What Is a UPS And How Does It Work?

In our daily routine, we know that so many things work in society without asking how they work, we only take it for granted that they are present. The most important cases of every different emergency system that exist are the office, hospitals, many servers, data entries, etc. So, the question is, what happens when a power failure takes place? Or when there is a power outage? That's the reason why the UPS is so important. 

What is a Uninterruptible Power Supply?

Let's talk about the main topic, what is UPS or Uninterruptible power supply? It is a system that is responsible for keeping the important information in case of any power outage or voltage comes. The UPS is a device specially used in place where they require the information to be kept safe and it needs to have a constant backup, such as different kinds of hospitals, large ships, data centres. The power supply time of these kinds of devices is determined by the type and number of batteries that are included in the system. So the conclusion is, if you have more batteries in your UPS, more power outages can be tolerated. Also it is important to know  you can find different types of GoldenMate batteries that can help you fulfil this purpose on our website.

Uninterruptible power supply System Types

There are 3 main types of UPS that we can mention in this article, as follows: on-line double conversion technology, line-interactive technology and off-line technology (also called standby or battery backup). 

In-Line Double Conversion Technology

It appears when it comes to protecting some sensitive or critical information. That's why only double-conversion technology offers complete protection against all power energy problems and helps to protect the highest level of security networks. This is commonly used in the IT area companies, due to the reliability offered by this kind of technology. Also the double conversion technology is not recommended if you use AC power, because during the transmission and distribution of the energy, the power is subject to some kind of variation about voltage drops, spikes, loss of frequencies and some failures that could damage the transmission of the operations about information or important data.

Interactive Technology

About the line interactive technology systems offer different power conditioning and battery backup power. It is kindly effective in some areas where the tensions are unstable, but the fluctuations are constant. These kinds of systems support many varieties of input voltage fluctuations in the system. 

Another important point about this kind of technology is that they offer a better control about power fluctuation than an off-line technology system. This is due they have fast charging circuits and the voltage range is compatible with the different UPS. So the conclusion about this kind of technology is that greater the range, the more protection you have.

Standby (Offline) Uninterruptible power supply

Off-line UPS, also called standby or battery backup, the objective of this kind of system is to transfer the power enough to the batteries quickly to prevent anomalies and possible power outages. They offer better protection against the voltage spikes, but it is not well worked maintaining a perfect supply during surgess.

Uninterruptible power supply Components

Uninterruptible power supply Batteries

Batteries are the supply of energy in the event of a power outage. They are the hearts of all UPS, also responsible for supplying emergency power when the energy is low or a power outage happens. So what happens when a power failure appears? The batteries are responsible for supporting the connected load. The UPS contains a battery or so many batteries, depending on the minimum requirement about the UPS. It also depends on the voltage supplied to the system. It is important to mention that it can be different depending on the requirements. 

Rectifier

The rectifier is responsible for the alternating current entering the UPS, and then supplying continuous current to the battery, keeping it charged. It is a component that performs several critical functions. Also, it is important to mention that it converts the input power from alternating current (CC) to direct current. 

Switch

The Switch in the UPS allows the output to be connected to the input. This part of the system is responsible to keep the information safe, as a lifesaver in any events. The switch function automatically connects the load from the main supply. It is important that in the event of a system failure, the other 3 components of the system keep safe. Also, we can mention that it does not perform as the filtering function, but the existence of the switch ensures that the system can continue operating from the mains in any battery failure events. 

Inverter

The inverter is a part of the UPS that is responsible to transform direct current into alternating current. It is another part of the UPS that use the double conversion process. Also it works as a filter for events or circumstances such as a power surges or voltage dips. To finish, we can mention it converts the input AC to DC current and this is back to the inverter, as a part of the double conversion process.

How Uninterruptible power supply Works

Normal Operation

When the UPS is operating properly, with the power supplies available, the electricity enters through the UPS connection to the grid and continues in the first instance through the rectifier, which converts the electricity from alternating current to direct current. 

This transformation is necessary because part of the electricity must be stored in the battery, where the battery must be continuous and the rest to your inverter.

Power Outage Scenario

Now to continue, let's imagine a case where the grid is not available or the voltage is not enough. If this happens, the inverter would be affected by the DC voltage provided by the batteries, the inverter output would remain unchanged and the last step, the electrical load connected to the system would be operated without interruption. 

Applications of Uninterruptible power supply

Medical equipment 

The use of the UPS is very common with this kind of equipment, due it cannot fail in their operation, as everyone knows, many lives depend on them. Even some small outages can have serious consequences. So you have to choose very carefully which kind of system you are going to use in this medical equipment. If you want to include a new system in the hospital to protect all equipment and devices, it is very important to get all the information about how many batteries you will need to get all the energy that equipment is going to need. 

Data storage and computers 

IT systems also use a significant range of different sensitive electronic components. Voltage drops can put these components at risk or can also cause data loss, security breaches and also as mentioned, damage to equipment. As an example, all big tech use a UPS in their data center warehouse to protect all sensitive information from hackers. 

Emergency management and law enforcement 

Emergency calls from institutions such as 911, police departments, fire departments, utilities, etc., require all supplies of energy. So the Uninterruptible power supply plays an important role in keeping this kind of infrastructure working without problem. 

Financial Institutions 

Another important point is that financial institutions, such as banks, financial companies and organisations need to be working all the time. So it is important to have the most complete security and power system that works normally.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Uninterruptible power supply

Load capacity and power requirements

An important factor when you purchase a complete UPS system is to determine the load capacity and power requirements. Now let's talk about the load capacity, it refers to the maximum amount of power that the UPS can provide to all devices. So to start with this kind of system, first, you have to calculate the total power that all the devices need to protect them, including computers, servers, and data centers. So, to be careful, if you need more information about how you can calculate this, you can check on our website.

Battery backup time

The battery backup time is the timing that the UPS can provide power to all devices in the event of a power failure. It is another important point to take into account, because it is the battery that provides the power against blackout of voltage damage. That is why we evaluate the time system  according to how many devices you need to protect. If you need common devices for domestic use, a simple system can protect all your information, but if you need to cover or save information from a big company, you need to have enough protection for more than 30 minutes to preserve the data. 

Surge protection and filtering

The surge protection and filtering protects all devices connected against the voltage variations and surges. This helps to prevent the failure of the sensitive components, such as computers component intern or telecommunications equipment. The other important thing is the filtering, which helps to improve the quality of the power that is provided to all devices, reducing the risk of losing data and damaging hardware.  

UPS Management and Monitoring

The UPS management and monitoring have the ability to manage the UPS remotely, and it could be something very advantageous, specially for business user with multiple devices. Also, this kind of system has automatic shutdown software and notification of events such as low battery or failures. These features help to have a lot of control over the UPS. 

Physical size and form factor

The size and weight depends a lot on the place it will be used, such as computer centers for companies, especially for the IT area, or for medical centers that require an important space such as a special room for the care of all the equipment that will be protected at the time of a power outage or energy changes. 

Conclusion

If you have a center that handles sensitive information, if you have equipment that may be damaged due to voltage, or if you are managing a health center, it is important to have a UPS to preserve the proper functioning of the equipment and prevent information loss or can be damaged. Also, it is important to check all parts of the UPS to prevent any failure about the information.  

If you are looking for a UPS, take a look at GoldenMate's batteries, which can clear up any doubts you may have. Also, you can check out more information in our blog section to learn more about different kinds of batteries or some different topics that can help you to make a better decision if you want to get a new UPS. Another option is that you can contact us in the information section to get more information.