Questions & answers |
The distribution of electrical power is often subject to short and long term interference. Using an instantaneous back-up power supply means you can protect your IT system against such interference which can come from the industrial and atmospheric environment, as well as from your own environment. The following table lists the most common sorts of power supply problems, and the consequences for badly protected users:
| CAUSES | CONSEQUENCES | |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage reduction | ||
| Due to high voltage consumption required when starting up heavy equipment (motors, escalators, compressors, etc). | Keyboard lock, system breakdown leading to data distortion or loss, reduction in equipment performance and lifespan. | |
| Excess voltage | ||
| Lightning hitting power cables or the sudden shutdown of high-consumption equipment can cause temporary voltage increase. | Breakdowns, electronic component wear-and-tear, destruction of hard disks. | |
| Cut-offs and micro cut-offs | ||
| There can be many factors: lightning, live-line working, or heavy demand on the electrical network, etc. |
Data-loss, badly shut-off applications, equipment damage and problems when re-activating applications. | |
| Stray | ||
| There can be many factors: atmospheric conditions, load permutations, generators, radio-emitters, household and industrial equipment. | Program and database errors. | |
| Shock waves | ||
| These are generally caused by lightning or when the mains supply is re-established after having been absent during a storm or following a motoring accident. | ||
The answer to this question depends on the type of equipment you wish to protect.
| YOUR EQUIPEMENT | CRITERIA | |
|---|---|---|
INDIVIDUAL STATION |
Back-up The UPS should have enough back up to correctly shutdown the PC. Implementation We favour easy implementation (Plug & Play Windows) and ease of integration of the UPS in the office. |
|
LOCAL SERVER |
Quality of power supply Communication software |
|
CRITICAL APPLICATION SERVER |
Perfect quality Extending back-up time |
|
| OFF-LINE | LINE INTERACTIVE | ON-LINE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | Low power Service industry with infrequent interference |
Recommended for <2kVA power ranges Service industry with infrequent interference |
Medium and high power UPS
Service industry and industrial |
| Battery transfer time during mains cut-off | YES | YES | NO |
| Frequency control | NO | NO | YES |
| Voltage control | YES | YES | NO |
| Voltage peak absorption | NO | SOME | ALL |
| Normal operational supply | Mains | Mains | UPS |
| Power supply during mains cut-off | Battery with <10ms changeover | Battery with <4ms changeover | Battery without any interruption |
No, unless it's an industrial-style printer.
Yes and no. It’s not necessary to protect the fax machine itself, but the modem line needs to be protected against excess voltage, which could damage the device.
There are numerous national (NF) and international (IEC) standards for UPS, but those standards covering safety (NF …), electromagnetic compatibility (IEC …) and quality (ISO) are all given priority. SOCOMEC SICON UPS satisfy all these standards and are also ISO 9001 certified.
The UPS supplies power back-up in cases of electrical network failure. However, this back-up may not be enough to cover longer cut-offs and you may not be there yourself to correctly close-down your files and your IT system. UNI VISION communication software is designed to automatically carry out all the necessary operations to closedown your system before the end of battery back up. UNI VISION also offers remote communication with your UPS systems:
• Status monitoring
• Control programming
• Statistics print-out for the quality of supplied power
• Remote warning via fax, Email, MS-Exchange or pager.
Yes, for 3 reasons:
• A gen-set supplies current with a high risk of frequency variation. A UPS able to provide perfect quality current is therefore an indissociable complement to a gen-set.
• Supplied equipment may not be able to withstand motor start-up time (about 8-10 seconds).
• The gen-set might not in fact start-up at all. The UPS will, however, ensure supply back up.
The ideal ambient operating temperature for a UPS is 20°C. Nevertheless, the UPS and its components can operate satisfactorily within a range of 0°-35°C, excluding the battery. Using sealed lead-acid batteries requires a maximum local temperature of 25°C in order to maintain optimum reliability.
The VSS+ DC is an innovative system for storing energy manufactured by PENTADYNE. It operates with the DELPHYS MP or MX UPS and has been designed as an alternative to using batteries, for the purposes of back-up.
A flywheel is a "mechanical battery" which stores electrical energy using a rotating weight. The energy can be permanently tapped into. Just as a chemical battery is kept floating, a flywheel is kept in rotation by its connection with a direct current bus from the output of a UPS charger.
Compared to batteries, the VSS+ DC is favourable in the following ways: greater reliability, a longer life, reduced need for maintenance, insensitivity to ambient temperature, consistent performance with frequent use (cycles), rapid back-up time, easy to install, an attractive price giving a quick return on investment.
The VSS+ DC is designed for high-quality energy consumers requiring a high level of reliability: service, industrial, medical, telecommunication sectors.
The VSS+ DC systems have many advantages over traditional flywheel systems:
• High reliability
• Low maintenance
• 20-year service life
• Easy to install
• Compactness
• Takes up little room
• Improved output >99.8%
• Controlled by microprocessor
• Self diagnostic
• Command control via LCD display
• Rapid recharging time (20 seconds to 2 minutes)
• Silencer
• Cabinet with wheels
• Easy to install
• No particular engineering requirements
• Compatible with DELPHYS MP and MX UPS
• Possibility of setting up units in parallel without any adaptation
• Maintenance via front panel
The VSS+ DC systems have been designed to last 10 years.