One of the projects we recently completed deserves to be featured on a Discovery Channel science program titled "Supercomplex Projects."
In early 2021, Vicom Plus was appointed the general contractor for the project to replace the uninterruptible power supply systems at the cloud data center of JSC Kazteleport in Nur-Sultan.
The cloud data center's uninterruptible power supply system consists of four SILCON 120kVA UPS units connected to two 100kW distribution paths, providing 2N power redundancy for the load.
At the very beginning of negotiations, the Customer set out a number of strict requirements, the main one being the inability to disconnect the load (user servers) and the need to ensure continuous, uninterrupted power throughout the entire equipment replacement process. The task was feasible but extremely challenging, as it required the engineers to maintain maximum attention to detail for several days.
The planned work was further complicated by the need to connect brand-new UPS units to existing bypass panels, which were more than ten years old, and to provide not only power connections but also signal switching. This is a mandatory electrical safety requirement: before the responsible employee switches the bypass disconnect, the UPS static transfer switch must automatically operate first; otherwise, the consequences could be unpredictable.
The work included not only the physical replacement of the uninterruptible power supplies, but also the replacement of four battery racks, the removal of old battery breakers, as well as excess cables and cable trays.
To accomplish such a complex task, we developed a detailed action plan and coordinated it with the customer’s responsible representatives. The plan included preparatory, primary and final works. The entire scope was carefully scheduled over time, with all activities allocated to each specialist individually.
All end users of the cloud data center of JSC Kazteleport were notified in advance of the planned uninterruptible power system replacement work. They were informed of the potential risks of an unexpected or emergency power outage.
The warnings remained merely formal, because the replacement procedure ultimately proceeded without a single failure—we were able to completely eliminate errors!
Speaking of new technologies, the customer had used SILCON 120kVA UPS units for more than ten years. During that time, not only had power conversion technologies changed, but equipment sizes had also been substantially reduced at the same power ratings.
See for yourself: the two photos below were taken from approximately the same angle. Here are the decommissioned, older-generation SILCON UPS units manufactured by the former APC company:
And here are the new Easy UPS 3M series UPS units manufactured by Schneider Electric.
The obvious advantages of installing the new UPS models included a smaller footprint and lower heat dissipation (by half). This was achieved not only through the more compact UPS dimensions, but also through the high efficiency of the new models (over 95%).