Non IT critical loads or “applications” that require secure power supply span across many industry sectors. Here are just a few examples:
In hospitals, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems require a safe power source, and many other types of equipment may also require this, such as dedicated monitoring consoles in nurse stations.
At airports, air traffic control systems are extremely important, but so are other systems such as security checkpoints and access control systems.
In manufacturing plants, process control and machine control systems can automate important manufacturing processes. In pharmaceutical factories, it may be a mixing device. In a car factory, it may be an assembly robot. In semiconductor factories, there are specialized material handling systems, testing equipment, and cleanroom systems that require safe power sources.
Train systems and tunnel systems are not typical buildings, but their control and signaling systems typically require safe power sources. Oil and gas industry factories or upstream drilling platforms typically require safety power for emergency shutdown systems, fire detection or process control systems for fire suppression systems.
Ships need to provide safe power for navigation systems and various other subsystems.
Most of these applications have specific standards related to their respective fields. This is one of the additional difficulties in providing safe power in these situations: the system that provides safe power to these loads needs to be designed to meet these strict and specific standards, and then qualified to ensure compliance, which means only verified and experienced manufacturers can play a role in these specialized markets.
It can be seen that sometimes the required commercial and industrial critical electricity exceeds what many people consider to be the scope of ordinary buildings, such as ships, tunnel systems, or oil drilling platforms. There is also an increasing need for secure power sources in commercial environments, such as casinos, entertainment centers, or large retail stores. The overall trend is that most industries have become highly digitized, driving the demand for secure electricity for assets that may have been analog a generation ago.
Therefore, we conducted in-depth research on what a safe power source is and where it is needed. Let’s pause and consider the nature of the key power scenarios listed here. In almost all cases, applications involve critical subsystems that need to continuously provide high-quality power, but typically the cloud needs to work in conjunction with other systems such as building management. No one wants an automated ‘island’, so APC UPS, cooling, or other safety power equipment should be able to communicate with other systems that help operate the facility.
This integration requirement is why the cloud needs a company with extensive pollution expertise to help configure and service secure power solutions. This is where Schneider APC comes into play, utilizing expertise in five key areas of infrastructure: power management, industrial automation, IT infrastructure management, building management, and physical security.
In fact, achieving the critical power lifecycle also requires a team composed of partners with different skills. Consulting with designated engineers, electrical and mechanical contractors, maintenance engineers and employees, as well as facility and operations managers, all play important roles in designing and/or operating these critical systems.