THE EDGE
n a world full of tech giants,
Blockchain, cryptocurrencies
and cloud computing we are
living in the era of the data
revolution, where data and information are
coined as the new gold and data centres
are the proverbial treasure chests in which
its stored.
I
With data centres predicted to use 20% of
all the world’s electricity by 2025 and emit
up to 5.5% of all carbon emissions, data
centre operators and clients are conscious
of the need and responsibility to minimise
this as much as possible.
Within the past year, we have seen
a number of major data centre users
committing to powering their facilities on
100% renewable energy.
This is no easy feat as while data
centres are required to operate 24/7,
many renewable energy sources
do not. Achieving these lofty goals
requires precision engineering and
commissioning to ensure that systems
are integrated in harmony and operating
as efficiently as possible.
maintainability, environmental, comfort
and energy performance criteria
and verifies that these been achieved
and sustained.
Experience shows that projects can
often turn out to be more complex than
originally thought, particularly when it
comes to the integrated performance
of the building and its engineering
services. There is also evidence that
where design or construction personnel
adopt responsibility for commissioning
process activities, design and construction
tasks often get prioritised over
commissioning works.
A high-quality commissioning
management specialist can bring an
independence and an inter-disciplinary
perspective to the commissioning process
that would otherwise be absent.
The commissioning process can be
introduced to new or existing facilities,
ensuring engineering services are set
to work to the specified performance
requirements and deliver a facility that
really works for individuals, businesses,
society and the environment.
To achieve this, the commissioning
specialist should work closely with the
designers from the earliest stages of
preparation and design.
Research has shown that energy
consumed by the engineering services
involved in cooling a data centre can be
over 40% of the total energy consumption
and it stands to reason that this figure will
be even higher in the Middle East.
There are many variables that affect
how a facility and its engineering
services perform. The commissioning
quality assurance and planning process
provides a clear definition of the desired
functionality, usability, controllability,
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
THE
COMMISSIONING
SPECIALIST
SHOULD WORK
CLOSELY WITH
THE DESIGNERS
FROM THE
EARLIEST STAGES
OF PREPARATION
AND DESIGN.
Commissioning-focused
design reviews
The purpose of design reviews in the
commissioning process is not to find
mistakes. It is to evaluate the design
team’s process for achieving the outcomes
needed by the client, stakeholders and
building operators.
The commissioning manager will
undertake reviews based the specific
client performance outcomes, such
as cooling loads, system resilience or
redundancy, power quality, access control,
maintainability, operator usability and
operating requirements.
Use and benefits of BIM
Building information modelling (BIM) is
an essential process for designing data
centres with their complex engineering
requirements and can add value in the
following areas:
Mark Rawlings, Commissioning Project
Manager at AESG
• • Detailing for pre-fabrication for
speed of delivery, improved quality and
off-site commissioning
Issue 02
69