Trending Technologies In UPS Systems

1. Trending Technologies in UPS Systems Author: Ray D’Souza Date: 27/3/2017

2. The increasing need for continuous power supply in an industrial and a corporate setup demands tremendous innovation in the UPS technologies – from batteries to the complete algorithm of the UPS system. And by UPS, we mean all the UPS systems ranging from 3 kva to 20 kva Depending on the requirements of the user, the innovations result in better power management and consequent reduction in damage to hardware or software. Innovations in Battery: Currently, a typical UPS system uses Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) and Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) batteries. These batteries are easy to manage, ensure easy installation and need very little ventilation. However, although the projected life expectancy of these batteries are 5-6 years and 10-12 years respectively, they never complete this duration due to varying climate conditions and industrial environment. Thus, the batteries discharge quickly and tend to damage them. Modern UPS systems (3 KVa and 20 KVa) consist of algorithms to track the level of charge in the  batteries and help the batteries to adapt to the varying currents and voltages, thus elongating their lives. Most of the systems also continuously charge the batteries as a back up to the current set being  used. The system automatically switches to the fully-charged batteries when the current set is exhausted and starts charging the discharged batteries. When the batteries are charged, the discharging process reduces to zero, thus protecting the batteries from damage. This is called Smart Power Management. An alternative to the SLA and VRLA UPS battery is the Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery system. These  batteries offer higher power capability and energy density. Apart from the regular battery features, the Li-ion batteries are also safer and provide better power optimization. Last but not the least, the Li-ion batteries are lighter in weight and compact, thus easier to install and free up space for the other data center functions. Also featuring is the mechanical flywheel technology to replace the lead acid batteries. The main  advantages provided by this technology is the eco-friendliness of the technology. 2

3. Innovation in UPS Design: The Modern UPS systems are looking for better ways to manage power efficiently and possibly in an eco-friendlier manner. Most of all, industries are looking for failproof methods of managing power downtime. 1 Using SNMP to monitor the complete UPS network from a remote location.  Replacing a thyristor with IGBT transistor allows the UPS system reduces it to a more compact  size and allow it to react faster to power outages. Identifying the single points of failure and changing the system to decentralize it into a more  module setup. Thus, in case of one module fails, the load will be automatically transferred to the another one, while the failed module gets fixed. Using digital signal processing for the UPS to quickly understand the situation and load changes.  Not only is the system more efficient, it also becomes more scalable. Be it a 3 kva UPS for offices or 20 KVa UPS for industrial centers, the technological innovations in the UPS systems have come from thinking out of the box and amalgamating various other streams into the Data Center and Power Management systems. The list of innovations in the UPS systems and Smart power management does not end here, the possibilities are limitless. All we need is the passionate need to balance business and nature to get optimum results – Uninterrupted Power, Uninterrupted Ecosystem. 1 All the information in bullet points from here: http://www.ecmag.com/section/your-business/trends-ups- systems 3