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A new solution for data centre power supply: Introducing the PowerWAVE 9500DPA

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Our modern society is now largely built on a foundation of data. Health authorities, banks, government departments, retail outlets and almost every other organization that touch our lives rely on the safe storage of enormous amounts of data.

UPSL’s latest uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, the PowerWAVE 9500DPA, ensures this data is safe and accessible. A reliable UPS will guarantee a flow of continuous, clean power to the data centre, no matter what happens to the power supply. No critical data centre operates without an effective UPS. 

So reliant have we become on data that zero downtime is now often an essential aspect of data centre operation. To attain zero downtime, a continuous supply of clean power must be guaranteed and a key component in ensuring this is the uninterruptible power supply (UPS). UPSL, a Kohler company, a world leader in UPS technology and has a range of high-efficiency UPS products that cover all types of

applications, particularly data centres. Because UPS reliability and zero downtime are so crucial, these features have been made cornerstones of UPSL’s UPS design philosophy. Furthermore, because data centres now consume more energy than some major industries, the significant reduction in energy bills delivered by the high efficiency of UPS systems is greeted with open arms by data centre operators.

 

Figure 1:  Horizontal scalability: cabinets in parallel configuration up to 3 MW

Figure 2: Scalable up to 3 MW


UPSL’s newest UPS offering, the PowerWAVE 9500DPA, continues this tradition. With its modular, standardized approach, low power consumption and high reliability, the PowerWAVE 9500DPA provides an ideal UPS solution for all types of data centres – and any other application – from 100 kW up to 3 MW.

The decentralized parallel architecture (DPA™) upon which the PowerWAVE 9500DPA is based means that each 100 kW UPS module contains all the hardware and software required for full system operation. The modules share no common components – each UPS module has its own independent static bypass, rectifier, inverter, logic control, control panel, battery charger and batteries. With all the critical components duplicated and distributed between individual units, potential single points of failure are eliminated. In the unlikely event of one UPS module failing, the overall system will continue to operate normally, but with one less module of capacity. The failed module will be fully disconnected and will not impact the operating modules.

This modular approach means you can size the UPS to exactly fit your needs and simply add modules as your requirements grow. Adding capacity is easy: five 100 kW modules can be mounted in one frame and six frames can be configured in parallel to provide a top rating of 3 MW. You only power and cool what you need. The PowerWAVE 9500DPA is the only modular UPS on the market that can easily add increments in this way. The resulting savings in power usage over the service life of the UPS are substantial. A further advantage is that the modular approach makes it easy to add redundancy and to further increase availability and reliability.

The PowerWAVE 9500DPA modules can be swapped while online, i.e., removed or inserted, without risk to the critical load and without the need to power down or transfer to raw main supply. This unique feature directly addresses continuous uptime requirements, significantly reduces mean time to repair (MTTR), increases reliability, reduces inventory levels of specialized spare parts and simplifies system upgrades. This approach also pays dividends when it comes to serviceability and availability – swapping of online modules means you don’t have to switch off during replacement, so there is no downtime. This all leads to better risk management and an affordable, yet efficient, after-sales service, hence an overall lower total cost of ownership.

Installation is as easy as servicing: The straightforward concept of the PowerWAVE 9500DPA simplifies every step of the deployment process – from planning, through installation and commissioning to full use.

This hot-swap technology, along with significant reductions in repair time, can help achieve so-called six nines (99.9999 percent) availability – highly desirable for data centres in pursuit of zero downtime.

The PowerWAVE 9500DPA has a very low cost of ownership, partly because of the modularity and scalability described, but also because of its best-in-class energy efficiency. UPSL’s PowerWAVE 9500DPA operates with an efficiency of up to 96 per cent or greater than 99 per cent in Eco Mode. Its efficiency curve is very flat so there are significant savings in every working regime. This gives this particular product the lowest total cost of ownership of any comparable UPS system.

Further, cooling costs in data centres are substantial. Because it consumes less power, the high-efficiency PowerWAVE 9500DPA requires less cooling effort, creating further savings. It also has a compact footprint – ideal for data centres, where real estate can be limited and expensive.

Standardization and modularization have revolutionized the design of power back-up systems for data centres. Gone are the days of traditional, monolithic UPS: Power systems for various applications, large and small, can now be built by using the same pre-designed, pre-manufactured and pretested sub-systems as building blocks. Standardizing UPS systems to serve load segments of different sizes is now a reality. The benefits are clear: faster implementation, flexibility, scalability and controlled capital spending. Standardization also enables the use of ready-made interfaces and management modules and simplifies integration with other data centre systems, such as UPSL’s Decathlon data centre monitoring software.

Data centres of different sizes or in different phases can now apply one standard product. The PowerWAVE 9500DPA opens this new door because it not only provides load protection for data centres up to 1 MW, but it allows easy expansion to a much higher rating (up to 3 MW). And all by adding standardized additional modules. Standardization and modularity will drive new UPS designs and we will see further refinement of the decentralized parallel architecture, higher maximum power ratings and even more energy-efficient solutions.

 

Uninterruptible  Power Supplies ltd

Tel: 0800 171 2320

email:[email protected]

www.upspower.co.uk

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