This project relates to a particular maintenance challenge in 2017 that was completed within the context of the ongoing service contract.

PROJECT SUMMARY

In 2012, Santander commissioned Anord Mardix for the installation of critical power supplies to two large data centres in Leicester, UK. Santander is one of the world’s largest financial institutions and the UK’s largest retail and commercial bank, with 616 branches nationwide.

After project completion, Santander selected Anord Mardix to provide the service and maintenance contract for the LV and HV switchgear installed in the project. This began a yearly rolling contract which is still running to date.

Anord Mardix’s aim now, is to ensure the ongoing performance of Santander’s data centres, and the switchgear within them, through systematic and proactive maintenance.

KEY FIGURES

Total investment level/ project value: Multi-million-pound project

Scale of project: 2 x 2MW data centres

Product/ Service: Yearly maintenance program

PROJECT CHALLENGES

System downtime is of significant cost to the bank, not only in monetary value, but also in customer satisfaction.

With over 14 million active customers in the UK alone, equipment performance is paramount for maximum system uptime to keep all Santander’s banking services up and running as they should, to ensure their customers’ satisfaction.

This particular maintenance check was conducted within a 12-hour window, on weekend outages consisting of 4 major shutdowns done out of normal working hours, due to the critical nature of the equipment that required isolating and maintaining. This took a lot of planning and organization prior to the works commencing and involved coordinating a large team of Anord Mardix engineers to carry out the tasks required.

THE ANORD MARDIX SOLUTION

In 2012, when the data centres were built, the following Anord Mardix products were installed:

68 LV switchboards

SCADA outstations

Also included over 300 3rd party circuit breakers – ACB’S & MCCB’S

In this service and maintenance visit in 2017, the following were carried out:

1. THERMAL IMAGING SURVEYS

Conducted yearly to try to pick up any potential faults, in this instance, our engineers discovered PLC Components overheating in the Scada Outstation panels.

The Anord Mardix on site engineer installed new doors with fans to rectify this issue before any failures or damage was caused, such as unscheduled outages on critical equipment.

2. END-OF-LIFE CYCLE PROGRAM

Anord Mardix service engineers replaced 204 LV Scada Outstation Batteries as part of the End-of-Lifecycle program.

Batteries usually have a life cycle of 5 years, which are monitored and inspected at regular intervals to pick up signs of failure i.e., battery terminal corrosion, overheating and case swelling.

Batteries are such an important part of the power supply chain. The Anord Mardix end-of-life cycle program ensures no failures occur on critical battery backup supplies – should they be called upon when mains power outages occur on site.

3. FULLY INTRUSIVE MAINTENANCE

Incorporating full breaker maintenance on MCCB’s and ACB’s, checking:

  • Arc shoots
  • Greasing contact terminals and checking functionality.
  • Secondary Injection testing. (conducting over 300 tests)
  • Torque tightening checks.
  • Component connection checks.
  • Full panel cleaning service of switchgear and faulty component replacements as required on the main critical switchboards across two 5,000 sq/ft facilities.

4. MONTHLY EMS SERVICE VISITS

In addition to the yearly service appointment, Monthly EMS service visits are carried out, which include the below:

  • Check communication network and metering device operation.
  • Advise customer of alarm conditions being generated and suggest adjustment to settings.
  • Database backup and management.
  • Perform any minor system adjustments required.
  • 4-hour emergency response.

PROJECT CONCLUSION

The maintenance of switchgear and busbar is essential to the effective operation of the critical power solution and reduces the risk of callouts between maintenance checks. This ultimately reduces the risk of costly (and disruptive) system downtime.

The client was very satisfied with the maintenance that was carried out under the timeframes and restrictions. The service visit was completed within the allotted time frame agreed with the client, reducing interruptions to their business as much as possible.

By continuing with regular checks and high-quality maintenance, Santander has ensured the full lifespan of each product installed on the project in 2012.

Anord Mardix continues to support Santander with regular maintenance checks. Even now, after 9 years of use, the systems installed are still functioning seamlessly.