Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS): Form Factors and Appliactions

UPSToday. - When we are searching to know more about form of Uninterruptible Power Supply, maybe we will find more forms of UPS. But, commonly there are two form factors of UPS in the world as like mentioned by Wikipedia. UPS systems come in several different forms and sizes with the two most common forms are tower and rack-mount.

Internal view of a solar inverter. Note the many large capacitors (blue cylinders), used to store energy briefly and improve the output waveform. (Source: Screenshot of Wikipedia)

A. Tower model

Tower models stand upright on the ground or on a desk/shelf, and are typically used in network workstations or desktop computer applications.

B. Rack-mount model

Rack-mount models can be mounted in standard 19" rack enclosures and can require anywhere from 1U to 12U (rack space). They are typically used in server and networking applications. 

Rack-mount model (Source: Screenshot of Wikipedia)

While application of Uninterruptible Power Supply can divided into three, these are N+1, Multiple redundancy, and Outdoor use.

1. N+1 Application

This is N+1 Application of Uninterruptible Power Supply. In large business environments where reliability is of great importance, a single huge UPS can also be a single point of failure that can disrupt many other systems. To provide greater reliability, multiple smaller UPS modules and batteries can be integrated together to provide redundant power protection equivalent to one very large UPS. "N+1" means that if the load can be supplied by N modules, the installation will contain N+1 modules. In this way, failure of one module will not impact system operation.

2. Multiple Redundancy Application

Next, this is multi redundancy application of Uninterruptible Power Supply. Many computer servers offer the option of redundant power supplies, so that in the event of one power supply failing, one or more other power supplies are able to power the load. This is a critical point – each power supply must be able to power the entire server by itself.

Redundancy is further enhanced by plugging each power supply into a different circuit (i.e. to a different circuit breaker).

Redundant protection can be extended further yet by connecting each power supply to its own UPS. This provides double protection from both a power supply failure and a UPS failure, so that continued operation is assured. This configuration is also referred to as 1+1 or 2N redundancy. If the budget does not allow for two identical UPS units then it is common practice to plug one power supply into mains power and the other into the UPS.

3. Outdoor Use Application

The last is outdoor use application of UPS. When a UPS system is placed outdoors, it should have some specific features that guarantee that it can tolerate weather with no effect on performance. Factors such as temperature, humidity, rain, and snow among others should be considered by the manufacturer when designing an outdoor UPS system. Operating temperature ranges for outdoor UPS systems could be around −40 °C to +55 °C.

Outdoor UPS systems can be pole, ground (pedestal), or host mounted. Outdoor environment could mean extreme cold, in which case the outdoor UPS system should include a battery heater mat, or extreme heat, in which case the outdoor UPS system should include a fan system or an air conditioning system.

A solar inverter, or PV inverter, or solar converter, converts the variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. It is a critical BOS–component in a photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary AC-powered equipment. Solar inverters have special functions adapted for use with photovoltaic arrays, including maximum power point tracking and anti-islanding protection.

So, we conclude that there are two most commonly forms of UPS, these are Tower Models and Rack-Mount Models, while commonly application of UPS are N+1, Multi Redundancy, and outdoor application. Hope it will helpful to you to know more about Form Factors and Appliactions of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).

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