Enhancement of secure 24/7 operation in data centres

The leading French technical magazine MESURES awarded Camille Bauer Metrawatt AG a prize for innovation. The award ceremony is the closing event of the annual TECHNOLOGICAL RANKING in Paris, held in the offices of the FIEEC (Federation of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Industries). Grouped in different categories, each of the innovative products was judged based on its technical features.

Data centres exist all over the world, not only as stand-alone operations but also in many other types of activity. These include banks, insurance companies, industrial companies, hospitals, airports, energy suppliers, administrations, etc. The enormous energy requirements of these data centres confront both operators and energy suppliers with major challenges. Additional factors which can randomly lead to problems and serious damage are becoming more and more the focus of attention. As shown in this use case the HuiShang bank in Hefei in the Anhui province in China decided to invest further in securing its 24/7 operations. To do this, they installed extra equipment to monitor the electrical power quality.

In the field of heavy current measurement, current transformers are essential. Among the important parameters are reliability and accuracy, to guarantee very lengthy service life. A measurement device like this one from Camille Bauer Metrawatt AG, developed and manufactured in Switzerland, normally always needs one current transformer for each conductor, which is why these products are so important.

The trend towards efficient utilization of limited resources has led to the introduction of a host of activities for energy efficiency improvement. For DC systems especially, monitoring their performance and error-free operation is fundamental. Photovoltaic and battery storage systems are particularly relevant here and the focus is also evidently on the power supplies of emerging electromobility solutions.

To address the needs of the energy automation sector and in the context of digitization, Camille Bauer is introducing higher-performance variants of the CENTRAX CU3000 and CU5000. As well as the BASIC version the ADVANCED version is now also available. The CENTRAX is a 2-in-1 device, combining in a single housing a highly precise measurement device for monitoring electrical parameters and the functionality of a programmable logic controller. It supports the CODESYS development environment for developing IEC 61131-3 compliant industrial automation applications.

Swiss industry contributes to our country's innovation, full employment and competitiveness. Switzerland's manufacturing base is indispensable, but industry must seize on the opportunities of digitisation". This postulation from a video message by Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann to the Industry 2025 initiative on 19.09.2017 was published in the October 2017 issue of swiss technology magazine.

Renewable energies and distributed energy resources are reflections of the era of energy transition. Smart grids with optimal load distribution are now closer to becoming reality. However, what happens to the existing substations in the distribution net-works? Will they able to handle the requirements, now that power quality concerns are emerging more and more? What is to happen to the older systems which now still operate manually or semi-manually? What is to be done about distribution networks with power transformers that are based on different technologies?

The SINEAX DM5 series of devices are programmable universal measurement instruments for heavy current networks: classic high precision transducers for top hat rail mounting, they are suitable for almost any type of monitoring function and as well as for retrofitting in energy distribution and industry.

Camille Bauer Metrawatt AG has combined, for the first time, the functionality of a highly accurate measurement device for heavy current applications with the capabilities of an integrated programmable logic controller. With this solution, closely coupled automation tasks can be carried out directly and flexibly by programmable logic. The advantage is evident. With this 2-in-1 concept, there is no need for additional components to implement the control task.