Data centre minimises failure with customised polymer IR windows

Inclusion of IRISS infrared windows in the enclosure panels specified for this new installation is an important element in Norland's preventative maintenance programme. Eoin Doherty, Norland's Critical Facilities Manager, explains: "We need to avoid invasive maintenance activities for this customer and by using IR windows during thermographic inspection we can predict failures and therefore plan maintenance downtime with clients."

The Dublin data centre hosts cloud-based services for the software company's clients throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Eoin Doherty continues: "Interruptions to service availability must be avoided at all costs and as a result condition-based maintenance practices are preferred."

As Norland had previous experience of how IRISS infrared windows could assist in this process, the company was the clear front runner for this project. Indeed, Norland opted for IRISS Custom Application Product (CAP) windows, a range of products with distinct advantages. But in common with all products in the IRISS range, they save time and money whilst assuring personnel safety.

IRISS is the manufacturer of the world's only impact-resistant, industrial-grade infrared window. Key to this capability is a transmissive polymer lens material that can also be cut to virtually any shape or size. And this opens up a whole new area of application potential.

As a result an infrared window no longer needs to be round, nor is its size restricted, unlike a crystal that becomes too fragile beyond a 4 inch diameter. The polymer material that IRISS uses poses no such constraint, and has allowed the company to develop its CAP Series. The patented range comes in standard widths, but in reality this product can be specified in any shape to suit the application.

The product Norland chose for the Dublin data centre is the standard IRISS CAP 12 window, and the benefit of its use is clear. This 12" long window provides the freedom for Norland to inspect multiple components. It reduces the number of windows required, their installation time and associated costs.

Regular thermal inspection

These IRISS CAP 12 windows will allow Norland to perform regular thermal inspection of three-phase and neutral connections in a bus bar connector box. This is an important factor in preventing failure, as vibration can often loosen the terminal connections. Without the inclusion of IRISS windows such a discovery would only be made during planned downtimes which, given the nature of the operation, would be very rare.

For Norland and its customer, the potential costs of catastrophic failure and the direct business impact were significantly higher than the capital cost to install the infrared windows. As they are part of a new-build project, the windows have not yet been instrumental in detecting critical faults but the feedback from engineers is already very positive.

Live connections can be seen very clearly on the screen of the thermal imaging camera, a capability that has already proved useful to the electrical installer when checking the tightness of the installed connections. Indeed, on the strength of the perceived advantages of IRISS CAP-Series infrared windows at the Dublin data centre, Norland is now considering retrofit options for an existing facility too.

To find out more about IRISS infrared windows, go to their website at www.iriss.com/.