How does a UPS System Work
There are two main types of UPS systems that are used in today’s technologically advanced world. They are Standby Ups systems and Continuous UPS systems.
Standby UPS systems
A standby UPS system runs the computers and other electrical equipment off the usual utility power until an issue occurs. When this happens, it is fast (in the region of five milliseconds and sometimes even s=less). The UPS system turns on a power inverter and runs the electrical device off the UPS battery.
The power inverter will convert the DC power from the battery into AC power. The battery charger continuously produces DC power, which the inverter continuously turns back into AC power – quite simply put, if the power fails, the battery provides power to the inverter.
Your UPS system usually protects an electrical device, such as a computer, against four different power challenges
- Voltage hikes – this happens when the voltage on the line is greater than it should be
- Voltage sags - when the voltage on the line is less than it ought to be
- Complete power failure - when a line goes down or a fuse blows somewhere on the grid or in the building
- Frequency instability – when the power wavers
Continuous UPS systems
- With a Continuous UPS system, the computer is continuously running off the battery power, plus the battery is unceasingly being recharged
- The battery power will provide power uninterruptedly to a converter with a Continuous UPS system
- There is no switch-over time in a continuous UPS
- This set–up is brilliant as it provides a very stable source of power
Standby UPS systems are far more common for domestic use and small to medium enterprises because they are easy on the pocket – more so than Continuous UPS systems, although Continuous systems deliver clean, stable power, so they tend to be used in server rooms and other critical applications – this is particularly important with the grid being as unstable as it has been for the past couple of years.
