SoSo CAD
White paperCitation2016

WP#67 - Modern Assessment of the Susceptibility of Data Center ICT Equipment to Power Outages and Disturbances

The Green Grid · Dusty Becker, Bill Campbell et al.

This Green Grid white paper re-evaluates the ITIC curve, the long-standing guideline for power supply tolerance to momentary voltage dropouts, against modern ICT equipment.

Go to the original source
On this page

Overview

The paper is a Green Grid technical document dated 30 March 2016. Its subject is the guidelines for the susceptibility of power supply units (PSUs) to momentary input-voltage dropouts. The author group includes Dusty Becker, Bill Campbell, Don Goddard, Bob Landstrom, Pam Lembke, David Loucks, Mike Model, George Navarro, Bob Schuerger and Henry Wong. This record rests on the public landing page of the library; the full text needs a free account sign-in.

The starting point is the ITIC curve, a long-established guideline for PSU tolerance. The paper evaluates this curve against modern ICT equipment. Although the method is not summarised in detail, the question is whether the curve still reflects the real behaviour of today's hardware. That question implies that older assumptions in power protection design should be reviewed. A notable finding is that PSU ride-through times are diminishing. The abstract also mentions hidden effects on efficiency, meaning that efficiency-oriented PSU design can lower outage tolerance.

A tension thus arises for owners between efficiency and reliability. The paper lays out recommended next steps for the industry, aiming to let owners design for both efficiency and reliability. As to limits, this record is at abstract level only; specific ride-through times, test results or recommended numeric values are not given here. Related standards include the ITIC (CBEMA) curve and IEC 62040-3.

Key points

  1. The paper is dated 30 March 2016.
  2. It examines guidelines for PSU susceptibility to momentary input-voltage dropouts.
  3. It evaluates the ITIC curve against modern ICT equipment.
  4. It notes diminishing PSU ride-through times.
  5. It notes hidden effects of this trend on efficiency.
  6. It lays out recommended next steps for the industry.
  7. Related standards: ITIC (CBEMA) curve, IEC 62040-3.
  8. The record rests only on the public abstract page and contains no numeric values.

Using it in design

  • Store PSU ride-through (ms) as a catalog field for IT equipment.
  • In topologies with Eco Mode or static transfer, warn when transfer time exceeds ride-through.
  • In power protection design, verify against real equipment tolerance data rather than accepting the ITIC curve alone.
  • When choosing UPS efficiency modes, treat IT equipment tolerance as a reliability check.

Monthly newsletter · free

Keep your reading list current

Once a month: new library sources, changes to Turkish regulations and upcoming data centre events.

SoSo CAD

Review your power design in SoSo CAD

Inspect supply paths, equipment loads and UPS failure scenarios in one model.

Request a demo
Single-line diagram in the SoSo CAD power and capacity workspace

Who should read it

Electrical designers and reliability engineers who weigh power protection, UPS topology and IT equipment tolerance together.

Related standards

  • ITIC (CBEMA) curve
  • IEC 62040-3

Publication details

Authors
Dusty Becker; Bill Campbell; Don Goddard; Bob Landstrom; Pam Lembke; David Loucks; Mike Model; George Navarro; Bob Schuerger; Henry Wong
Publisher
The Green Grid
Year
2016
Document number
WP 67
Document language
English
Source type
Industry body
Access
Citation only
Licence
Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document
Original licence note

Download requires a free TGG account sign-in and is governed by The Green Grid Terms of Use; summary and facts from the public library landing page; full text not redistributed.

Citation

Dusty Becker; Bill Campbell; Don Goddard; Bob Landstrom; Pam Lembke; David Loucks; Mike Model; George Navarro; Bob Schuerger; Henry Wong (2016). WP#67 - Modern Assessment of the Susceptibility of Data Center ICT Equipment to Power Outages and Disturbances. The Green Grid. WP 67. https://www.thegreengrid.org/en/resources/library-and-tools/371-WP%2367---Modern-Assessment-of-the-Susceptibility-of-Data-Center-Information-and-Communication-Technology-Equipment-to-Power-Outages-and-Disturbances

ElectricalReliabilityUPS

Events on this subject

Browse the events calendar

All content and rights belong to the respective authors and publishers. SoSo CAD provides only the citation, its own summary and a link to the source, and is not responsible for the sources' content.