It is increasingly important to protect electronic systems against power line transients and to ensure the continuity of their operation. This is especially true for commercial and industrial sectors, where an outage due to power issues can result in lost production time and revenue.
Power protection is especially vital for networking equipment. Most companies rely on their information technology (IT) infrastructure to perform day-to-day business activities like online order entry, customer service, and even monitoring and running their production lines. Power protection for this type of equipment is most often provided by uninterrupted power supply systems (UPS).
The most common use of a UPS is to provide short-term battery backup when the main power source fails. However, most UPS systems can compensate for a variety of power-related issues, including:
Total power failure
As stated above, the primary function of an uninterruptible power supply is to provide backup power. The power failure can be brief or prolonged. A good UPS system should provide the power needed to support normal network operation for a limited time, to allow servers and operators time to record and back up critical data. Extended outages require an additional power source, such as a diesel generator. Typically, only hospitals, emergency services, and larger corporations can afford to implement and maintain generators.
Power spike
Described as short-duration high voltage transients, power spikes can result from power transitions by large equipment on a shared power line, circuit breaker trips, or lightning. High-intensity power spikes can damage unprotected line equipment. Most UPS systems are designed to eliminate power spikes, thereby protecting downstream equipment.
Brownout
This is momentary, or in some cases prolonged, main voltage drop that usually causes incandescent lamps to dim, hence the name “brownout”. A UPS maintains a constant output voltage throughout a typical brownout, allowing equipment to operate normally despite the situation.
Single point of failure
When it is extremely important to maintain the reliability of a power system, such as in hospitals or large enterprises, a single very large backup power supply can represent a single point of failure and cause shutdown of the entire site in the event of a problem. For improved reliability, integrating multiple smaller UPS systems can provide power protection redundancy equivalent to that of a very large UPS system.
But what is emergency power?
Simply put, a UPS is a device that provides emergency power in the event of a mains power failure. For this, it uses one or more batteries and control circuits. Unlike standby generators, UPS systems provide nearly instantaneous backup power to downstream devices, virtually eliminating input power interruption. However, UPS batteries can only provide backup power for a limited amount of time, typically five to fifteen minutes referred to as the UPS’s “emergency run time”. This operating time allows the secondary power supplies to be switched on or the protected devices to be switched off. Thereby,
Where can I find backup power?
If you are looking for a backup power supply, the best option is to turn to Multilink Eng., which offers a wide range of power protection devices from different vendors, including APC. APC offers UPS systems rated from 180W to 3750W. Many units include UPS-protected outlets for critical equipment and surge-protected outlets only for non-critical equipment.
About Author:
Sara has completed her education in marketing and started her career as a digital marketer. She is a content writer by profession. She writes about UPS solutions for computers and backup power solutions.
