CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 - (Page 17)

cover story 17 ❮❮ PURE POWER // SUMMER 2008 these systems to integrate faster with broader business continuity networks. Installing the best COPS will require the establishment of new partnerships and the development of new supply chains. The more economically we can build these systems, the more systems we can build, which is better overall. THE BOTTOM LINE The subject of electric power security is a mineﬁeld of sensitivities about boundaries and budgets, risk, and civil readiness. Interdependent systems that support electricity supply are not perfect and institutional mechanisms to support reliability, security, and survivability need to strengthen at the building premises level. NFPA understood the need and found the means to convey the best practices of the business continuity industry into public sector emergency preparedness. Article 708 looks a lot like performance-based design—something the building safety community still tends to put at a distance. The science involved in developing a COPS is at least as sophisticated as the multidisciplinary science advanced by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and described in Chapters 5 of the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), the Uniform Fire Code (NFPA 1), or the Uniform Building Code (NFPA 5000). Despite NFPA’s extensive coverage of performance-based practice, most jurisdictions still regard performancebased designs as the exception rather than the rule. There are at least three reasons for this, each loosely related: The difﬁculty in verifying the claims of substantial equivalency among complex systems. It is easy to compare two nameplates, but hard to compare two binders full of facility engineering documentation—even if you could ﬁnd it, and even if it were up-to-date. The prospect of split functionality of an engine-generator system for an emergency, legally required, and COPS, exacerbates the problem. An aversion to anything that cannot be counted. Prescriptive methods such as “one smoke detector every 30 ft. down an egress corridor” or “two sources are always better than one,” while sometimes wasteful, can be veriﬁed by the naked eye. The price we pay to for visibility and standardization is that we overbuild. The insurance company wants to see a prescriptive solution. Enough said. We have to be careful about what could be perceived as regulatory excess. We do not want to under-do COPS, but we cannot overdo them either. Jurisdictions always have the option of delaying adoption or even ignoring any NEC requirement. Experienced electrical professionals know that the cheapest time to build backup power systems is the day before the next major regional contingency. The prospect of stepped-up regulation frequently stimulates innovation to avoid it, creates opportunities for unproven technologies, or creates improvements in commodity components. Unless the jurisdiction can afford the multiple-use of generating sources contemplated in 708.22(B), we know that backup systems are not perceived to have value until they are needed. Nevertheless, a vast industry process is just booting up. Innovation in fast-turn design and construction techniques—including partnerships that span the power supply chain—have emerged. Other ways of steering capital to COPS, though not necessarily cheaper, may lie in integrating them into regional distributed power regimes. While these are typically more expensive than centralized systems, in a distributed power regime, COPS would become more common so we could reach the distributed generation “tipping point” envisioned by alternative energy futurists. The concept is already tracking at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. For the moment, lack of electricity should not be among the problems of ﬁrst responders and disaster recovery teams. Instead of trying to manage a crisis within a crisis, Article 708 establishes the framework for managing a plan within a crisis. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Anthony is senior electrical engineer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Arno is director of the C4ISR group at EYP Mission Critical Facilities. Schuerger is director of risk assessment at EYP Mission Critical Facilities. Stoyas is a consulting engineer who was a member of Code Panel 20 that developed Article 708 and a member and former chair of the technical panel that writes NFPA 70B. References 1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) C4ISR Power Security Enhancement Program technical manuals used in the preparation of this article are as follows: TM 5-698-1: Reliability/Availability Analysis of Electrical & Mechanical Systems for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-698-2: Reliability Centered Maintenance for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-698-3: Reliability Primer for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-698-4: Failure Modes & Effects Criticality Analysis for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-698-5: Survey of Reliability and Availability Information for Power Distribution, Power Generation, and HVAC Components for Commercial, Industrial, and Utility Installations TM 5-698-6: Reliability Data Collection Handbook for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-694 Commissioning of Electrical Systems for C4ISR Facilities TM 5-601 Selection, Installation, and Maintenance of SCADA Systems for C4ISR Facilities. Additional technical manuals covering power security are available at www.army.mil/usapa/eng/index.html 2. Talkin’ NEC 708, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, May 2007. 3. Critical Operations Power Systems, EC&M Magazine, November 2007. 4. USACE TM 5-601 Selection, Installation, and Maintenance of SCADA Systems for C4ISR Facilities. 5. FEMA 426 - Reference Manual to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks Against Buildings, Federal Emergency Management Agency. 6. TM 5-697 Commissioning of Mechanical Systems for C4ISR Facilities. 7. IEEE Standard 493-2007, Recommended Practice for the Design of Industrial and Commercial Power Systems (Gold Book). 8. TM 5-698-4 Failure Modes & Effects Criticality Analysis for C4ISR Facilities. www.purepowermagazine.com http://www.army.mil/usapa/eng/index.html http://www.purepowermagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 Contents In the News Industry Roundup Risk Assessments for COPS Grounding Requires More Power Systems to Protect Healthcare Important Changes Coming in NFPA 70E A Look at Arc-Resistant Switchgear Agencies and Associations New Products Ad Index

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

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