Combined with advanced technologies, industrial UPS systems are getting more robust and smarter

The demand for increased reliability and zero downtime has led UPS systems manufacturers to design more robust, smarter and energy-efficient UPS systems

By Srabani Sen with inputs from Kartiki Negi

Wednesday, January 15, 2014: The market for industrial UPS systems is evolving continuously and witnessing robust growth—it is witnessing 15 per cent growth year-on-year. The demand for increased reliability and zero downtime has led UPS systems manufacturers to design more robust and smarter UPS systems. Energy-efficient products, high power density, detailed monitoring of UPS systems through LCD displays, products that can be remotely managed and controlled, and systems that come in compact sizes with modular construction are some of the features that customers are looking for. Conventional UPS systems giving way to modular and transformerless UPS systems. In such a competitive market, manufacturers are working harder to meet all these demands by combining the latest technologies and coming up with better models.

The latest in the market

Delta Power Solutions recently launched its Ultron DPS 160–3200 kVA UPS system, which is a double-conversion and IGBT-rectifier three-phase system. Its main I/P, O/P and bypass switches enable quick diagnosis when faults occur. “With a triple-level inverter (TLI) and three-phase power factor correction (PFC) topology, Ultron DPS features performance of up to 96 per cent AC-AC efficiency, an input power factor > 0.99, an output power factor of 0.9 and low total harmonic distortion (iTHD) < 3 per cent. It can be used for various applications like data centres, telecom, industrial, transportation, healthcare and networking,” says Suhas Joshi, director, Delta Power Solutions.

Genus Power Infrastructures introduced a series of static UPS systems that range from 5 kVA to 15 kVA in January 2013. “A static UPS system is best suited for modern offices, commercial places like cyber cafes, shopping malls, software development centres, modern homes, etc,” says Rajeev Satoor, president, Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd.

upsINVERTER.com has also upgraded its industrial UPS portfolio with the October 2013 launch of its PFC online UPS system, which has a touchscreen in SNMP. “We have developed this DSP technology-based newGEN touchscreen online UPS system to meet the energy efficiency requirements of the IT industry through advanced PFC technology,” says Yogesh Dua, director, upsINVERTER.com (UTL).

The purpose of PFC is to correct the phase angle of the input AC current in such a way that it harmonises in the angle of input AC voltage, making the input power factor very close to unity. This harmony of phase angles of the input current and voltage reduces the difference between watt and VA consumption, on which the commercial energy invoices are raised, thus comprehensively reducing the electricity expenses of the user.

Convergence Power Systems Pvt Ltd launched its CPS Hexa series in April 2013. “These products are suitable for any industrial application, especially in the precision metal cutting, food processing, packaging and telecommunications industries,” says Sree Kumar, director, sales and marketing, Convergence Power Systems Pvt Ltd.

Emerson Network Power has unveiled the Liebert NX range and Liebert APM. Liebert NX can cater to all types of loads and offers total power protection for mission critical applications and systems as required by industries ranging from IT to transport, and from process industries to medical applications, says B Venkat Rao, country manager for medium and large UPS systems in India, Emerson. Liebert NX is available in power ratings of 30, 60, 90 and 120 kVA in N+1 redundancy. The Liebert APM series can be used in mid-sized data centres as well as server rooms.

Base Corporation has launched Base Surge, which is a high-frequency, new generation online UPS BSK series. “It has the capability to provide longer backup with an adequate charging current, and adopts a 32-bit data-bus microprocessor with robust processing power that is capable of quickly and accurately detecting and controlling all movements of the UPS system to ensure high product reliability,” explains Aditya Arora, COO, Base Corporation Ltd.

Uniline launched its D Series DSP-based UPS systems of up to 500 kVA in December 2012. “The system is used for a variety of applications, mainly industrial, automation, large data centres, etc,” informs RK Bansal, managing director, Uniline Energy Systems (Pvt) Ltd. Uniline also manufacturers modular UPS systems, wherein modules of 10kVA/25kVA can be integrated together.

Technological advances

Today, UPS systems are intelligent and offer better control as well as total cost of ownership (TCO). Technological advances have increased the efficiency of the products, leading to low electricity bills, reduced sizes, etc.

In 2012, Su-Kam launched two industrial UPS systems—Gamatronic Multiplexer Stand Alone (SA) UPS and Gamatronic Multiplexer Mega V2. Gamatronic Multiplexer SA is a perfect solution for small and medium sized applications, as well as for large devices such as medical CT products. Gamatronic Multiplexer Mega V2, on the other hand, is an ideal solution for data centres, colour labs, manufacturing machines, offices, security control rooms, medical equipment, telecommunication systems, satellite systems and air traffic control systems, explains Manoj Goel, senior VP, M&A, gensets & UPS, Su-Kam Power Systems.

With advanced analytics and remote management facilities, the new products in the market can deliver measurable load, as well as environmental and performance improvements. Products like the Liebert NX range and Liebert APM can deploy multi-level converter topologies, enhancing efficiency and reducing internal losses. “High-frequency operation reduces the footprint, and features like multi-system eco-mode ensure that the UPS systems run in the efficient mode, yet can offer power quality,” says Venkat Rao.

UPS systems based on advanced DSP sine wave technology are popular in the market. They deliver the same quality of power as the mains, thereby ensuring the safety of the appliances. “Genus Static UPS has no moving parts, which makes it the right choice for sensitive appliances. Its sure sine wave technology, in addition to auto sense intelligent controls, ensures total protection of appliances and the battery bank,” explains Rajeev Satoor.

With technology becoming more advanced, fans can be replaced without stopping the operation of the UPS system. An LED lights up when a failure is detected. Besides, modern designs can reduce the mean time to repair (MTTR) and enhance the performance of the UPS. These technologies are found in Delta’s Ultron DPS.

Buying tips

There are certain factors to keep in mind while choosing a UPS system:

Analyse the requirements: A buyer should check the actual surge and running load, the type of load, the nature of risks (critical factor), the frequency of power failures and other environment conditions, and accordingly select the right UPS system with a suitable configuration. There is no single type of UPS system that is ideal for all applications, given the variety of UPS topologies available in the market today. Therefore, a user must study the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

It is a must for a user to make a load study of the area in which the UPS needs to be installed.

The type of loads can be divided as follows:

• Electrical load: Lighting load, AC, fans, coolers, etc

• Motorised load: Motors, machinery, etc

• Computer load: Computers and computer peripherals

• Sensitive load: Server room and data centres, CNC machines, etc

Runtimeis the number of minutes that the UPS will be able to provide power from the battery when utility power fails. Runtime is important because it tells the user how long the equipment will continue to run during a power outage before backup battery power runs out.

After sales service: In order to ensure the proper working of a UPS system, timely service either by the dealer or the manufacturer, is required. Therefore, some companies provide replacement warranties along with their products, while others provide the option of regular and timely visits to check for any problems in the device.

Determine the operating costs: A buyer must look for the product or technology that guarantees lower operating costs. There is a large difference in operating costs between high technology, transformer-free UPS systems and other variants.

Backup time requirements: Backup time is important because it tells the user how long the load will continue to run during a power outage before there’s no more backup battery power. Adding more load to the UPS will result in a shorter backup time, while increasing the capacity of batteries will increase backup time.

Other factors: The UPS system should have a low THDi, so that the mains are not polluted.

Batteries are the most critical factor for the reliability of any UPS system; therefore, battery charging technologies should maximise battery life while ensuring little or no maintenance.

The user should ensure that there are more outlets to ensure room for future growth. Most rack-mount UPS applications will require a power distribution unit to accommodate extra equipment plugs. 

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