ComRent Rack-Mounted Load Bank Improves Data Center Room Testing

OWINGS, MD--(Marketwire - Nov 14, 2011) - ComRent, the leading provider of load bank rental solutions, today announced that using its CRLS 11.5 rack-mounted load bank during data center commissioning provides the ability to conduct a more accurate room validation test compared to using floor standing load banks for testing Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) and Chiller System capacity and room temperature.

As part of the data center commissioning process, room design, equipment placement and the effectiveness of the room's cooling system all have to be tested and verified. The challenge is that room validation tests must be completed prior to the installation of servers and other equipment. Whole room temperature testing is notoriously inaccurate at recreating production conditions, increasing the likelihood of the need to reconfigure and retest of the cooling system and aisle layout after production servers are in operation. This can add significant costs to data center budgets and requires downtime of production systems to correct. The ComRent CRLS 11.5 rack-mounted load bank eliminates this risk.

With its ability to vary electrical load, heat and airflow, the ComRent CRLS 11.5 rack-mounted load bank can be used to precisely simulate the operational conditions of production servers and validate the hot/cold isle cooling design before the first server is installed. By validating the cooling system's ability to sustain the designed temperature delta of the production server configuration, data center managers can minimize the risk of having to rework the cooling system or isle configuration of a data center in operation at a later date, which has many inherent pitfalls including downtime, cost and disruption.

"As server densities increase, data center owners and facilities operators are in need of a reliable, automated solution to help them accurately and safely verify mission-critical electrical and mechanical systems," said Clayton Taylor, CEO of ComRent. "The ability to virtually eliminate the risk of making changes to a production environment after commissioning makes the 11.5 rack-mounted load bank an ideal solution for mission critical data centers."

During a recent project, Rosendin Electric was tasked with performing a Room Validation Test to validate the mechanical operations on a raised data floor. The use of the traditional "suitcase" load banks was not an option due to positioning, which created hot spots and could not simulate the proper air flow for the hot isle containment simulation, resulting in a long and tedious process during data floor commissioning. With the use of the ComRent CRLS 11.5 KW rack-mounted series load bank, Rosendin Electric was able to provide a stable heat load simulation which produced a test with higher accuracy for the customer.

"My staff was tasked with validating the cooling system of the raised floor," explained Larry Gruver, Senior Project Manager at Rosendin Electric. "Traditional suitcase load banks were not able to simulate the proper air flow, which created hotspots throughout the room. This made for a very long, tedious data center commissioning process that was not always accurate. With the ComRent CRLS 11.5 rack-mounted load bank, we were able to complete our room validation tests more accurately and we have more confidence in the results provided."

Key Features

• Variable fan speed control: Full adjustment of CFM, Temperature Delta, altitude compensation and ability to fine-tune the applied load, with an adjustment range from 530 CFM to a maximum of 730 CFM per channel.
• Three load steps per channel: Allowing for five different load combinations, providing a wider array of fine load step resolution at all voltages.
• Internal or External fan and control power source: External fan and control power allows the unit to be used to create a Black Start condition. The current draw is 2.6 A @ 120VAC with the fan at its maximum setting (internal or external power).
• Extensive protection system: Thermal protection, power supply shut-down and wrong voltage detection.

ComRent will highlight the capabilities of its CRLS 11.5 KW rack-mounted series load bank live at the 7x24 Exchange Fall Conference, November 13-16, 2011 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. To learn more, visit www.comrent.com or send an email to info@comrent.com.

About ComRent International

Since 1997, ComRent International has been providing construction professionals and facility engineers with reliable, simulated electrical and thermal load banks, transformers, cables and switchgear to commission and test mission-critical electrical and mechanical systems in high-performance structures such as data centers, healthcare facilities, nuclear power plants, municipal wastewater treatment plants and commercial cruise ships. ComRent's load bank rentals and consulting services help construction managers and facility engineers validate designs, installations, total system performance and even LEED compliance. With 18 strategically located distribution centers and North America's largest inventory of load banks, transformers, switchgear and cables, ComRent makes it possible to quickly and cost-effectively identify potential power and performance issues in these environments -- where uptime is paramount to continued operation. For more information, please visit www.ComRent.com.