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Understanding What the Eco Mode is In Critical Power Systems

With energy prices constantly on the rise, corporations look for ways and means to keep a handle on these costs. Companies also want to enhance their green image by keeping control on their energy consumption. Here we take a look at what the eco mode is in large scale critical system environments.

Even before exploring how the eco mode functions, it’s important to understand how the data centre’s infrastructure works, ranging from the mechanical equipment to the IT load. Once you take all the main power system elements into consideration, you will be able to make a more informed decision about whether the eco mode is suitable for your site.

There are a number of different ways in which the “eco mode” concept is interpreted when it’s used in a large scale UPS system. The fact is that this is a very broad term that’s used to describe a UPS operation mode which enhances the system’s energy-efficiency. The aspect to keep in view here is that this energy efficiency comes at a price – it impacts the performance of the system to a certain degree (which is specific to each vendor).

It means that the eco mode provided by every vendor will use specific modes of operation which has an impact on energy savings and reliability. This is why it becomes crucial to understand what the operating characteristics of your equipment are.

UPS – Standard operation

A normal UPS in double conversion (normal) mode just takes the incoming power from the utility and then runs it through the rectifier that results in a conversion of the power from AC to DC. The waveform is created by the inverter which then gets distributed to the loads. The batteries are all connected to the system’s DC side.

If there is an interruption in the utility, the batteries begin to provide power to the inverter and it seamlessly continues to supply power to the critical load. A UPS system typically has an internal bypass that permits the critical loads to get transferred to either the internal generator or the utility. This allows the Uninterruptible Power Supply system to become deenergised in the course of the service without any drop in the load. In case of a UPS system failure, this bypass system isolates it from the critical loads.

In a standard double conversion UPS’ normal operation, the utility power gets converted to DC at the point where the rectifier is and is then converted into the AC mode at the inverter point before it gets distributed to the loads. A system that has an eco-mode uses this same configuration in the form of double conversion units. However, the operational characteristics are different, which results in an increase in efficiency.

Improved energy-efficiency levels

A UPS system that has been placed in the eco mode allows the power from the utility to simply bypass the inverter and the rectifier and feed the critical load directly. In case of any power disturbance, the system will still be able to provide conditioned power by returning to its normal mode.

Based on the manufacturer of the system, this process can considerably increase the UPS’ efficiencies by 2-4%. Today, some advanced UPS systems operate in the efficiency range of 94-97%; a number of manufacturers also claim that when combined with the eco mode the systems are able to achieve 98-99% efficiency.

If you want to know more about our power products and services, don’t hesitate to contact us at KaRaTec Power Supply Pty. You can give us a call at 612 9808 1127. You can also fill in this contact us form.

Thanks for reading,
Karatec Power Supply Pty
612 9808 1127