24VDC Screw Pump for Emergency Backup Diesel Transfer at a Data Centre

What is a Data Centre?

Data centres have become a necessity in recent times, dedicated buildings for housing data storage systems, telecommunications and computer systems have been built in major cities throughout the World. These can range in size and large data centres are often on an industrial scale and consume as much electricity as a small town.

Modern businesses require smooth IT systems and cannot tolerate delays; many are clustered together in major cities and this is where large data centres can be found. Having the installations so close to businesses ensures information is distributed quickly and users can perform their tasks efficiently, these buildings have become vital to the function of the modern economy.

Due to their cruciality, these installations contain backup parts, strong security systems and alternative power supplies to ensure all critical systems remain operational in the event of damage, cyber-attack, or power failure.

A loss in utility power can be devastating as files can become lost or corrupted and equipment could malfunction, this ultimately leads to lost money for affected companies. Therefore, emergency backup diesel generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are installed on site. The UPS is a battery backup system, this contains a battery bank, charger, and inverter for converting from DC to AC power supply when required. Both these systems help to restore power during a blackout and maintain voltage levels when they drop, it is critical that these systems are maintained, and the generator always has a sufficient supply of diesel fuel.

Fluid Transfer during Power Outage

Our customer is a UK supplier of critical power systems for data centres and the financial sector, they not only design and install the equipment but also have on-going maintenance contracts and are responsible for the upkeep of the apparatus on site. They have a great deal of responsibility for these installations and their focus is on ensuring all equipment is robust and reliable.

This client approached North Ridge Pumps with a unique requirement that they were having great difficulty finding a solution for, they needed a 24V DC diesel fuel pump that could run on emergency battery power in the event of a mains power failure. This pump will operate during a blackout and run off the UPS system ensuring that the backup diesel generator is sufficiently fed with diesel fuel to keep key systems operational. There are cheaper mass produced 24V diesel pumps on the market, however this client cannot accept an unreliable product, they only accept dependable equipment for critical systems and this is why they approached us.

Our Constant Pressure, Variable Flow Solution

It does not get more dependable that the Imo ACD 025L6 NVBP triple screw pump, this is a proven product for fuel and oil applications and has been fitted in key installations throughout the World. Screw pumps are outstanding at handling clean lubricating fluids such as diesel and oils, their robust and modern design creates many benefits such as low noise output, low pulsations, and a smooth and uninterrupted flow rate. They are positive displacement and self-priming by nature, able to handle fluids containing entrained gas while being installed horizontally or vertically for space saving.

Another huge benefit of this diesel screw pump range is that they are far more compact than other positive displacement pumps due to the absence of a gearbox. The motor is directly coupled to the pump operating at full speed, this small footprint is very useful for installations with space limitations. The engineers at this data centre now have peace of mind as they have a reliable pump for transferring diesel to their emergency generator in the event of a blackout, this protects client data from damage and ensures they have 24/7 access without interruption. 

Below is the specification of the diesel pump that was installed: