NSA data bank hit by mystery power surges Experts warn loss to fires similar to what would happen in EMP strike October 10, 2013 F. Michael Maloof
WASHINGTON – The new $1.4 billion National Security Agency supercomputer facility in Utah has been wracked with unexplainable, repeated electrical surges and explosions that have destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of sensitive computers used to store the vast amounts of data it scoops up on foreign nationals and Americans.
In the past 13 months, there have been some 10 electrical meltdowns at the new 200-acre facility in Bluffdale, Utah, which has been unable to run all of its computers and servers.
The cooling operations apparently fail, resulting in the meltdowns.
But the failures for such a project are not ordinary. They have been described as “a flash of lightning inside a two-foot box,” one source said.
The failures have been described as fiery explosions, melted metal and broken circuits. While efforts are under way to fix the problems, there is no assurance at this point that the fixes will be sufficient, experts believe. . . . . The contractor that designed the data center’s system is the Pennsylvania-based Klingstubbins. While the firm claims to have “uncovered the issue” and are now “implementing a permanent fix,” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the construction of the data center, said not so fast.
The Army Corps said that the meltdowns are “not sufficiently understood.”
An ACE report said that there is insufficient information on the design of the electrical system that could create new issues in changing circuit breaker settings. The report added that normal quality controls in design and construction had been bypassed to “fast track” construction.
The Utah data center is just one of a number of new NSA data centers being created across the nation to collect data under NSA’s massive surveillance program. The program was exposed earlier this year by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has sought asylum in Russia. . . . . The team also had determined that there were ventilation problems. Such massive data centers require air management systems capable of cooling sensitive equipment to remove heat that is generated from their operation.
“An airflow issue was discovered with the generators and the contractor is correcting the problem,” Suter said.
However, he was unsure as to when the problems will be corrected."
Note: If you go to Klingstubbins web site they are quite proud of their 'sustainable' design:
ZitatCommitment
As a design firm for some of the world’s largest entities, KlingStubbins recognizes the global reach and ultimate impact we possess to change the circumstances of our environment. We fulfill this obligation by encouraging clients to view sustainability as an inherent and pervasive component of the design process. This philosophy is realized through our integrated approach to sustainable design; as an A/E/I firm, leaders from each discipline collaborate to resolve high performance building issues, addressing the interrelationships between building siting, exterior envelope, system design, and energy and resource consumption. KlingStubbins has instituted several levels of action to promote, advance, and achieve a comprehensive understanding of sustainable design practice throughout the firm: . . . http://www.klingstubbins.com/about/commitment.html
I guess sustainability fails in the face of high power data crunching.
As I tried to find out more about the firm I got a series of 404's [page not found], then the following message:
ZitatWe are currently experiencing technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience. We kindly ask for patience while we find a solution.
You just can't make this up. They must have used ObamaCare's web design/maintenance groups.