UMass - Medical School Data Center

Overview

For the UMASS Medical School, SMMA engineered the conversion of an existing semiconductor fabrication facility into an energy-efficient data center that will function continuously with requisite reliability and energy efficiency.

The existing facility is multi-tenanted and in continuous operation. SMMA’s proposed engineering infrastructure work will accommodate just one planned plant shutdown. The length of this shutdown will be minimized to keep the plant near 100% operational.

The data center features a 24-inch raised access floor. Its cooling system utilizes a total cooling requirement of 300 tons via three chilled-water units feeding two custom "fan-wall" air-handling units.

The uninterruptable power system (UPS) utilizes flywheel technology to provide load levelling, maintain power quality, and reduce power usage. In addition to energy savings, this system will require less costly maintenance than a traditional UPS.

The project includes two diesel generators at 700kW each to create a N+1 redundant system.

The data center’s systems had to be scalable to accommodate the client’s planned 10%-per-year growth factor.

SMMA refined the project scope constantly to meet the owner’s budget. The project will be completed over two phases -- the first at a load of 750kW, expandable to 1,250kW.