Data centers
Padmount, dry-type and harmonic mitigation for high-density IT load
Data center load is dense, non-linear and expected to grow after commissioning. The equipment decisions that matter are rarely about kVA alone — they are about harmonic content, fire separation and how much headroom the first build leaves for the second.
What drives the specification
Harmonic current from UPS and IT load
Switch-mode power supplies and double-conversion UPS draw non-sinusoidal current. The resulting eddy-current heating is not covered by a standard transformer rating, which is why a K-factor design rather than simply a larger unit is the correct answer. K01 through K30 are available across the dry-type line, and passive harmonic filters bring THDi below 5%, 8% or 12% where IEEE 519 compliance is written into the interconnection agreement.
Fire separation and fluid choice
Where a liquid-filled unit sits close to the building, in an enclosed vault, or under occupied space, fire code and the insurer often drive the fluid decision. Padmount transformers are available with FR3-type less-flammable vegetable oil, which has a substantially higher fire point than mineral oil and is readily biodegradable. Inside the building envelope, dry-type units remove the fluid question entirely.
Headroom for phase two
Sizing to today's load leaves nothing for the next hall. Keeping continuous load at or below 80% of nameplate is the usual rule of thumb, but the impedance choice matters just as much: it sets available secondary fault current and therefore the interrupting rating of every downstream device you will have to live with.
Typical specification
- Utility interface
- Three-phase padmount, 45–4,000 kVA, dead-front loop feed
- Primary voltage
- Up to 24,940 GrdY/14,400 V
- Fluid
- FR3-type vegetable oil where fire separation is required
- Interior distribution
- Dry-type, 30–3,000 kVA, cast coil or VPI, K-factor rated
- Harmonic mitigation
- Passive filters to 415 V / 450 kW, THDi < 5 / 8 / 12%
- Testing
- 100% routine tested; PD verification on MV units
What to send us
Send the one-line, the load list with harmonic content, and whether the vault is inside the building envelope. Fluid type, K-factor and impedance come out of that conversation rather than being guessed at.
Product lines for this application
Padmount Transformers
UL-listed, liquid-filled, 45-4,000 kVA
Dead-front, loop or radial feed, mineral oil or FR3-type fluid. UL file E526441, built to IEEE C57.12.00 / C57.12.28.
View the line →Dry-Type Transformers
UL 1561 / UL 1562, cast coil & VPI, 30-3,000 kVA
Indoor and enclosure-mounted dry-type units with UL-recognized insulation systems. Files E539752 (UL 1561) and E545481 (UL 1562).
View the line →Power Quality
Reactors, harmonic filters, capacitors, up to 35 kV
Line/load reactors, DC reactors, sine-wave and passive harmonic filters, LV/MV capacitors, and phase-shifting rectifier transformers.
View the line →Working on a data centers project?
Send the one-line and load list. Engineering review is part of every quote, and pricing comes back within one business day.