A building also needs to evaluate the benefits of thermal storage, which can provide back-up to the chiller plant during a plant failure. A thermal storage system is the mechanical equivalent of the UPS in the electrical system. Most facilities cannot accommodate the refrigeration plant on UPS power due to the high cost. Thermal storage adds minimal loads to the UPS plant requiring only the circulating pumps and critical fan system motors to be connected. During a commercial power failure, the computer room loads, such as water cooled mainframes, computer room air conditioning units, UPS air handling equipment, and other critical systems, can be supplied with chilled water until the emergency generator plant is brought on line and the mechanical loads are picked up by the generator plant.
Maintenance is critical.
Once you have invested a significant amount of money and time to protect your building from failure, the facility manager s job has just begun. Preventive maintenance becomes the key to protecting your investment. Maintenance procedures must be developed, staff trained, spare parts kept on hand, and equipment periodically tested and evaluated. Preventive as well as predictive maintenance plays a critical role in the reliability of both the electrical and mechanical systems. For most companies and buildings, the need for five-nines protection is not necessary, except for critical systems.