical loads currently in existence.
The degree to which an electrician can achieve a noise-free circuit for sensitive equipment is
dependent on a number of factors, including: quality of power; building age/design; grounding
system integrity; electrical noise amounts; and the degree of balanced electrical loads.
Distributed power designs are emerging as the preferred configuration for larger server
environments, because they are easier to manage, less expensive to install, and more resistant to
a physical accident than a direct connection power distribution.

This ends Power Distribution Part I. Part II will explore the issue of power distribution in new high density
data center environments.

Slide 39: Thank You!
Thank you for participating in this course.

Power Distribution I Transcript

Încărcat de

Informații document

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Power Distribution I Transcript

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Power Distribution I P a g e | 1

S-ar putea să vă placă și