Whitepaper

Rethinking the traditional UPS

Despite the name, Uninterrupible Power Supplies (UPSs) are interruptible and they do fail.
In fact, most UPS designs have multiple points of failure.

This paper discusses those points of failure and an alternative design philosophy.

October 2016, written by Brian Garner Sales Manager South USA CE+T Power
Rethinking the Traditional UPS
This white paper provides an assessment of powering the Mission Critical environment. Due to the various
shortcomings of “Grid” power, alternatives for providing AC power must be considered. While we examine
several ways to increase availability of the network, we concentrate on the current method of deploying an
Uninterruptible Power Supply. We must also consider how to mitigate this risk. The downside with the UPS is
the multiple points of failure. We will evaluate the negative aspects and suggest improvements.

The CE+T Power solution solves the inherent problems and shortcomings of providing AC power in the
Mission Critical Environment. We do this by combining the best attributes of our world class modular inverter
and those of partner rectifier systems to create a system capable of providing AC power backup, without the
multiple points of failure.

Outages: how do they occur?

According to the Allianz Group1, “Power cuts are becoming more and more frequent. Large-scale, supraregional
blackouts are increasingly a realistic scenario. Even small outages can have disastrous effects on unprepared
businesses.” Additionally, “Many companies are unprepared for business disruptions caused by power
blackouts, and are often unaware of the true costs and impact that they can have on their operations.”

The causes of unplanned outages are varied. The Uptime Institute published a web article which states that
only 12% of outages were weather related. The remaining 88% of outages are human or mechanical related.
Broken down further, the root causes are UPS System failures (battery) at 29%, human error/accidental at
24%, environmental control equipment failures at 15%, generator failure at 10% and IT equipment failure &
other as the remaining reasons for failure.2

The focus in a mission critical environment should be to determine the best method of providing AC power
and ensuring it is always available. The loss of power can have far reaching effects. It is not only data centers
and hospitals that rely on critical power, there are many other types of businesses that benefit, they include,
but are not limited to:

Manufacturers Water Treatment Facilities

Banks Universities
Utilities
Telecommunications Companies
Railroads
Cable TV Companies
Oil & Gas
Municipalities

Currently, the availability of the Power Grid in the US is in the range of 99.9% or three 9’s. This calculates to

1 Hodge, N. (2012, April 10). Power trip. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.agcs.allianz.com/ The article
quotes, Michael Burch, Head of R&D Risk Consulting and Larry Hunter, Risk Engineer, both with Allianz.
2 Weckworth, J. (2015). Data Center Outages, Incidents, and Industry Transparency. Retrieved July 10, 2016,
from https://journal.uptimeinstitute.com/data-center-outages-incidents-industry-transparency/
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an acceptable down time of nearly nine hours per year. While this amount of time may seem acceptable or
reasonable, the person or team responsible may disagree and argue that 9 hours would seem like an eternity.

Availability can be improved by enhancing the existing critical infrastructure.

Enhancement 1: adding power feeding equipment

A common example of additional equipment is the generator (or genset). Unfortunately, the generator is a
weak link in the overall power infrastructure. Consider the following problems:

1. The generator is usually in “Standby Mode”, and therefore, must be started.

2. It relies on gas or diesel fuel. The fuel quality must be monitored. Old fuel or fuel with
excessive contaminants reduces or eliminates its ability to “start” the engine.

3. The generator requires considerable and expensive maintenance. If this maintenance is

not performed or is not performed on a regular schedule, the generator may not start when
required.

4. Lastly, even if the generator is maintained and is started regularly, if not started and
stressed with a load, it may not support the load when required.

These concerns may be compounded in large facilities by the fact that there may be more than one generator.

Enhancement 2: adding batteries

When the generator and batteries are considered together, the target of increased availability from 99.99%
to 99.999% is realized. However, the batteries can be another weak link. There are a number of factors
that affect the operational capability of batteries. One of the prime factors is the lack of maintenance. Very
few organizations employ rigorous monitoring and testing of batteries. Additionally, battery life is affected
by temperature and humidity. For every additional 15 degrees above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, battery life is
reduced by 50%. Therefore, batteries can fail when least expected.

Enhancement 3: deploying a UPS

The UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply, will handle the AC load and the available battery plant (rectifier and
batteries) will handle the DC load. (See the figure #1 below).

This presents several issues. The UPS has a set of batteries contained within its infrastructure. Therefore,
you have a set of batteries in the UPS (not visible here) and a second set of batteries for being used for
backup for the DC load. It is also likely these are different types of batteries, exhibiting different operational
characteristics and life expectancies.

Another problem in the above figure is if either set of batteries fail, you lose either the AC or the DC load.
Unfortunately, we need both loads available at the same time.

