All data centers requires protection from power outages during normal electricity operations as well as total and lengthy power outages. Although sometimes compromises can be made, the best solution is to use an online UPS with dual conversion, with generator support. Let’s look at different scenarios why your online UPS needs a backup generator.
Consistent Power Supply Is Important
At present, typical organizational performance is only as good as their ICT resources. This is highly dependent on the quality and consistency of its power supply. Thus, resources such as large data centers and mission-critical systems are usually protected by UPS installations. However, just looking for a UPS with the appropriate capacity is not necessarily enough to provide the level of protection needed by the facility.
What happens if a power outage for several hours or more occurs? Or if the main input supply has increased noise levels or electrical disturbances? Here we look at the factors that need to be considered when accurately matching your power backup system with the real needs of your specific data facility.
Using Generators During Long Term Power Outages
Long-term outages always require special consideration. This is because an uninterruptible power supply system alone is never sufficient to guarantee complete coverage. Regardless of the battery autonomy, more extended blackouts are always a possibility. Some settings can tolerate this as long as they can be shutdown safely. However, primarily if your systems process online transactions, they must continue to run in all circumstances.
If this facility is tolerant to shutdowns, then it can survive with a UPS only. During short-term outages, the UPS replaces its inverter to battery power as soon as it detects power supply failures. If the power comes back while it is in the battery autonomy, then the inverter system is switched back to the main power supply. The load continues in an uninterrupted operation, with full protection from temporary problems.
However, if the outage time begins to threaten battery autonomy, the UPS will signal the load. This means it will be turned off in the battery time that remains. Hardware and data systems get the protection they need, even though the setting may have suffered due to the unavailability of ICT resources. If this loss of resources is unacceptable, you would need a combination of a UPS and a backup generator, which, with sufficient fuel, can last longer than blackouts.
How a Combination System Works
This combination system requires reliable communication between the UPS, generator and critical loads, and the appropriate control system on the generator. During short duration outages, the UPS installation uses the power of its battery to avoid any unnecessary start-up of the generator. If a power outage is extended, the UPS then signals the generator via an automatic electricity failure panel (AMF) to start.
Autonomy of the UPS battery allows the generator to speed up and synchronize with the output voltage of the UPS, while the load doesn’t experience any power failure. After the generator is on, the UPS takes power to feed the existing load and recharges its battery. When the UPS detects that the electrical power has returned, it generally waits a few minutes before it switches back to the primary power.
This is to ensure that the power is consistent, rather than a provisional result of testing by the utility company. The generator too needs to be sufficiently prepared in various aspects to succeed as a component of the power backup. To ensure adequate response speed and accuracy, you must have an electronic regulator to adjust the engine speed and the resultant alternator output frequency. All mechanical governors are priced lower but do not have the responsiveness, accuracy, and stability required by critical loads and the UPS.
If you want to know anything more about any of our custom UPS products and services, don’t hesitate to contact us at KaRaTec Power Supply Pty. You can give us a call at 612 9808 1127 or use this contact us form and we will respond within the shortest possible time to help you with the guidance and information you need.
Thanks for reading,
Karatec Power Supply Pty
612 9808 1127