UPS includes 10-year-rated, high-temperature batteries
Power supply maintenance cycles are significantly reduced with new battery and power supply technology from Falcon Electric.
Renee Robbins -- Control Engineering, 10/31/2009
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For a someone charged with managing hundreds of UPSs, "changing UPS batteries is a huge headache," says Falcon Electric's Paul Newman. New battery technology, combined with SSG Series' ability to shield the battery from heat, "translate to a longer period between UPS maintenance cycles," he says. |
Falcon Electric's new long-life battery, and the unique design of its SSG Series Industrial-Grade UPS Plus product line, combine to address a pain point of uninterruptible power supply use: battery maintenance. For environments with temperatures that typically exceed 40° C — like a factory floor, a desert setting or any computer rack — the batteries are rated to last at least twice the service life of standard five-year/40° C rated batteries. Available in models from 1.5 to 3kVA and in 120 V ac and 230 V ac versions, the SSG Series can withstand elevated temperatures of up to 55 ºC for prolonged periods of time.
Most UPS vendors, including Falcon, use batteries that are rated for 40 °C and last five years for controlled settings at room temperature, such as a laboratory or office. When used in a true on-line UPS at room temperature, this is a reasonable expectation. In a hostile environment with high temperatures and unstable utility-generated ac power, users typically replace UPS batteries every one to two years in on-line UPSs and more frequently in "switching" UPSs, due to the combination of over-cycling and higher temps.
The new batteries, which are optional on all Falcon uninterruptible power supplies, are rated for 10 years of expected life in a temperature-controlled environment (up to 25°C). Plus, says Paul Newman, director of manufacturing-engineering at Falcon Electric, "the true regenerative on-line design of the SSG Series UPS is free from the over-cycling of batteries caused by the buck-boost feature of less-expensive switching, or line-interactive UPSs. So the SSG Series is the only UPS to carry a 55 °C (131 ºF) UL listing for operating at high temperatures."
Newman says the new long-life, high temp batteries, combined with SSG Series' ability to shield the battery from heat, translate to a longer period between UPS maintenance cycles. "This will translate to significant cost savings, in terms of the time, money and manpower that is involved with something as simple as replacing a dead battery, especially in a remote location. A typical Falcon customer manages hundreds of devices, and replacing UPS batteries is a huge headache," he adds.
With the new SSG Series UPS, users in automation, oil-extraction, military and other extreme environments experience a much lower maintenance cost, which, over time, allows them to save money on the overall cost of the unit. Batteries are typically the only element of an UPS that require maintenance, says Newman, other than fans that must be replaced after eight to ten years. Users are instructed to clean out dust and ensure the environment is free of moisture and is well ventilated.
The SSG Series UPS also uses a universal battery pack, which fits all SSG 1.5-3 kVA models and saves large users from having to order different battery packs. The slide-out battery pack is hot-swappable, easily replaced through the UPS front panel without having to remove the UPS from the equipment rack.
As a regenerative on-line UPS, the SSG Series is designed to provide a continuous, clean, tightly regulated power source from the incoming dirty ac power source.
"Unlike off-line and line-interactive UPS designs, the SSG Series acts as an electronic firewall between incoming 'dirty' power and sensitive micro-processor-based programmable logic controllers (PLCs), computers and automated systems found in these industrial environments," says Newman.
For unattended operating system shutdown and easy monitoring of the UPS system, Falcon's UPSilon shutdown and management software supports Windows platforms, including Vista, as well as Novell NetWare 5 & 6, LINUX and FreeBSD. For remote management, users may purchase an optional SNMP/HTTP agent board — the more secure IPv6 version — that installs directly inside the UPS and provides a TCP-IP addressable, 10/100 Ethernet communications for remote monitoring and management. To assure easy integration into industrial and large IT installations, the SSG Series features Remote Emergency Power Off (REPO) with NFPA-70, NEC 645-11 compliant operation.
Also read, from Control Engineering: Falcon Electric introduces secure UPS power monitoring and management system.
- Edited by Renee Robbins, senior editor
Control Engineering News Desk
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