Register now or log in to join your professional community.
THIS ARTICLE COVERS
RELATED TOPICS
Data center systems management
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE?
Containers transform steel mill into modular data center
Eight emerging data center trends to follow in
A data center design guide to get it right the first time
TECHNOLOGIESData center systems Modular UPSUninterruptible power suppliesRelated Content
Weighing centralized versus modular UPS in the data ...– SearchDataCenter
How to choose the right uninterruptible power supply ...– SearchDataCenter.in
How to pick a UPS– SearchCIO.com.au
Sponsored News
Why Storage Hardware Drives a Service Provider’s Bottom Line–SolidFire
The Benefits of an All-Flash Scale-Out Storage Infrastructure–SolidFire
Vendor Resources
A Case Study in Power Management: University of Southampton Goes Green–Emerson
Best Practices in Protecting the Technology Systems Revolutionizing Healthcare–Emerson Network Power
Traditional data center UPS systems have for years used some form of double conversion design, taking alternating current (AC), change it to direct current (DC), which charges the batteries and then re-convert it back to AC. These UPS systems have used rather large "modules" to create high capacity systems or to obtain "N+1" redundancy. Three kVA UPSs, for example, could be intended to deliver a maximum of1, kVA, so if any one unit fails or is shut down for service, the full design capacity is still available.
In recent years, the trend has been toward the use of much smaller modules ( kVA to kVA) to make up larger UPS systems. As with anything in engineering there are advantages and disadvantages. The principle advantages touted for the modular approach are the ability to grow capacity as needed (assuming an initial right-sizing) and reduced maintenance cost. The modules are hot swappable and can be returned to the factory by the user for exchange or repair. Modular systems are also generally designed to accept one more module than is required for their rated capacity, making them inherently "N+1" capable at much lower cost than would be possible with the very large system.
The last potential advantage to modular UPS systems is efficiency. A UPS system runs at highest efficiency when it is near its maximum rated capacity. As load level drops, so does efficiency. The losses may not seem great on the surface, but it adds up and as we become increasingly concerned about energy waste and cost, this starts to become a consideration.
PRO+
Content
Find more PRO+ content and other member only offers, here.
E-Handbook
Data center infrastructure that supports big data
E-Handbook
Cutting data center power costs
E-Handbook
What's yours is mine: Sharing DCIM
Modular UPS systems can be configured, and readily re-configured, so they are running close to capacity. Large, traditional UPS systems are usually purchased with all the capacity anticipated for the future, so they often run well below capacity for a number of years, if not forever. Redundancy, however, always means running below capacity which also means reduced efficiency. This can be minimized in an "N+1" modular system through careful power management.
However, with any "2N" redundant configuration, regardless of type, it is always necessary to manage power so that no system is loaded beyond% of its capacity, otherwise it will overload if the duplicate, load-sharing system fails. As a result, every UPS running in a "2N" mode operates at less than maximum efficiency. Again, with very careful management, a modular UPS may be configured more closely than a larger, fixed-capacity system, and this might result in some long-term power savings. There are many "ifs", "coulds", and "mays" in this scenario.
Traditional data center UPS systems have for years used some form of double conversion design, taking alternating current (AC), change it to direct current (DC), which charges the batteries and then re-convert it back to AC. These UPS systems have used rather large "modules" to create high capacity systems or to obtain "N+1" redundancy. Three kVA UPSs, for example, could be intended to deliver a maximum of1, kVA, so if any one unit fails or is shut down for service, the full design capacity is still available.
Do you need help in adding the right keywords to your CV? Let our CV writing experts help you.