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An additional disadvantage of the standard UPS is the amount of time it will run after a power failure. The
amount of time it will continue to operate is generally measured in minutes. This is a specific function of the
industrial batteries integrated to support the UPS. If the outage is longer in duration than the battery is able
to support, the entire network is down.

The questions start to add up. What is the best way to prevent outages? What is the best way to engineer a
solution to ensure reliable, robust and resilient power to the mission critical network?

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An innovative solution: 48V DC modular No-break
technology from CE+T Power
Users can now deploy CE+T Power’s 48V DC No-Break technology. This technology uses a modular approach
to construct a system that is resilient and can grow as needed. While there are some functional similarities
with a UPS system, the CE+T Power solution also has some differences which make the 48V No-Break
superior in operation.

The CE+T Power solution uses a proprietary TSI or Twin Sine Innovation which allows it to operate in a
manner similar to a double conversion UPS.

Figure 1 - AC load and DC load

Figure 2 - 48V No Break UPS

The red box represents the modular building block of the CE+T Power Inverter. It is taking AC input power
from the grid (the black line) to power the AC load. In this configuration, it is operating in AC Primary mode.
It is also connected to the DC output from the rectifier. The rectifier, provided by one of several CE+T Power
partners is also charging the batteries. In the event of a grid failure, the CE+T Power No Break solution takes
the DC input from the backup batteries and supports the AC load.
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The technology that supports the CE+T Power solution is shown in the block diagram below. There are two
inputs shown on the left side of the diagram and one output shown on the right side of the diagram. The two
inputs take input source voltage and convert each to a high DC voltage. That high DC voltage is “stored” in
the DC buffer shown in the middle. The output starts on the right side of the DC buffer as a high DC voltage
and is converted or switched to an AC voltage to support the AC load, shown on the right side of the diagram.
All communication across individual modules is overseen be the redundant DSPs or Digital Signal Processors.

BOOST

AC AC
AC / DC DC / AC

DC
Buffer

DC
DC / DC DSP

Figure 3: functional diagram of TSI

The following is a discussion of the different attributes when considering a conventional UPS (Uninterruptible
Power Supply) versus a technologically superior solution, such as CE+T Power’s 48V No-Break UPS solution.
This discussion and the comparison matrix (Annex 1) shows the different attributes.

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Availability

The first attribute discussed in the matrix below is Availability. Availability is an attribute which states that
something is ready for use or displays the suitability of being ready for use. For our purposes, it is a ratio
expressing the amount of time a system is expected to operate versus the amount of time it actually operates
without temporary or permanent failure.

Availability is a combination of reliability and maintainability. Availability is reliant upon reliability, such that, the
more reliable the individual components in a system are, the more likely a system will be available at any
random point of time in the future. It is also reliant upon maintainability, such that, the better quality the
individual components in system are, or the better the maintenance staff is trained, the more likely a system
will be available at any random point of time in the future. The mathematical representation of availability of
the power grid is shown below.

µpG
A pG=
λpG + μpG"

ApG: Availability of Power Grid

λpG: Failure Rate of Power Grid
μpG: Repair Rate of Power Grid

Availability is measured by common ratios called 9’s, as in 99.9% (three 9’s), 99.99% (four 9’s), etc. A
consideration of the differences on an annual basis are quite revealing. The difference between three 9’s
and five 9’s equates to 520.34 minutes per year, versus 5.256 minutes per year. That is significant when your
system is down and the clock is running. Consider a company whose revenues depend on the availability
of power. A temporary outage of can result in the loss of thousands of dollars for that company. Imagine the
impact of that loss to the bottom line. The difference in availability is shown in the matrix below:

Calculation of Availability

60 minutes/hour x 24 hours/day x 365 days/year = 525,600 minutes per year

Availability in 9’s Minutes Hours

Three 9’s 99.900% 525.6000 8.7600
Four 9’s 99.990% 52.5600 0.8760
Five 9’s 99.999% 5.2560 0.0876

CE+T Power insures availability through the design of the product itself.

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When considering the deployment of a regular inverter, there is a point of failure, as shown below in Figure 4:

Figure 4 - Regular Inverter w/Point of Failure

However, the CE+T Power product design allows for the elimination of an external Static Transfer Switch.
Comparing the CE+T Power solution to a standard inverter or an uninterruptible power supply, there are no
single points of failure. The Twin Sine Innovation inherently performs the same functionality, and therefore,
eliminates the need for the STS. Additionally, the CE+T Power inverter and rectifier are capable of redundancy.
The result is there are NO single points of failure.

