What first inspired you to become an electrical engineer?
This is actually my second career. After receiving my Physics degree, I spent for four years teaching college-level electrical engineering to the brightest high school students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s there I discovered my passion for engineering… even more than the kids did! So, I decided to find a way to make a career out of that passion and went back to university to gain a master’s degree in electrical engineering.
How did that lead to you joining kW and can you explain more about your role?
I met Addam Friedl, kW’s Managing Director, at a career fair. I hadn’t studied MEP engineering but talking to Addam helped me realize it would be a good way to pursue my newfound passion. My Dad was an HVAC contractor, so I was already familiar with mechanical systems and the construction sector.
Data centers house IT equipment and software to remotely store, process and distribute data on a huge scale, therefore the power and cooling infrastructure needed to keep it operational is also very large and powerful. My role in analytics involves conducting power and cooling assessments to analyze and validate how that infrastructure is designed – to optimize its efficiency and performance, while helping lower the client’s costs.
What do these studies involve?
Our power studies on electrical systems include short circuit analysis to determine how high the equipment needs to be rated to handle large currents and arc flash analysis. An arc flash event is a temporary fault in electrical equipment that arcs into the air and releases a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat, blast waves or sound. Our studies determine how much energy would be released if an arc flash event were to happen, and the type of protective clothing workers need to wear to stay safe. An arc flash hazard analysis is used to mitigate hazards and prioritize human safety – which is the most important job we do.
Mechanically, the number one thing we’re looking at with our Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies is the efficiency of the cooling system used to keep IT equipment cool and remove the heat it generates. We conduct this based on the highest ambient temperature for each location and during several wind conditions, because if the air seen by the cooling equipment is hotter than expected, the cooling system can’t release heat as effectively. For instance, if the wind changes and blows hot air from the diesel generators into the cooling equipment, it will become less efficient.
Over the past few years, I’ve helped develop the Power Analytics group for the entire firm, and based on its success, I’ve also developed a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) team. Both groups are made up of passionate individuals who love conducting studies and are now experts in their field. Having this specialty in-house with dedicated specialists gives the client the deepest understanding possible for their data center design.
