Uninterruptable Power Supplies

INTRODUCTION

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when the primary power source is lost. UPS devices also provide protection from power surges. A UPS contains a battery that “kicks in” when the device senses a loss of power from the primary source.

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) provides battery backup power when the flow of electricity drops to an inadequate voltage, or if it stops. An uninterrupted power source is vital for the mission-critical environment. Depending on the size and technology of the UPS unit, backup power is provided for a specific period of time, until generators can be activated or network components can be properly shut down.

FEATURES

A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, is a device with two main features:

  • It is an emergency power system that provides a backup energy source during utility power failures. Depending on the outage duration, a UPS can keep a system running long enough until utilities or generators come online, or it can provide enough time to shut down the system properly and avoid data loss.
  • It protects against power surges and sags that could damage sensitive electronic hardware.

UPSs will always remain an essential solution that offers reliability and further enhances the continuity of a business. Although no matter how high a country can value its power grid reliability, this number still only counts down to roughly 9 hours of power loss per year for industries and the average household.

Also, extreme weather events, such as the heavy storm of late last year, further stressed the importance of having quick access to backup power sources.

INFORMATIONS

Rack systems are generally one of these two types of UPS configurations:

Online (Double Conversion) UPS — Online UPS delivers continuous, high-quality AC power to equipment with no break when transferring to battery. These devices protect equipment from virtually all power disturbances due to blackouts, brownouts, sags, surges, or noise interference. A true online, double-conversion UPS provides 100% power conditioning, zero transfer time to battery, no change in output voltage, and better transient suppression than line-interactive units. When it comes to critical IT loads, only online double conversion technology protects fully against all eventualities.

Line-Interactive UPS — Line-interactive UPS systems provide both power conditioning and battery backup. This technology is particularly effective in areas where outages are rare, but power fluctuations are common. Line-interactive UPS supports a wide range of input voltage fluctuations before switching to battery backup. Beyond battery backup, line-interactive UPS provides far better control over power fluctuations than offline systems.

The critical advantage of line-interactive UPS is the voltage boost circuitry and the range of input voltage that the UPS accepts. The wider the range, the more total protection you will have. It provides power conditioning with a 4–6 millisecond break in power when transferring to battery backup.