Raritan has introduced an all new Branch Circuit Monitoring (BCM) system that provides real-time views of electrical capacity and power usage in colocation and other data centers. The new system supports real-time branch circuit monitoring at the panelboard, floor power distribution unit, remote power panel or overhead busway.
To monitor power consumption upstream from IT equipment racks, the new BCM leverages the technology of Raritan’s third-generation rack PDUs. Visibility into the entire power chain is vital to managing data center health. For example, if a circuit’s current approaches a breaker’s limit, the BCM sends an alert to staff who can act to prevent a cascading failure. The BCM is also modular, meaning it can be scaled as and when needed, making it more cost effective than competitive solutions.
“Our BCM solution provides data center and facilities managers with real-time and historical views of electrical capacity and power usage on mains and branch circuits, in a panelboard, remote power panel or overhead busway,” says David Wood, Director Power Business at Raritan. “Whether you are retrofitting an existing facility, or planning for growth or new construction, Raritan’s BCM system can help you reduce energy costs, track power usage, and prevent downtime”
For colocation data centers, BCM offers visibility into how much power their customers’ equipment is using and helps enforce service level agreements (SLAs). It measures KWh with ISO/SEC +/- 0.5% billing-grade accuracy. It also collects data on: A, V, kW, kVA, and power factor. The data is remotely accessible via a web-based interface, or locally on a high-resolution color display or tablet.
The system can easily be configured by uploading the panel schedule via USB stick, thus eliminating manual input errors. Information gathered by the BCM system can be shared with a building management system (BMS) or data center infrastructure management (DCIM) power monitoring software, such as from Raritan partner, Sunbird Software. The BCM also supports environmental sensors for monitoring temperature and humidity.
The new easy-to-install modular system consists of power meter controllers (PMC), power metering modules (PMM), current transformers (CTs), and a variety of enclosures. During installation, the system auto-senses the direction of CT installation and adjusts orientation to prevent costly mistakes requiring reinstallation. There is no disruption to existing services because the current transformers can be snapped around live circuits without power to equipment racks being cut off.
