Crestchic Loadbanks, a leading manufacturer of load testing equipment, has recently expanded its range of load testing products for the data centre sector, adding a new server emulator load bank solution to its rental portfolio.
As power consumption increases and the addition of more server technology generates additional heat, it is becoming more important that new data centres accurately test the infrastructure of the server hall. On the whole, this is done before the installation of the IT hardware, allowing operators to simulate the potential airflow and heat in the server hall as part of the testing and commissioning of the facility. Failing to do so could result in the servers overheating, causing unnecessary and expensive downtime.
Paul Brickman, from Crestchic Loadbanks, explains, “Heat load testing data halls is really important both in ascertaining the air conditioning capacity required and in terms of testing how the system would perform in the event of a cooling failure. In smaller data centres, in particular, it’s not unusual for operators to use small-scale heaters or fans to simulate server heat loads. Crucially, by using server emulator load banks, we are able to replicate the heat signature of the actual server, not just in kilowatts but in terms of the airflow and distribution around the hall. We emulate the exact heat distribution – helping to identify and eliminate hot spots – enabling testing to be equally distributed around the room just as it would be at installation.”
For large data centres, using small floor standing heaters can be a manual and time-consuming process, with unreliable results. As well as being cumbersome, this type of test can make it difficult to accurately control the test parameters. Using a server emulator load bank, in multiple rack configuration ensures an accurate heat signature that the future servers will produce. This allows the commissioning engineers to replicate the actual heat load to thoroughly test the server hall air conditioning output and performance.
The 6kW server emulator load bank from Crestchic can be integrated into a temporary rack or ideally the rack that will be used for the servers installation, as this will ensure all the electrical distribution up to the server is energised and tested in the commissioning process. The load banks can be configured with six different load steps and an operating temperature of between -10C and 50C, allowing test parameters to be set according to user requirements. The system has also been built with safety in mind, with thermal overload protection as standard.
Paul continues, “Hypercsale data centres can rapidly increase and decrease in size. Understanding the potential heat load when running at full capacity means that the centre has evidenced that it is capable of meeting any agreed KPIs, protecting the operator’s reputation and meeting the core design principles of industry bodies such as the Uptime Institute’s Tier Standard.”
Crestchic is no stranger to the development of bespoke solutions for the data centre market. Along with a range of long-established rental and permanent solutions designed for testing of back-up power generators, the company has also recently launched a trailer-mounted loadbank. The solution, which allows sites to move the load bank from one generator to another, was designed to meet the ever-growing number of sites with multiple generators, reducing the time and complexity of the testing process by facilitating easy movement of the testing equipment.
Crestchic’s server emulators are available for rental throughout Europe.
For more information about Crestchic’s range of load testing solutions for the data centre market, including the new server emulator load bank, visit our data centre page.
To buy or hire a load bank for your facility, contact our team here.
Please click the relevant country If you need a solution local to you: France Germany Middle East USA
