Since 1982, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has been publishing technical articles on Commissioning and providing supportive training programs. This process is particularly highlighted for mechanical systems. The necessity for such a process arises due to the distributed nature and the need for centralized control to overcome quality issues.
ASHRAE defines Commissioning as a quality-focused process aimed at enhancing project delivery, emphasizing the verification and documentation of the facility’s systems and assemblies to ensure they are designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the Owner’s requirements.
Expectations from the Commissioning process in Data Center facilities are even more demanding. Heating or cooling systems used for comfort can be shut down for days for maintenance and repair during certain seasons, but this is not possible for data centers. Interruption means partially shutting down IT equipment, something no data center operator can afford.
The objectives of the Testing and Commissioning process in Data Center projects include:
- Complex Systems Integration: To manage multiple units for redundancy, structural requirements, and cost-effectiveness, intricate electro-mechanical models need to be established. This requires extensive testing and optimization to align with design and structural parameters.
- Critical System Reliability: Ensuring the seamless operation of interconnected systems in power, cooling, and automation disciplines is vital. Any unexpected issues during maintenance or operation can be catastrophic, hence meticulous testing and verification are crucial.
- Operational Proficiency: The core operations team must rehearse all maneuvers in high-risk scenarios (full load, failure, maintenance scenarios, etc.) before the data center goes fully operational. This practice ensures the creation of operational procedures that eliminate risks, guaranteeing high operational continuity throughout the data center’s lifespan.
- Documentation and Reference: Records from the Testing and Commissioning process serve as a reliable source of information throughout the data center’s life cycle. These records include critical values and details of every component and system tested, forming a comprehensive ‘Data Center Infrastructure and Operations Blueprint.’
- Initiating the Testing and Commissioning process specific to Data Centers is crucial during the planning and design stages. The selection of consulting and Commissioning firms is pivotal to guarantee the return on investment and align the investment with business goals.
The application of the Testing and Commissioning process is typically outlined in five stages, although there might be a sixth stage, as argued by Otomatica, proven to add significant value in consultancy projects:
Foundation Stage: Review critical facility projects in terms of design and drawings to align working principles among different discipline firms.
First Stage: Conducting factory tests for devices to be placed in critical infrastructure, ensuring their capacity and interaction with other systems.
Second Stage: Imposing standard and calculated tests for cabling, piping, channelling, and distribution elements during manufacturing.
Third Stage: Gradually commissioning devices and allowing gradual cycling of resources such as energy, signals, water, gas, etc., ensuring their seamless functionality.
Fourth Stage: Simulating full data center operations by mimicking the behaviour of IT hardware under full power and cooling loads, ensuring all interconnected systems function optimally.
Fifth Stage: Verifying the complete integration of all systems and managing them comprehensively via BMS and EMS systems for high reliability. Post the fifth stage, a Data Center’s performance is mainly behavioural. The operational team needs time to establish a culture of operation and standard activities to achieve sustainable operations aligned with corporate objectives.