Figure 5 - CE+T Power inverter: No Single Point of Failure

Availability and excellent power quality are fundamental in mission critical operations. However, power quality
is always vulnerable to a wide array of disturbances. The CE+T solution is also capable of conditioning the
following types of AC faults,

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 Power Failure Under voltage

Noise Over voltage

Power Sags Switching Transients

Power Surge Harmonic Distortions

Frequency Variation

The quality faults are caused by a variety of reasons. However due to the capabilities of the TSI, these are
overcome and the AC output is a perfect sinusoidal waveform.

The final point here on availability is any solution should have the ability to provide an instantaneous transfer
between source input. Since the CE+T Power’s TSI uses a double conversion methodology in its normal
functioning, that ability is inherent in its operation. Referring back to the explanation of Figure 3, the source
inputs are converted to a high DC voltage where the voltage is stored in a buffer. The load output realizes the
instantaneous transfer time, thus enhancing the availability.

Reliability

While reliability and availability may seem similar, they are indeed different. While availability is being
ready for use, reliability is the characteristic of an item expressed as a probability that it will perform its
required functions under specified conditions for a specified period of time. Consider using a component
in your network that is highly reliable versus a component that is just good enough or meets the minimum
requirements. As someone responsible for managing a system that is creating revenues in the thousands of
dollars per hour. Which component do want in your network?

With the 48V No Break UPS from CE+T, all components meet or exceed stringent requirements as set forth
by CE+T Engineering. The result is power availability at the system level is strengthened by component level
maintainability and reliability.

Reliability is the hallmark of any product that experiences a long service, generations of product
improvements and sterling reputations.

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Maintainability

Scheduled maintenance is a task that everyone knows should be done, however, very few perform
consistently. They complain that they don’t have the resources, be it time, money or both. In the early 70’s
in the US, there used to be a popular television commercial. The company was Fram, and they were selling
oil filters. Let me set the stage. There is a mechanic under a car. Initially, you just hear his voice and he says
that he is doing a Main Bearing job costing $200.00 (this was 1972). He picks up a Fram oil filter and says
“this is a Fram filter, $4”. He goes on to say if his customer had spent the $4 on a Fram oil filter, he wouldn’t
be putting $200.00 into a Main Bearing job. The tag line was “You can pay me now…or you can pay me
later.” His point? Preventive maintenance may cost you now, but pays off in the end.

The arguments behind consistent maintenance are hard to refute. Whether it is an air conditioning unit or a
standby generator. When maintenance is performed regularly, the results tend to be that:

1. Equipment will perform more consistently,

2. The lifespan of equipment will be extended,

3. Incidental repair expenses will be reduced,

4. Resulting downtime will decrease, and

5. Overall infrastructure and operational expenses will be lower.

When considering a maintenance agreement for a UPS there is a significant cost element that must be
considered. The cost of UPS maintenance agreements average 5% to 10% of the purchase price, year
over year, for a “standard” agreement. Those costs can be equal to 35% of the purchase price or more for
“premium” agreements.

Let’s put these numbers in perspective. Consider a purchase price of $20,000.00 for a UPS. When
considering a standard maintenance agreement, that means paying $1000.00 to $2000.00 per year for
the life of the UPS. After a service life of ten years, the maintenance agreement has cost the same as the
original purchase price. A premium maintenance agreement would be $7000.00 or more, year over year, for
the life of the UPS. In a short three years, you would have paid for the same UPS a second time.

With the 48V No Break UPS from CE+T, those costs are eliminated as there are no scheduled maintenance
costs to consider.

There is another maintenance consideration. There are situations that are not part of scheduled
maintenance program. There are times when systems experience failures, or when equipment needs to be
added to facilitate growth.

The 48V No Break UPS from CE+T is a modular solution. The overall system is made up of a system
chassis and modules. The chassis contains all of the interconnect to the AC and DC infrastructure. The
remainder of the system is completely modular. All systems are composed of one of two different sizes of
the inverter modules. The inverter modules are either the Media module, weighing 5 pounds, which has a
power output of 1.5KVA/1.2KW. The other inverter module is the Bravo module, weighing 7 pounds, which
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has a power output of 2.5KVA/2.0KW.

There are benefits from this modular design. Unlike the monolithic UPS design where a UPS is essentially
constructed as a large single piece, the 48V No Break UPS from CE+T uses individual modules. These
become building blocks. If the power output required is 30KVA, the system would be designed using 12
modules (30KVA÷2.5KVA= 12 modules).

The modularity allows planning staff to design systems that can start at a smaller power output and then
grow based on forecasted growth. The modules are also hot swappable. If there is a module failure, the
solution is a simple as removing the failed module and replacing it with a new module.

Another benefit of the modular design is financial. Planning can design a system that can support the
current power needs. The system can also be designed so that there can be available slots to install
additional modules when the required power increases. The result is the initial system can be “sized” for
future growth. This ideology reduces IFC or Initial First Costs. This allows companies to either save capital
dollars for future use or deploy additional systems using capital dollars. The growth of those systems
would then come from expense funds. This allows companies to make better utilizations of their financial
resources.

