Critical Branch separation in a data center

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mshields

mshields

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This question is unique to Massachusetts (and perhaps other states with similar requirements) which requires that all distribution equipment that is part of the Emergency System for a hospital be in dedicated 2 hour rated rooms (The requirement is actually an ammendment to Article 700 but is applicable to the critical branch per Article 517).

I've got a server room, designed to Article 645, for which the loads have been deemed Critical. Within the server room I've got acritical source panel and a normal source panel. All the loads served by these panels are within the room.

I'm wondering if this is a violation or not.

Appreciate any input.

thanks,

Mike
 
There's Critical, and then there's Critical.
The Health Care Critical is defined in 517.2.
In a data center, the informal terminology is that 'these are critical loads - connected to the UPS'.
Is this a data center in a health care facility?
Even so, I really don't think they would fit the definition in 517.2.
db
 
Data center in a hospital

Data center in a hospital

It is in fact a Computer Room within a hospital. So the Critical reference is for Critical loads as defined by 517
 
Wish I could be more help, but it's been a few years since I did any Health Care Facilities and this issue never came up.
Data centers would usually have a 1-hour separation, but .... anything I could add to this would just be guessing.
Maybe check with the AHJ or JCAHO.
good luck
db
 
I do not have a lot of time at the moment, but I do not believe these are one and the same. There are two Articles in regards to this question, and I believe you will need to sort it out between the two different Articles.

"Apples and Oranges":grin:
 
I don't think it's apples and oranges - more like appranges

I don't think it's apples and oranges - more like appranges

The "Critical loads" in this particular "Computer room" are loads that are critical to patient care. So we're not talking about what 645 refers to as "critical" loads with a small "c". We are talking about what 517 refers to as "Critical" loads with a capital "C". It seems to me that most data centers in a hospital are Equipment Branch and so this scenario is avoided. Here, the client insists that these are "Critical" loads.

But it's kind of a strange situation. We're feeding into dual fed equipment with a branch circuit from a "normal" branch and with a branch circuit from the "critical" branch. To be consistent, we probably ought to have used 2 critical branches. But this particular hospital does not have that.

We could have had no normal source in the room but then we'd have been leaving the load to a single source. We thought bringing in a parallel source and utilizing the normal branch made good engineering sense.

An inspector is making us put our critical panel in a separate 2 hour Emergency Branch room. Again, we are used to doing that in Mass for a typical application. But this does not strike us as typical.

Mike
 
I agree this is probably a critical branch. Hospitals have a lot of freedom to designate what is critical. (517.33(A)(9) in the 2005) Hospitals have also gotten to the point where computer systems are critical to patient care.

What is the exact wording of the Mass. ammendment? Does a branch circuit panelboard fall under the definition of "distribution equipment"?

What the inspector is asking for doesn't make a lot of sense. You could take the normal power out of the room, and comply, but it wouldn't make it a safer installation.

Also, the room probably has fire protection better than anywhere else. Moving a cirtical panel out of that room just doesn't make sense.

Is there also a backup data center?
 
MSheilds,
It sounds like
(1) the "Critical" circuits need to be on a UPS,
and
(2) the "Critical" circuits need to be on the Generator Backup system.
 
mshields said:
I've got a server room, designed to Article 645, for which the loads have been deemed Critical. Within the server room I've got a critical source panel and a normal source panel. All the loads served by these panels are within the room.

I'm wondering if this is a violation or not.

Appreciate any input.

thanks,

Mike
Click to expand...

The way I read MEC 700.9 (D) the 2 Hr room for the emg system can not contain equipment that does not comply with the provisions of that paragraph including it's exception. I think your normal source panel may be a issue.
 
Would an isolation panel that serves a single OR be required to be placed in a separate room, or can it be placed in the OR room?

(I'm pharasing this as a question because I have no idea exactly what the Mass. code says.)

I would guess the answer is no, because a panel that serves only one room probably doesn't fit their definition of distribution equipment. And if there were a major fire in the OR, it wouldn't matter if the panel survives: there would be nothing left for the panel to supply.

I see the data center as a very similar case.
 
the MEC simply requires emg feeders, and eq to be located in a 2 hr rated cavity. This can be room , closet,or shaft.
 
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