Technologies in ups

The general categories of modern UPS systems are on-line, line-interactive or standby. An on-line UPS uses a "double conversion" method of accepting AC input, rectifying to DC for passing through the rechargeable battery (or battery strings), then inverting back to 120 V/230 V AC for powering the protected equipment. A line-interactive UPS maintains the inverter in line and redirects the battery's DC current path from the normal charging mode to supplying current when power is lost. In a standby ("off-line") system the load is powered directly by the input power and the backup power circuitry is only invoked when the utility power fails. Most UPS below 1 kVA are of the line-interactive or standby variety which are usually less expensive.

For large power units, dynamic uninterruptible power supplies are sometimes used. A synchronous motor/alternator is connected on the mains via a choke. Energy is stored in a flywheel. When the mains power fails, an Eddy-current regulation maintains the power on the load as long as the flywheel's energy is not exhausted. DUPS are sometimes combined or integrated with a diesel generator that is turned on after a brief delay, forming a diesel rotary uninterruptible power supply (DRUPS).

A fuel cell UPS has been developed in recent years using hydrogen and a fuel cell as a power source, potentially providing long run times in a small space.

Uninterruptible power supply

An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions, by supplying energy stored in batteries or a flywheel. The on-battery runtime of most uninterruptible power sources is relatively short (only a few minutes) but sufficient to start a standby power source or properly shut down the protected equipment.

A UPS is typically used to protect computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption or data loss. UPS units range in size from units designed to protect a single computer without a video monitor (around 200 VA rating) to large units powering entire data centers or buildings. The world's largest UPS, the 46-megawatt, Battery Electric Storage System (BESS), in Fairbanks, AK, powers the entire city and nearby rural communities during outages.

Submarines and ocean going vessels and design issues

Submarines and ocean going vessels

Battery rooms are found on diesel-electric submarines, where they contain the lead-acid batteries used for undersea propulsion of the vessel. Even nuclear submarines contain large battery rooms as backups to provide maneuvering power if the nuclear reactor is shutdown. Batteries in surface vessels may also be contained in a battery room.

Battery rooms on ocean-going vessels must prevent seawater from contacting battery acid, as this could produce toxic chlorine gas. This is of particular concern on submarines.

Design issues

Since several types of secondary batteries give off hydrogen and oxygen if overcharged, ventilation of a battery room is critical to maintain the concentration below the lower explosive limit.

The life span of secondary batteries is reduced at high temperature and the energy storage capacity is reduced at low temperature, so a battery room must have heating or cooling to maintain the proper temperature.

Batteries may contain large quantities of corrosive electrolytes such as sulfuric acid used in lead-acid batteries or potassium hydroxide used in nickel-cadmium batteries. Materials of the battery room must resist corrosion and contain any accidental spills. Plant personnel must be protected from spilled electrolyte. In some jurisdictions, large battery systems may contain reportable amounts of sulfuric acid, a concern for fire departments. Battery rooms in industrial and utility installations typically have an eye-wash station or decontamination showers nearby, so that workers who are accidentally splashed with electrolyte can immediately wash it away from the eyes and skin.

Electrical utilities of battry

Battery rooms are also found in electric power plants and substations where reliable power is required for operation of switchgear, critical standby systems, and possibly black start of the station. Often batteries for large switchgear line-ups are 125 V or 250 V nominal systems, and feature redundant battery chargers with independent power sources. Separate battery rooms may be provided to protect against loss of the station due to a fire in a battery bank. For stations that are capable of black start, power from the battery system may be required for many purposes including switchgear operations.

The world's largest battery is in Fairbanks, Alaska, composed of Ni-Cd cells. Sodium-sulfur batteries are being used to store wind power.

Telecommunications

Telephone system central offices contain large battery systems to provide power for customer telephones, telephone switches, and related apparatus. Terrestrial microwave links, cellular telephone sites, fibre optic apparatus and satellite communications facilities also have standby battery systems, which may be large enough to occupy a separate room in the building. In normal operation power from the local commercial utility operates telecommunication equipment,and batteries provide power if the normal supply is interrupted. These can be sized for the expected full duration of an interruption, or may be required only to provide power while a standby generator set or other emergency power supply is started.

Batteries often used in battery rooms are the flooded lead-acid battery, the valve regulated lead-acid battery or the nickel–cadmium battery. Batteries are installed in groups. Several batteries are wired together in a series circuit forming a group providing DC electric power at 12, 24, 48 or 60 volts (or higher). Usually there are two or more groups of series-connected batteries. These groups of batteries are connected in a parallel circuit. This arrangement allows an individual group of batteries to be taken offline for service or replacement without compromising the availability of uninterruptible power. Generally, the larger the battery room's electrical capacity, the larger the size of each individual battery and the higher the room's DC voltage.

A Local Battery Design

A local backup battery unit is necessary in some telephony and combined telephony/data applications built with use of digital passive optical networks. In such networks there are active units on telephone exchange side and on the user side, but nodes between them are all passive in the meaning of electrical power usage. So, if a building (such as an apartment house) loses power, the network continues to function. The user side must have standby power since operating power isn't transferred over data optical line.

Telecommunications networks and data centers

 A valve-regulated lead-acid battery (VRLA) is a battery type that is popular in telecommunications network environments as a reliable backup power source. VRLA batteries are used in the outside plant at locations such as Controlled Environmental Vaults (CEVs), Electronic Equipment Enclosures (EEEs), and huts, and in uncontrolled structures such as cabinets.

GR-4228, VRLA Battery String Certification Levels Based on Requirements for Safety and Performance, is a new industry-approved set of VRLA requirements that provides a three-level compliance system. The compliance system provides a common framework for evaluating and qualifying various valve-regulated lead-acid battery technologies. The framework intends to alleviate the complexities associated with product introduction and qualification.

For a VRLA, the quality system employed by the manufacturer is an important key to the overall reliability of it. The manufacturing processes, test and inspection procedures, and quality program used by a manufacturer should be adequate to ensure that the final product meets the needs of the end user, the application, and industry-accepted standards and processes (i.e., ANSI/IEC,TL9000, and GR-78, Generic Requirements for the Physical Design and Manufacture of Telecommunications Products and Equipment.