DEEP DIVE
REDUCING
PUE, ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
AND WATER
USAGE AREN’T
NEW IDEAS, BUT
IT’S VITAL THAT
WE ACT NOW.
to optimise data centre performance.
Being able to use automation and a digital
twin CFD model to tweak and safely test
out scenarios to optimise performance
makes a lot of sense.
Paul Harrison, Senior Consultant Engineer, Future Facilities,
receiving his award from Joanna Lumley at the Datacloud Awards
I have seen designs widely
rolled out that could have been
improved at conception.
I am glad consultants like me
can help improve existing sites,
but I’d rather we were utilised
earlier in the design process to
avoid the potentially wasteful
consequences of rapid growth.
What are the region-specific
challenges you encounter in
your role?
We have seen how the UK’s limited
real estate affects the expansion of
sites. Urban environments not only
have limited space, but some facilities
must cope with the emissions of
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
neighbouring sites. Some of our studies
have investigated how to overcome the
issues of site expansion.
What changes to your job role
have you seen in the last year and
how do you see these developing
in the next 12 months?
Over the last year I have seen a significant
increase in clients starting to use the
digital twin for operational management.
They run simulations on a continual basis
to constantly inform their deployment
decisions. This has the benefit of using
CFD to pre-empt issues rather than using
it to fix existing issues.
Recently, there has also been interest in
using simulation and automation together
Finally, I’ve seen more interest in external
modelling simulations where people are
interested in performance outside the white
space (our typical area of interest). We’ve
been asked to see how chillers operate in
certain wind conditions, or how generator
emissions might affect performance.
I expect to see these interests develop in
the next 12 months.
What advice would you offer
somebody aspiring to obtain a
senior position in the industry?
I would recommend they learn to be
adaptable as technology and roles can
change quickly. Grab opportunities as they
arise, to challenge yourself.
Gain an understanding of the
fundamentals of different areas of the
industry as you need to understand the
wider impact of your decisions. Build
relationships with others in the industry,
as sharing expertise helps everyone.
Finally, and most importantly, find
something that is interesting to you. ◊
Issue 06
67