Network Communications News (NCN) June 2016 | Page 33

UPS & power management

considerations when choosing a UPS in
today’s data driven society?

some sensitive equipment can see this
short break as a power outage and
restart/reset etc.

1: Confirm the amount
of power the UPS is
required to back-up

3: Choose an open
maintenance protocol

In order to determine which type of
UPS is suited to your business, it is
important to confirm the amount of
power the UPS is required to back up.
There are calculation tools out there to
do this but it is recommended that a
site survey is carried out for an accurate
reading. Consideration should also
be taken for future expansion plans
in order to avoid the UPS running
out of capacity. Many UPS products
manufactured by Riello UPS have the
ability to be paralleled for capacity or
redundancy, but this will be of little use
if the electrical infrastructure has not
been designed with expansion in mind.
Expansion plans therefore need
to be implemented at low voltage
design/build stage to make sure the
infrastructure is in place to ensure
additional UPS can be installed without
having to power down live equipment.
This forward planning can avoid
oversizing the UPS which in turn carries a
higher capital outlay.

2: Choose the best
operating mode

We live in a world with vast amounts of
information being stored, managed and
processed in ‘the cloud’.

ensuring continuous power supply even
in the event of a critical power failure.
UPS systems have evolved greatly
over the past decade, and it’s an
evolution that has been driven by the
rise of the data centre, in which the need
to use power more effectively and to
control lifetime costs of equipment is as
important as the need for mission critical
power protection. So what are the key

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

Different sites require varied UPS
running modes. A critical load such as a
data centre for example would usually
run its UPS in ‘online’ mode – the safest
and most resilient mode a UPS can
operate in. Online mode sees the UPS
unit convert the incoming mains from AC
to DC and then back to AC – this is often
known as ‘online double conversion’ and
results in clean and stable power.
A UPS installed on the same site
to work on more resilient mechanical
equipment could be run in ‘Smart’ or
‘Eco’ mode. In this instance, the UPS
typically runs in a ‘line interactive’ mode
unless mains disturbances are present
and then the unit switches automatically
to ‘online’ mode. Typically, this can
offer a 99 per cent efficient running cost
compared to typically 96.5 per cent for a
fully online system.
Smart and Eco modes are suitable
for equipment which is able to handle
a momentary dip in power when the
UPS unit switches from mains powered
offline/line interactive mode to online
mode. Although this switch over is
typically no more than six milliseconds,

UPS maintenance should be routine
and carried out by the manufacturer
or an approved third party provider.
Many UPS manufacturers have chosen
to tackle the problem of unauthorised
maintenance by instigating ‘closed
protocol’ systems where the units are
‘locked out’ to anyone other than the
manufacturer itself. While this would
appear to solve the problem of ‘rogue
traders’, it is in reality a breach of
European Law and could prove costly
by tying customers into only one
available maintenance option.
Riello UPS for example chooses
not to lock down its software within its
UPS as it doesn’t believe in controlling
who you choose to maintain your
equipment. But it is essential to ensure
that whoever maintains your equipment
is fully trained. Riello UPS also runs
a Certified Engineer initiative which
allows customers to check if their
chosen engineers are fully trained and
competent to carry out the work.
It is best to avoid manufacturers
who instigate a ‘closed protocol’
system because this ties you into them
for any repairs needed which can prove
a costly experience.

4: Consider your
environmental
requirements
A UPS is a device which is not just there
to protect from power outages, it is also
there to continuously clean the power.
Riello UPS is continuously developing
its products in line with developments
in component technology which allows
the UPS products to be either market
leading or very close to this position
when it comes to the running costs or
efficiency of the UPS.
There is currently a great deal of
confusion regarding efficiency figures as
the figures often published are actually
when the UPS is operating in a more
basic mode such as line interactive. As
the load does not undertake double
conversion, the losses are less but the
quality of power received is worse.

5: Think about installation
Depending on the requirement and
the applied load, businesses can easily
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