How do you distribute power to hundreds of miners?

[space_cat]

I'm having a terrible time understanding how to distribute power to a bunch of miners. I have a few hundred Antminer S9 to put in my warehouse. It has 480v 3-phase power so I have a few transformers to bring in the 208v 3-phase power. The question is, what is the best way to power a whole bunch of miners? If I use 3 phase PDU's they are crazy expensive and the biggest 208v PDU I can find is 17.3KVA, so about 12 Antminer S9. Basically, each 70 inch shelf is going to need like 6 of these massive PDU's that cost 1000s of dollars each and are around 80 inches long! The female ports alone are $300! How do large-scale operations deal with this? I feel like a giant power bar is unnecessary since each Antminer uses a pretty set load.

I have been scratching my head for a while over this so if anyone has some insight I would really appreciate it. 

[big al]

Just treat each phase individually. Most cost effective way is 6-20r dual receptacles with 6-20p to c13 y splitter cables. Cost will be about $70 to power 4. Just keep all 3 phases balanced.

[fanatic26]

Just get used 3 phase PDUs. You can find them online all day from $35-$100 a piece from electronics resellers when you buy in bulk.

[MinerMEDIC]

Have you spoken to your utility provider? Just because you currently have 480AC 3Phase dosn't mean they can't reconfigure the feed lines to 220AC 2Phase at the pole quite easily. Downgrading should cost almost nothing compared to adding phases.

[space_cat]

Just treat each phase individually. Most cost effective way is 6-20r dual receptacles with 6-20p to c13 y splitter cables. Cost will be about $70 to power 4. Just keep all 3 phases balanced.

This is what I was looking for. I guess I thought you had to use PDU's for some reason. I think I got caught up reading too many datacenter posts about 3-phase density.

Do I need to worry about setting up a system wide surge protection then?

[score1more]

It'd probably be worth getting some network attached PDUs.  If you need to power cycle the miners, you can do it remotely.

And if you're putting in a few hundred Antminer S9s and have power questions like this, it's probably wise to consult with an electrician that can help you get your power distributed.  You'll probably have switch gear from your mains that will allow you to feed several sub panels, and you'll probably want those sub panels near your mining operation.

Overall, if you're talking this level of power needs, you should be talking to a qualified electrician.  It'll be well worth the time and money spent.