Power systems keep particle accelerator running

Maximum power availability is vital to support the integrity of data acquisition for Diamond Light Source.

Chloride's is designing and installing a power protection system for Diamond Light Source.

Built on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Diamond Light Source has at its heart a giant machine called a synchrotron - a series of 'super microscopes' - housed in a doughnut-shaped building covering an area the size of five football pitches.

This is a particle accelerator using electrons to generate powerful light through a beamline to enable scientists to look inside matter at the molecular and atomic scale.

The synchrotron light at Diamond Light Source can be diverted into a number of specific experimental stations that are located around the 560m circumference of the main ring for conducting material and other scientific testing.

Currently there are seven experimental stations/beamlines, with funding secured for another fifteen.

It is anticipated that the facility will ultimately host up to forty, supporting the life, physical and environmental sciences.

Chloride was commissioned to design and install a total solution for critical power protection at this complex site which is being shared by the scientific community and industrial users.

Beamline time is at a premium so maximum power availability is vital to support the integrity of data acquisition and the functioning of control systems and building services.

Chloride project engineers have built a high-integrity 2.1MV A uninterruptible power supply (UPS) network to protect and maintain power integrity throughout the site.

The scientific beamlines, data acquisition and the control and instrumentation area from which the synchrotron is operated are being protected by a total of seventeen 100kVA UPS units from Chloride's 90-NET series.

These units feature digital vector control, which enables all overloads, frequency variations, transient disturbances, brief interruptions and blackouts to be eliminated in real-time.

Ten times quicker than current analogue methods, 90-NET is a high reliability solution for the protection of mission critical loads with outstanding performance.

A significant benefit for Diamond Light Source is its power conditioning function, as sensitive electronic equipment operated at the site needs to run on clean, conditioned power at all times.

The back-up power to smaller systems throughout the main building and also communications and data cabinets within auxiliary offices has been achieved using Chloride 70-NET 30kVA UPS units.

Due to their quiet operation and compatibility with a wide range of communication interfaces, they integrate perfectly into computing environments.

They are also well proven in delivering secure power protection in critical environments including networks, industrial applications and management systems.

As part of its total power protection package, Chloride offers customers a range of support service options including monitoring, diagnostics and maintenance.

At Diamond Light Source, Chloride's ManageUPS CIO software package is being employed to simplify the central management of the whole UPS system.

This monitoring tool is easy to set up and can be operated with minimal training by those responsible for ICT infrastructure and the power systems foundation that supports it.

Effective monitoring is the key to maintaining awareness of the status of the power infrastructure and receiving alerts to any condition or variable with the potential to adversely impact on load operation or the readiness of stand-by systems.

ManageUPS CIO provides the means of overseeing the entire critical power infrastructure, whether it is within a single facility, at remote sites or across an enterprise-wide network.

It comes with a variety of features designed to enhance appreciation and communication of data.

A multi-level pin map helps visualise problem locations with geographic maps, floor plans, visio drawings and digital photographs of specific installations.

The alarm view function automatically organises UPS devices by current alarm type.

There are also smart groups rules-based containers for dynamic inventory analysis and silent condition monitoring with e-mail exchange notification.

Chloride's team completed a site asset audit to establish an inventory of which UPS were in which location.

Once this had been done the team installed and configured all the ManageUPS interface modules before preparing the digitised floor plans and geo maps needed to reflect the client's installation.

Further on site services included setting up the CIO server and end user training to ensure that the client was fully equipped to use this new monitoring tool.

Diamond Light Source is installing a building management system which will include an interface to CIO via BACnet IP protocol to allow the facilities team to monitor the UPS systems on the central building management system.

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