Chloride UPS equipment provides backup power supply to Heathrow Airport communications network

(19/11/2009)

BAA has chosen Chloride's equipment to provide a backup power supply to its new communications network at Heathrow Airport. Chloride’s Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) equipment now ensures that electrical supplies to the network, which must remain operational at all times, are not disrupted by mains power failures.

“There are over 6,500 BAA employees at Heathrow, serving more than 67 million passengers every year,” explained BAA Telecoms Programme IPT Deployment Project Manager, Andy Clarke. “The possibility of a communications breakdown cannot be allowed, especially where our emergency network is concerned. That’s why we’ve chosen Chloride to provide UPS for this critical project.”

BAA’s communications system at Heathrow recently migrated to an Internet Protocol (IP) telephony network. Chloride’s new Active 3000VA UPS system will provide backup power and surge protection for ten critical points where analogue inputs, including Heathrow’s emergency telephones, fax, modems and EPOS systems, interface with the network. In addition, Chloride batteries and automatic transfer switches have been installed at each point.

The UPS system will, therefore, be able to switch seamlessly between two redundant 16 Amp electrical supplies and provide three hours of back-up, should all external power be cut off. A Chloride SNMP UPS controller card has also been installed, enabling the integration of the equipment with the network and allowing for the remote interrogation and management of the system. Unsurprisingly, this set-up was subjected to rigorous testing and evaluation by BAA.

“BAA and its deployment partner (2e2) confirmed that Chloride’s design was the most efficient way to achieve high density analogue connectivity with resilient power backup,” concluded Clarke. “BAA carried out exhaustive testing in the laboratory, and Chloride was very supportive during this phase. We’re now confident that we’ve got the right set-up and equipment to do a critical job.”

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