UAE Data Center MCC Panel & Automation | SENTRADO
A detailed case study of SENTRADO's industrial automation solution delivering measurable results for data center operations in United Arab Emirates.
Project Background & Objectives
A leading colocation data center operator in the United Arab Emirates commissioned SENTRADO to design and manufacture a high-reliability Motor Control Center (MCC) and associated automation system for their new Tier III facility in Abu Dhabi. The data center, designed for 12 MW of IT load, requires uninterrupted cooling and power infrastructure to maintain the 99.99% availability guaranteed to enterprise and government tenants. The MCC controls all cooling system motors including CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioner) units, chilled water pumps, condenser pumps, and cooling tower fans.
In a data center environment, even a momentary loss of cooling can trigger thermal alarms and potentially lead to equipment shutdown within minutes. The MCC and its control system must therefore provide the highest levels of reliability, redundancy, and fault tolerance — far exceeding standard industrial requirements. SENTRADO's solution needed to meet the Uptime Institute Tier III standards for concurrently maintainable infrastructure, meaning any single component can be taken out of service for maintenance without affecting the critical load.
The project scope included MCC design and manufacturing, redundant PLC control, PROFINET ring networking, HMI/SCADA monitoring, integration with the data center's DCIM (Data Center Infrastructure Management) platform, and full factory acceptance testing under simulated load conditions.
Problems We Had to Solve
1. Tier III Availability Requirements
The data center's 99.99% availability SLA means the cooling control system can tolerate no more than 52 minutes of total downtime per year. Every component from PLC CPUs to power supplies to network switches must be redundant with automatic failover.
2. Concurrent Maintainability
Tier III certification requires that any MCC bucket, starter, or controller can be removed and serviced while the rest of the system continues operating. This demanded a withdrawable MCC design with hot-swap capability at every level.
3. 40+ Motor Circuits
The MCC controls over 40 motor circuits ranging from 5.5 kW CRAC fan motors to 132 kW primary chilled water pumps. Each circuit requires individual protection, status monitoring, and remote control capability from the DCIM.
4. Harsh Gulf Environment
Abu Dhabi's extreme summer heat (up to 48°C) and high humidity place additional stress on electrical equipment. The MCC and cooling systems must operate reliably at elevated ambient temperatures with derating considerations.
5. DCIM Integration
The MCC controller needed to communicate with the data center's DCIM platform via BACnet/IP and SNMP, providing real-time motor status, energy consumption, and alarm data while receiving remote start/stop commands from the building management system.
Our Approach & System Architecture
SENTRADO designed and manufactured a fully withdrawable, form-division 4b MCC rated for 4,000 A continuous current, housing 42 motor starter buckets across six vertical sections. Each bucket is withdrawable with the bus bars isolated in a separate compartment, allowing individual motor circuits to be serviced without de-energizing adjacent sections. The MCC features intelligent motor protection relays (Siemens SIMOCODE) on every circuit, providing overcurrent, earth fault, thermal overload, and stall protection with PROFINET communication back to the PLC.
The control system uses a Siemens S7-1500R redundant PLC pair with automatic CPU switchover under 100 milliseconds. Two independent PROFINET rings — designated A and B — connect the PLC to all distributed I/O, motor protection relays, VFDs, and HMI panels. Each ring uses SCALANCE managed switches with MRP (Media Redundancy Protocol), ensuring that a single cable break or switch failure does not interrupt communication. Critical power supplies, controllers, and network infrastructure are fed from dual UPS-backed power sources.
All VFD-controlled motors (chilled water and condenser pumps) use ABB ACS880 drives with redundant control and bypass capability — if a VFD faults, the motor automatically transfers to across-the-line starting to maintain cooling. The SCADA system provides a graphical overview of the entire cooling plant with real-time PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) monitoring, energy metering at each motor, predictive maintenance alerts based on motor runtime and start counts, and automated chiller plant optimization sequences. The BACnet/IP gateway provides seamless integration with the DCIM for centralized monitoring and control.
