Surge Protection for Data Centers
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| Data Center Server Racks |
OVERVIEW
Today's increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for Data Centers. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©.
Selecting SPDs for Data Centers
NEC/NFPA 70 require that Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) shall be UL 1449 Listed. This means selecting a surge protector is easier than it has ever been. There are only a few choices available for SPDs that are UL Listed for any of the most commonly used surge standards including UL 1449 5th Edition, UL 497B and UL 497E. Given the central function now played by Data Centers in our present everyday life, their ability to remain operational at all times is more critical than ever. This is why surge protection is present at each power distribution level around the facility to prevent both operational downtime and data losses.
Recommended SPDs for Data Centers
| Location | Equipment | System | Surge Protector Model # | Link |
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| Service Entrance Switchgears | 480 V ac | MDS600E-480D |
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| Primary Switchboards | 480 V ac | MS200-480D |
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| Busway Power Distribution Units (PDU) | 347/600 V ac | DAC104US-347Y |
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| Floor Power Distribution Units (PDU) | 277/480 V ac | MP100-277Y |
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| Remote Power Panels (RPP) | 120/208 V ac | DAC104US-120Y/G |
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Determining the Acceptability of an SPD for Data Centers and all other UL Listed Equipment
Each of the distribution levels will fall under its own UL specific standard such as:
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UL 1558 for switchgears
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UL 891 for switchboards
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UL 67 for panelboards
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UL 508A for industrial control panels (ICP)
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UL 1640 for power distribution units (PDU)
The UL inspector will first consider the SPD type when determining its acceptability for a given application or piece of equipment. This will include the UL standards mentioned above as well as all other UL Listed equipment. The first level compliance is based on the UL Approval (LISTED or RECOGNIZED) of the SPD or UL SPD Type and its Suitable Ratings. This means that it has to meet all safety, performance, environmental and electrical system ratings of the application. If any of these criteria are not fully met, it will require a Procedure Description, a File Update and/or Additional Testing. These actions will require additional costs that may be substantial. For this reason, it is in the interest of the specifier to use UL LISTED SPDs to eliminate any uncertainty or to make sure the UL RECOGNIZED SPD is selected at the time of UL submittal of the equipment.
Approval Considerations Table Based on UL SPD Type
UL Mark | UL 1449 5th Ed. SPD Type | Suitable Ratings | Procedure Described | File Update or Additional Testing | Notes |
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| 1 2 | Yes | No | No | The only requirement is that the SPD must match electrical and environmental ratings of the UL 67 Control Panel. A UL field inspection of the control panel with the SPD installed is required as a part of a standard follow-up service visit. |
| 1CA 2CA 4CA 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes – All UL recognized SPDs require a UL engineering evaluation of the SPD’s existing UL 1449 E–file. This will result, at a minimum, in a cost to update the UL file and may also require testing that would result in additional costs. |
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| SPDs for Data Centers |
