Electronics Protection - Spring 2016 - (Page 8)

Feature Five Misconceptions About DRUPS Systems William Cisler, Vice President, USA Engineering HITEC Power Protection, Inc. The static UPS market dominates the US power industry; primarily because the largest static UPS manufacturer is based in the good old USA and owns the market. Deploying static UPS's has become commonplace and known as the safe and reliable choice. This comfort zone is reminiscent of the 1980s when companies gravitated towards IBM as the only safe and reliable choice for networking devices (i.e. nobody ever got fired for buying IBM). However, as Darwin has proved, "the evolutionary process gives rise to diversity at every level." It's time to embrace the rise of Diesel Rotary Uninterruptible Power Supplies (DRUPS). Most facilities personnel and large contractors' only UPS experience is with static systems, because they fear the unknown. For them, embracing evolution is stymied by risk aversion simply because they have not experienced the benefits of a DRUPS before. Lets face it; even the most beneficial technologies are met with fear and apprehension, even when they provide tremendous technical and financial benefits. Time and time again, precedent has been set for disruptive technology to blend into mainstream thinking. Consider Thomas Edison's "war of the currents" as AC and DC supporters battled for the most superior technology, or the electric car's ascension from a slow and awkward vehicle to a sleek and sexy phenomena (e.g. Tesla). In the networking industry, VMware has followed the disruptor pattern and is now widely embraced as a foundation for much of the cloud's processing and agility. Change is inevitable and can be considered the result of when fear gives way to fact. I would argue that today we are seeing the inflection point where the static UPS solution gives way to better DRUPS choices. Case in Point Mission-critical facilities need access to clean and efficient power all day, every single day. This allows us to travel safely, surf the Internet, process data for our mobile devices and generally enjoy a higher standard of living. DRUPS offerings are the new standard and represent the most efficient and continuous power solution available. A DRUPS power system lowers energy consumption and improves operational costs from 20 to 30 percent. In addition, environmental impact is minimized through a powerful combination of kinetic energy storage and the latest emission-regulated engines. Together, these tandem energy storage systems are able to lower the carbon footprint of the facility by. These new features can be considered the evolutionary footprint from which more dynamic diesel-powered rotary solutions will come. As with any evolution, change will take time because there are many static UPS vendors in today's market clinging to batteries for energy storage. However, these vendors focus on their own hardware delivery and power electronics, not the climate control, diesel generator sets and other ancillary equipment needed to provide mission-critical facilities with clean, uninterruptible power. Facility designers and operators should therefore always be aware of DRUPS misconceptions and compare the overall efficiency of the total UPS system they are considering, including all necessary equipment to effectively support the IT load. In fact, one of the most obvious DRUPS qualities that quickly nullifies any misconceptions about the solution is the fact that it does not utilize standby batteries for energy storage. DRUPS systems use kinetic energy and flywheels to store energy. These systems does not require the use of components that incorporate significant quantities of environmentally damaging chemicals such as Lead Acid, Nickel or Cadmium. You can't just put static UPS batteries in a landfill. Please see HITEC Continued on Page 10 8 Spring 2016 * www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com http://www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronics Protection - Spring 2016

Editor's Choice
Security Considerations for Data Center Intelligent Rack Power Distribution
Five Misconceptions about DRUPS Systems
Designing and Managing Custom Battery Pack Enclosures
Reducing TCO with the Right UPS Architecture and Operating Mode
Enclosures
Thermal
Power
Hardware
Industry News
Calendar of Events

Electronics Protection - Spring 2016