Network Communications News (NCN) October 2017 | Page 34

UPS
Maintaining standards
Alan Luscombe, director at Uninterruptible Power Supplies Ltd., a Kohler company, explores
the wide range of standards applicable to UPS systems, installations and batteries.
T
he ques tio n of
s ta n da rds re l at ing
to UP Ss is co m p l ex ,
beca us e ma ny
a s pects a re
i nvolved. There a re s afet y , E M C
compli a n ce a nd per form a nc e
consi d eration s for the U PS
equ i pment its el f, a nd l im itat io ns
for t he equipment’ s imp a ct o n
t he power network. Taking a
typical case, if lead-acid batteries
are being used, then these have
34 | October 2017
their own regulations relating to
selecting, safe operation, testing,
maintenance and replacement.
Further aspects of the UPS
installation are also subject
to regulation; these include
environmental protection (IP)
standards, wiring regulations,
equipotential bonding and
earthing, and other factors.
B e l ow, we rev i ew t h e
m o s t i m p o r ta nt o f t h e s e
s ta n d a rd s . P r i m a r i l y , U P S s m u s t
c o m p l y w i t h Low Vo l ta ge ( LV )
e l e ct ro m a g n et i c c o m p at i b i l i t y
( E M C ) d i re ct i ve s a s we l l a s ot h e r
re g u l at i o n s . T h i s c o m p l i a n c e
i s t y p i c a l l y a c h i eve d t h ro u g h
U P S S ta n d a rd E N 6 2 0 4 0 , w h i c h
c o m p r i s e s t h re e p a r t s :
E N62040 – Part 1 (General and
Safety Requirements)
E N62040 – Part 2 (EMC –
Electromagnetic Compatibility)
E N62040 – Part 3 (Performance)