Executive Summary
- Milliseconds of power interruption can cause a huge ripple effect in taking systems offline. Enter KIPO Consulting Engineers, the experts in specialist power engineering.
- KIPO Consulting Engineers conducted a comprehensive Protection and Grading study for a major data centre, ensuring electrical distribution systems can withstand faults without causing facility-wide outages.
- The study assessed protection coordination across MV distribution, generators, LV distribution and UPS systems, identifying critical optimisation opportunities to enhance resilience and prevent cascading failures.
In a data centre, time matters and even milliseconds of power interruption can cause drastic effects. When a device trips at an incorrect time, it could take critical systems offline. KIPO Consulting Engineers utilise their expertise in client-focused consultancy, particularly conducting Protection and Grading studies, to ensure the electrical distribution systems in data centres have improved resilience and reliability.
KIPO is the trusted consultancy in specialist power engineering, trailblazing in the industry through their leadership through thoughtful design, close-working relationships with clients and expert practice that supports long-term performance.
In a recent client visit, their engineers were asked to ensure the site’s electrical protection systems, from MV Distribution and Generators to LV Distribution and UPS. This included assessing relay/trip units and breaker types for resilience, reliability and compliance with BS EN 60909, and carrying out protection coordination using time-current curves to ensure selective tripping under fault conditions – so a single fault wouldn’t bring the entire system offline.
During their on-site visit, they provided a clear picture of their existing protection scheme and identified areas for optimisation to improve system security, reduce the risk of protection malfunctions and enhance overall operational safety.
Protection and grading aren’t just about compliance; it’s about ensuring every circuit is working cohesively in the system. And KIPO Engineering Consultancy are paving the way for building long-term partnerships, working closely with data centres because that coordination is the difference between a blip and a blackout.
