Being operational at all times is of crucial importance for a data center. That’s why an adequate power center is necessary. It is even the key factor of this fail-safe infrastructure. Data centers are therefore looking for a seamless and uninterrupted power supply.
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The different UPS topologies
The different characteristics of a UPS influence data centers. And high power UPSs are preferred for much better performance. The ability of a UPS to solve power problems depends on the configuration of its components. There are three types of UPS used in these data centers. These are the passive standby, interactive line and double conversion line topologies.
The passive watch
Simplified, this type of inverter transforms the alternating current of the mains into direct current and then re-transforms it to provide alternating current while charging an internal battery. In other words, it allows you to make up for a power failure by storing energy.
The weakness of this type of inverter lies in the fact that it is not adapted to polyphase currents. It is rather dedicated to single-phase currents.
The interactive line
Unlike the passive standby inverter, this one has an integrated transformer. This allows it to regulate the current variations. This system thus makes it possible to stabilize the incoming current which goes towards the battery. The interactive line can therefore ensure a power supply outside the mains current for a more or less prolonged period. It should be noted, however, that during the transition from the mains supply to the emergency supply, there is a disturbance in the frequency of the current.
The double conversion online
This is the most suitable UPS configuration of the three that exist for data centers. It is therefore the most requested configuration for a data center to be operational without interruption. This is for the good reason that it can cope with any power failure.
The system of this double conversion is as follows: the UPS provides AC power from DC power coming from a battery. This current feeding the battery was previously a previously transformed alternating current. And when the power supply fails, the battery takes over to supply the inverter. This configuration provides a stable backup power supply, and therefore better security for devices that require the use of UPS.
The progress of data center UPS
The data center is one of the infrastructures that occupy a major place in an enterprise. As it continues to grow, so does the complexity. Therefore, it is important to choose power supplies that maximize availability, efficiency, and scalability.
How would availability be?
Availability has become the essential metric in which data center and system power has evolved. A simple failure can, in this sense, cause losses of years of savings and damage the results of a company.
In 2011, Ponemom Institute conducted a study on the losses that can be caused by a data center outage. This study revealed that the average cost of any type of outage is 505,502. On the one hand, the center’s stop is 258,149 on average. And a full stop can go up to $680,000 or even the bankruptcy of a company.
According to the survey results, more than 30 percent of the failures were caused by the data center fragility. In general, the UPS-related failure is the most expensive. This can be as high as $687,700.
What solution for more efficiency?
Managing data centers has now become a heavy task for managers. Availability and efficiency were the key concerns of respondents.
In 2012, the DCUG Group survey identified two key concerns about network facilities. Energy efficiency was cited by 48% of respondents, while availability was cited by nearly 46%.
The power systems used in many data centers are still inadequate today. Although server efficiency has improved by 79%, it still consumes more power than necessary. Most of the results of estimates places power supply efficiency at 86.6 percent, well below the 93% usable.
Emerson Network Power conducted a systematic analysis to examine the energy consumption of the data center. At the same time, they also examined various methods of reducing consumption to determine the most effective method. This study resulted in the development of a guide to 10 strategies that could reduce consumption by 74%.
How to ensure scalability?
At the time of theDCUG survey fall in 2012, optimized capacity issues are likely to threaten performance levels. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said that capacity shortfalls are inevitable for the years 2014 through 2017. Increasing flexibility in the way data is managed is now the best solution to achieve the necessary availability. This regularly allows managers to meet current requirements while ensuring performance and capacity needs.
Today, almost all components of the physical infrastructure are open to modular development, including power systems. The fastest deployment is combined with the “Build it as you need it approach “. This offer allows companies to minimize capital expenditures (Capex).
Data center UPS design
Efficiency, availability, and scalability are optimized by several options in the area of power system design. The scope of the double conversion topology in line for CapEx reduction and OpEx expense operations is justified by many new technologies. This gives a greater progression and decreasing availability problems. We are going to see all the necessary information for this.
The use of transformerless UPS modules of higher power, three-phase backup power is increasing. As an example we have the 200 kW to 5 MW. In general, UPS on well-tested transformers are very robust. They are excellent for capacity generation. Better efficiency and smaller footprint are the result of the latest transformerless designs.
Several UPS vendors offer both topologies that are driven by demand from data center designers. The transformerless ones are easy to add capacity to. They are also adaptable to all forms of needs. Transformerless technology is therefore the best choice for operational efficiency, expansion flexibility or limiting the UPS footprint.
Capacity on demand
Most UPS units on the market provide capacity on demand. This is thanks to a capacity increase software without resorting to the system footprint. Correct sizing of the UPS is enabled by this approach. And that comes down to better energy efficiency and lower energy costs.
An economic operating mode (Eco-Mode) changes the way a double conversion UPS is used. This UPS also serves to increase energy efficiency and decrease operating expenses in the data center.
The elimination of the previous eco-mode difficulties produces keeping the inverter and rectifier in active state by the Active Eco-Mode approach. In addition, keeping the rectifier in an active state results in the guarantee of a constant floating load through the UPS battery. This can have a significant positive impact on battery life.
Intelligent paralleling is another newer feature enabled by UPS controls. It increases the efficiency of redundant UPS systems by disabling UPS modules. These are not useful in considering the load and inherent efficiency of the upgrade available at higher loads.
This feature is particularly useful also for data centers. They experience extended periods of low demand, such as an enterprise data center running at low capacity on weekends and holidays.
To conclude, the evolution of the UPS depends on its capacity and content. It is also very beneficial for data center in case of power outage to make the power flow a little longer.
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