ServerChoice, a provider of managed hosting and private cloud services, faced challenges in developing their new SC-2 data center to meet stringent Tier 4 standards for resilience and an energy efficiency target of 1.2 PUE. They hired Thamesgate to design and build the data center, which included redundant power and cooling systems, hot aisle containment for efficient cooling, and was completed on time and on budget. ServerChoice was pleased with the results and plans to work with Thamesgate on future expansions.

1. ServerChoice provide secure managed hosting, private cloud and
collocation services to leading Internet-dependent organisations. Known for
their highly resilient approach, ServerChoice faced several challenges when
they decided to develop a brown-field site to house their new “SC-2” data
centre in Welwyn Garden City.
CASE STUDY
Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient
Data Centre for ServerChoice
1
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CASE STUDY | Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice
SERVERCHOICE

2. Welwyn Garden City “SC-2”
Data Centre
ServerChoice already ran an existing Tier
2+ standard data centre, SC-1, at a site
elsewhere in Hertfordshire and wanted to build
a new data centre to meet demand for their
growing services. The new SC-2 data centre was
to go beyond this and be truly world-class, by
being built to Tier 4 standards. These types of
facilities incorporate higher levels of resilience in
critical power, cooling and data systems and are
more complex and expensive to build.
In addition to wanting a design that could be
certified as a Tier 4 data centre, ServerChoice
also targeted an energy efficiency of 1.2 PUE
(power usage effectiveness) at full load. This
would give ServerChoice the ability to offer
clients the highest resilience level whilst making
SC-2 one of the most energy-efficient data
centres in the UK.
To meet these challenges, ServerChoice had to
find a data centre infrastructure company who
could both innovate and deliver the project
on-time and to budget. Following a market
review, ServerChoice appointed the Thamesgate
Group as their main contractor.
Thamesgate worked with Tony Woodley,
ServerChoice’s Data Centre Manager, to
complete a full design appraisal before
committing to a final proposal for the new
building. The project included a number of
innovative solutions to problems presented
by the existing building infrastructure, and
how to accommodate the PUE and future
expansion targets.
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CASE STUDY | Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice

3. Power Resilience and
Energy Efficiency
To provide resilience for the electrical and IT
infrastructure, dual AC supplies and an N+1
redundant architecture were adopted for all
critical services. New LV switchgear was
installed, fed from the existing sub-station
incomer but with the facility to run from a second
sub-station incomer at a later date.
A 550kVA Elcos generator was installed
upstream of two high-efficiency 200kVA Riello
Master Plus UPS systems to provide resilient
power. The Riello UPS modules were connected
in an N+1 parallel-redundant configuration,
sharing the load through decentralised control.
If one UPS failed or was taken out of circuit for
maintenance, the other UPS would automatically
power the load.
The standby generator provides emergency
backup should the mains power supply fail - to
support the UPS, cooling system and lighting.
The generator was supplied with a 72 hour fuel
tank and the UPS have a 10-minute battery.
The new LV Switchgear was designed to
accommodate future generator expansion
through a bolt-on panel. The switchgear
included A and B sections with internal Bus Bars
connected via a Bus Coupler. This allowed the
switchgear to provide dual power feeds (A and B)
to the UPS systems and cooling system.
The Bus Coupler could be opened as needed
and extra supplies connected. The UPS design
itself was also future-proofed: the configuration
allowed for further Riello Master Plus UPS to be
added, providing two separate UPS groups (A
and B) as the data centre expanded.
Maintenance and electrical testing facilities were
also designed into the switchgear, allowing each
section to be switched out of service without
disruption to the load.
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CASE STUDY | Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice
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Notes:
The Tier-classification was developed by the Uptime
Institute to classify the level of operational resilience offered
by a data centre. For more information see:
http://uptimeinstitute.com/TierCertification/

4. Space Optimisation and
Cooling Efficiency
State-of-the-art cooling was built-into the SC-2
data centre, optimising space and energy
usage. The design team calculated that nine
CRAC (computer room air conditioner) units
would be sufficient to cool up to five pods, each
containing 16 server racks.
Each of the CRACs was supplied power from
a static changeover switch. This could
automatically select between dual power feeds
(A or B) from the new switchgear to guarantee
electrical supply resilience. An additional CRAC
unit was installed to provide N+1 capacity to the
overall cooling system.
A raised computer-room floor, common in many
data centres, was not an option at SC-2. The
building had solid concrete floors and so the
decision was taken to use the hot-aisle
containment system as a key return channel
for the cooling system.
The design relied on the CRAC units flooding
cool air into the server room. This was drawn into
the server racks and then vented into the
‘hot-aisle’ corridor. From here the warm air was
fed into the ceiling void to create a segregated
hot-air return to the CRAC units. The cooling
design ensured the server racks received cool air
from the bottom of the rack to the top, removing
any ‘hot-spots’ and optimising the return
temperature to the CRAC units for maximum
efficiency.
The ceiling void was also used for the cable
containment system (Cat6 data cabling and fibre
infrastructure). Each pod was supplied with
‘top-entry’ connections from the ceiling
containment, which in turn housed the AC
electrical supplies and the structured data and
fibre cabling. The design provided cable diversity
within the routes, and sufficient distance from
the hot-air-flow return to the CRACs.
In addition to the UPS and generators,
Thamesgate were also responsible for the
design and installation of energy-efficient
lighting, complete with presence detection, and
the fire protection system (employing VESDA
early-warning air sampling and FM200 gas
suppression system).
The project was completed to time and budget,
with Tony Woodley commenting:
“I am very happy with the work Thamesgate
provided. They proved themselves to be
knowledgeable, professional, and didn’t sell
us anything we didn’t need. They worked hard
and made honest recommendations; always
looking to save us money. ServerChoice already
have plans for the next phase of the data centre
expansion, and we look forward to working with
Thamesgate again soon.”
Nick Watkins, MD of Thamesgate commented:
“Working closely with Tony on this project was a
pleasure from start to finish. He was insistent that
cost savings were never made at the expense
of the quality of materials used, and so we were
able to deliver a first-class data centre that all of
us here at Thamesgate are very proud of.”
Call us today
on 0800 210 0088 to discover more
about what we can do for you
or visit thamesgate.com
thamesgatebuilding power and energy solutions
CASE STUDY | Thamesgate Build Energy Efficient Data Centre for ServerChoice
4