Data centre solutions have a self-evident obligation to provide their users with a reliable data processing resource as contractually agreed. However, according to a Data Centre News article, these users’ CIOs are under increasing pressure to obtain another assurance from their data centre operations partner; their commitment to an eco-friendly policy that’s compatible with their own. This should cover emission reduction, ensure sustainability, and, where possible, use renewable energy. Businesses trading with suppliers that fail to make this a priority can themselves be exposed to accusations of contradictory environmental policies.
Today, all data centre solutions handling mission-critical applications use UPS power supplies to protect their sensitive ICT equipment from mains-borne spikes, noise and other aberrations during normal operation, and enough UPS battery autonomy to permit a backup generator start-up or a graceful system shut-down if the mains power supply fails. However, as uninterruptible power supplies are handling the facility’s entire critical power intake, their power efficiency significantly impacts that of the whole facility.
Accordingly, to facilitate their customers’ increasingly insistent expectations of demonstrably green behaviour, data centre designs must ensure that they are operating with UPS power supplies of the highest possible efficiency. More efficient UPS power systems save not only on the electrical power they consume directly, but also reduce the related power needed for cooling.
Improving UPS efficiency can be achieved using one or more of three available factors; transformerless UPS system topology, operation in eco-mode, and using a mode such as Xtra VFI when an uninterruptible power supply is significantly under-loaded. We look at these factors below:
Transformerless UPS system topology: This is by now a well-established design approach, used within most modern static UPS power supplies. It has enabled many uninterruptible power supply advances – in particular the concept of the modular UPS system – because of the reduction in size and weight that it achieves. However, it also provides significant energy savings, which can be up to 5% for the whole load spectrum above 25% of the UPS capacity. Overall efficiencies can be up to 96%.
Transformerless UPS systems also present an input power factor that’s closer to unity and less load-dependent than transformer types. This reduces the input current magnitude, and sometimes saves on electricity running costs.
Eco-mode: Data centre operations with critical loads as described almost entirely use on-line dual-conversion uninterruptible power supplies, as the UPS rectifier and inverter circuits shield the load from mains power disturbances during normal operation. However, some losses are inevitable as the power supply passes through these stages. Accordingly, a decision can be made to operate the uninterruptible power supply in Eco-mode; this is a form of offline operation, in which mains power is routed directly through to the load – not through the rectifier and inverter – under normal circumstances. If the mains power supply starts to fail, the load can be switched to the inverter output, which is supplied by the UPS battery until mains power supply is restored.
While eco-mode operation can boost UPS efficiency to 99% or better, it exposes the critical load during most of its operational life to any spike or other aberration appearing on the mains. For this reason, most data centre operators don’t use eco-mode. Nevertheless, it’s an option where the load is considered sufficiently robust to survive mains problems, or if there is very high confidence in the mains power quality.
Xtra VFI mode: This is available on the KOHLER PW 9500DPA; when enabled, it automatically adjusts the number of active UPS modules according to load requirements. UPS modules that are not needed are switched to standby but remain ready, primed to start and transfer to active mode if the load increases. The UPS efficiency improvements achieved by this mode of operation are especially significant when the load is less than 25 percent of full UPS system capacity.
If you have any questions about our UPS power systems or services please get in touch with KOHLER Uninterruptible Power via our contact page or call us on 0800 731 3269.