Operability

The No-Break solution offers significant overload protections in comparison to a modular UPS or standard
inverter. The No-Break solution will operate at 110% of stated load permanently and will provide up to
150% for up to 15 seconds.

Another benefit is its ability to hand In-rush current situations. The CE+T No-Break will support induction
motors and laser printers, whereas the standard inverter will cut-over to the Static Transfer Switch and relay
on support from the grid.

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Billable Costs

The cost of operating an inverter or UPS in a critical power application depends on a number of factors. The
efficiency of the inverter and associated rectifier plant are central in determining the overall operating costs.

Example #1

In this example, the different parameters used to determine the cost of operating the 48V No-Break UPS vs
a standard inverter are shown. The major difference in the operating costs between the two options indicate
that the efficiencies of the inverter and rectifier make a notable difference. In the example below, there are
several notes. The cooling costs is calculated on 30% of the power costs.

Load Size per Power System 15.00 kW

System cooled or not YES
Total No. of Power Systems 1
Mode of operation EPC
KWh Electricity Cost 1
0.12 USD per kWh
Annual AC Grip Up time % 2 99.9%

Power Consumption & Cost Comparisons

TDI Inv TSI System

Inverter Efficiency 83% 95%
Rectifier Efficiency 95% 95%
Static Switch Efficiency 99% N/A
Annual Power Consumption 173,818 138,336 kW
Annual System Powering Cost 20,858 USD 16,600
Annual System Cooling Cost 3
6,257 USD 4,980
Total Annual Powering Cost 26,259 USD 21,580
1
Average electricity cost
2
Average annual AC Grid uptime of 99.9%, i.e. 8.766 hrs of downtime
3
Cooling Cost @30% of Power Cost

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Example #2

In this example, the “KWh Electricity Cost” has been increased by 60% to $0.20. As the “KWh Electricity
Cost” increases, the overall cost between the 48V No-Break UPS and the traditional inverter continue to
differ by a greater degree.

Load Size per Power System 15.00 kW

System cooled or not YES
Total No. of Power Systems 1
Mode of operation EPC
KWh Electricity Cost 1 0.20 USD per kWh
Annual AC Grip Up time % 2
99.9%

Power Consumption & Cost Comparisons

TDI Inv TSI System

Inverter Efficiency 83% 95%
Rectifier Efficiency 95% 95%
Static Switch Efficiency 99% N/A
Annual Power Consumption 173,818 138,336 kW
Annual System Powering Cost 34,764 USD 27,667
Annual System Cooling Cost 3 10,429 USD 8,300
Total Annual Powering Cost 43,765 USD 35,966

Infra or Infrastructure Costs

The 48V No Break UPS from CE+T can be installed in standard 19” or 23” relay racks, depending on system
size, or in an equipment enclosure. Each are industry standard sizes and allow up to 75KVA to be installed
in a small footprint. This is beneficial in large building where there is a multitude of other types of equipment
installed. It is also important in applications where space is at a premium like a small building or hut.

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The end of downtime
CE+T has been providing innovative products for many years. We continue to innovate and test the
boundaries of design and capability. This was proven with the win of the Google Challenge (www.
littleboxchallengecetpower.com). We also continue to seek out new applications and markets to enter. This
paper is the consideration of one of those markets. The Data Center market. This paper has pointed out
many reasons to consider our No-Break UPS idea.

We have products in many different markets answering the needs of a diverse number of applications.
To date, we have our products on 6 of 7 continents and in more than 100 countries. As we continue our
journey to innovate and push boundaries, we invite you to come with us.

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 Annex 1

Modular Reg
UPS Inverter Inverter

(No) Single point of failure !" #" !"

Leverage DC infrastructure !" #" #"
ü Availability
(Power continuity & quality) (Good) Grid noise rejection #" #" #"
(No) DC <-> AC Transfer
time
!" #" !"

ü Reliability (High) MTBF #" #" #"

Modularity #!" #" #!"

ü Maintainability Hot swapability #" #" #!"

Module (light) weight !" #" #"
(Sustain) Load variations,
OVL
#" #!" #"

ü Operability (Accept) Load inrush current !" #" #"

(Support) Expandability #!" #" #!"
(High) AC-AC Efficiency #" #" !"
ü Billable costs (Low) Harmonics and (high)
#" #" #"
Pf

(Min) Foot print #" #" #"

ü Infra costs (Min) Upstream circuit sizing #" #" !"

(Min) heat produced by VA #" #" !"

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CE+T Power
Rue du charbonnage 12
B-4020 Wandre
Belgium
Tel: +32 4 345 6700
Fax: +32 4 345 6701
http://www.cet-power.com

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