Critical Facilities & Operations

Professional

32 h indicative

COURSE OVERVIEW

Critical Power & Cooling

How UPS systems, generators, switchgear, chillers and CRAH units keep a facility running, and how to operate them safely.

Overview

This course prepares technicians and junior engineers to understand and operate the mechanical and electrical plant behind data centre uptime. You will follow the power chain from utility intake to rack and the cooling chain from IT load to heat rejection, and learn how maintenance and switching are planned and controlled. Topics are aligned with the power distribution and environmental control parts of EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Read and interpret single-line diagrams for data centre power systems
  • Explain the operation of UPS systems, batteries, static and automatic transfer switches and generators
  • Describe chilled-water, DX, free-cooling and liquid-cooling arrangements
  • Monitor plant using BMS and EPMS and respond to common alarms
  • Explain how maintenance and switching are planned with MOPs
  • Recognise failure modes and their impact on IT load

Module Outline

  1. Module 1: The power chain: utility, MV/LV switchgear and transformers
  2. Module 2: UPS systems and battery technologies
  3. Module 3: Generators, fuel systems and transfer switching
  4. Module 4: Power distribution to the rack: PDUs, RPPs and busway
  5. Module 5: Cooling fundamentals and psychrometrics
  6. Module 6: Chillers, cooling towers, free cooling and CRAH/CRAC units
  7. Module 7: Introduction to liquid cooling in the facility
  8. Module 8: BMS, EPMS and alarm management
  9. Module 9: Planned maintenance and switching procedures
  10. Module 10: Failure scenarios and case studies

The module outline is indicative and may be refined as materials are updated.

At a Glance

Track: Critical Facilities & Operations

Level: Professional

Duration: approx. 32 hours (indicative)

Format: Self-paced downloadable materials with optional live online sessions

Assessment: module quizzes and a final assessment

Award: TDI certificate of completion

What’s Included

  • Downloadable course handbook (PDF)
  • Presentation slides for each module
  • Practical checklists and worksheets
  • Module quizzes to check your understanding
  • Final assessment
  • TDI certificate of completion

Who It’s For

  • Data centre technicians moving towards facilities roles
  • Electrical and mechanical technicians new to mission-critical sites
  • Facility coordinators and shift engineers

Prerequisites

Data Centre Technician Foundation and Health & Safety for Data Centre and Telecom Sites, or equivalent experience. An electrical or mechanical trade background is helpful.

Career Roles It Supports

  • Critical facilities technician
  • Critical facilities engineer
  • Shift engineer

See Careers in Digital Infrastructure.

CONTINUE YOUR LEARNING

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TDI certificates of completion are issued by TelecomDigitalInfra. They are not third-party certifications and do not imply accreditation by, or equivalence to, any external certification scheme. Some roles also require statutory or employer-specific qualifications.