System Architecture Highlights
- Siemens S7-1500R redundant controllers with <100ms failover
- Dual PROFINET rings (A/B) with MRP media redundancy
- Form 4b withdrawable MCC with 42 motor starter buckets
- SIMOCODE intelligent motor protection on every circuit
- VFD with automatic bypass for critical pump motors
- Dual UPS-backed power supplies for all controls
- BACnet/IP and SNMP integration with DCIM platform
- PUE monitoring and chiller plant optimization algorithms
System Parameters & Configuration
| Control System | Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500R (redundant) |
| Controllers | 2 × CPU 1515R-2 PN (redundant pair) |
| MCC Rating | 4,000 A, 400V, 3-phase, 50Hz |
| Motor Circuits | 42 (5.5kW to 132kW) |
| Form Separation | Form 4b (fully withdrawable) |
| Communication Protocol | PROFINET ×2 / BACnet/IP / SNMP |
| HMI / SCADA | WinCC OA — 2 OS + DCIM gateway |
| VFD Drives | 8 × ABB ACS880 (11–132kW) |
| Motor Protection | 42 × SIMOCODE pro V PN |
| Network Redundancy | Dual PROFINET rings with MRP |
| Ingress Protection | IP54 MCC / IP42 control room cabinets |
| Power Availability | 99.99% (Tier III certified) |
Key Components & Hardware
Siemens CPU 1515R-2 PN
6ES7515-2RM00-0AB0
Redundant data center controller
SIMOCODE pro V PN
3UF7011-1AB00-0
Intelligent motor protection with PROFINET
ABB ACS880 VFD
3ABD00035842-D
Industrial drive with bypass option
SIVACON S8 MCC
8PQ1012-3BA12
Withdrawable motor control center
SCALANCE X204RNA
6GK5204-0BA00-2KB2
Redundant PROFINET switch
WinCC OA SCADA
6AV6371-1DN07-0AX0
Data center monitoring platform
SENTRON 3VA Breaker
3VA2340-5HN32-0AA0
MCCB with electronic trip unit
SITOP PSU8600
6EP3437-8SB00-0AY0
Redundant 24V/40A power supply
Project Phases
MCC & Controls Design
8 weeksSingle-line diagrams, PLC architecture, network design
MCC Manufacturing
10 weeks6-section Form 4b MCC with all buckets wired
PLC & SCADA Development
8 weeksRedundant control logic, graphics, DCIM gateway
FAT with Load Simulation
3 weeksFull current injection test, failover verification
Shipping to UAE
4 weeksSea freight from Shanghai to Jebel Ali
On-Site Installation
4 weeksMCC placement, cabling, terminations
Commissioning & SAT
3 weeksIntegration with chillers, DCIM, failover testing
Tier III Certification Support
2 weeksDocumentation and witness testing support
Measurable Outcomes
Performance data verified after system commissioning and sustained operation.
Tier III certified uptime performance
Optimized chiller and VFD control
Fully monitored and remotely controlled
Fully redundant at every system level
Before vs After: Quantified Comparison
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power availability | ~99.9% (Tier II design) | 99.99% (Tier III certified) | +0.09 pts |
| Energy efficiency | Baseline PUE | 30% efficiency gain | −30% |
| Motor circuit monitoring | Manual inspection | 42 circuits fully monitored | Automated |
| Single points of failure | Multiple in legacy design | 0 (fully redundant at every level) | Eliminated |
| Remote diagnostics | On-site only | Full remote monitoring & alerting | Remote |
Data based on project commissioning reports and sustained operational measurements. Client name available under NDA.
Bottom Line Impact
The delivered automation system exceeded all performance targets specified in the contract, achieving higher throughput, lower energy consumption, and improved product quality compared to the baseline operation. The client reported full return on investment within the projected payback period and has since engaged SENTRADO for additional plant expansion phases.
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