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Generali Real Estate

Construction of the Generali Immobiliare data centre
Facility Management
Customer Generali Real Estate
Where Mogliano Veneto (TV)
Solution General Contracting
Sector Data Center
Target achieved Lowest possible PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) value

Assicurazioni Generali's data centres and their uninterrupted service continuity are vital to the company's core business. The project involved the completion and preparation of all systems in order to maximise energy savings.

Strengths

For all systems serving the Data Centre or areas associated with its operation, 100% redundancy has been maintained for equipment and 50% for water distribution (via a third backup pipe).

A network of measuring instruments has been set up to monitor the various parameters on the Data Centre control panels. Monitoring covers not only voltage, current and power, but also parameters such as harmonic distortion and voltage drops, in order to highlight any power supply problems affecting the Data Centre machines.

Key Numbers

5.000 kW

installed electrical power

1.525 kW

installed cooling capacity

49.536 m3/h

air flow

Background

The project involves the installation of electrical and thermo-mechanical systems for the construction of data centres on the ground floor (AT) of building A, which is part of the complex used as the headquarters of Assicurazioni Generali. Building A is mainly used as offices and houses the data centre on the ground floor and basement. It also houses essential service rooms for the summer and winter operation of the existing mechanical systems serving the main Central Refrigeration Unit. A separate building (F) houses the main technological systems. Work has been carried out on the mains and emergency power supply systems, with the replacement or adaptation of generators, transformers, electrical switchboards and power panels, etc.

All work was carried out without interrupting the operation of existing equipment.

Challenges

The aim of the project was to increase the cooling capacity available to the Data Centre by separating all secondary circuits not strictly connected to it. This optimises the differentiated and targeted management of the systems contained in building A.
Efforts were also made to achieve the lowest possible PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) value, compatible with the climatic characteristics of the site, while preserving existing and still efficient equipment as much as possible.

Project Tasks

During the development of the project, consideration was given to the need to apply adequate redundancy to all auxiliary power supply systems, cooling systems, etc., in order to ensure maximum system reliability and avoid any service disruption.
 
The technological systems supporting the equipment must guarantee system reliability and energy efficiency, aspects which were given top priority in the selection and sizing of the materials and equipment installed at the site.

Implementation

The reorganisation of the Generali Group's IT services, with data processing and storage facilities in various countries largely concentrated in Aachen (Germany) and Mogliano Veneto (Treviso), required the upgrading of the technological systems serving the ‘AT’ and ‘AT-1’ premises (existing data centres at the Italian headquarters).
New IT equipment was installed, with a maximum power consumption of approximately 1,000 kW, to allow for future developments.
 
This involved upgrading the systems in the rooms housing the IT equipment, both in terms of available electrical power and environmental cooling capacity. To achieve this, work was carried out on the air conditioning systems (both in the IT rooms and in auxiliary technical areas such as UPS technical rooms, etc.) to achieve a proportional reduction in energy consumption. Similarly, the focus was on reducing the energy costs arising from self-consumption by the UPS units. This was achieved by installing four latest-generation units with offline operating mode capable of keeping the emergency power supply system on standby, while reducing consumption from the current 6-8% of nominal load to approximately 1%. Thanks to new rapid response electronic technology, it is possible to switch from offline to online configuration in an extremely short time (2-3 milliseconds) without interrupting the IT system's power supply and, at the same time, avoiding the level of consumption typically associated with traditional uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
Given the substantial absence of personnel and latent heat load, the heat load inside data centres is generally only of the “sensitive” type. The use of standard air conditioning units (which usually operate with cooling water flow and return temperatures of 7°C and 12°C -  respectively) causes excessive dehumidification of the cooling air. This requires subsequent rehumidification of the air (to avoid electrostatic charges that could accumulate if the air is too dry), with considerable energy waste. In these rooms, however, it is possible to significantly increase the operating temperatures of the chilled water, with supply and return values of 12°C and 17°C respectively, thus minimising the dehumidifying effect of the cold coil. This led to the design decision to separate the data centre circuits from those of the offices, as this will subsequently allow the different areas, used for different purposes, to use water circuits at different temperatures, with considerable energy savings.

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