What are the different types of UPS? | Comms InfoZone

What is a UPS device?

During power surges and failures, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) devices keep computer systems and IT equipment safe and operational. A UPS provides battery backup power when the flow of electricity drops to an inadequate voltage, or if it stops. An uninterrupted power source is vital for the mission-critical environment. Depending on the size and technology of the UPS unit, backup power is provided for a specific period of time, until generators can be activated or network components can be properly shut down. When electricity flows adequately, computers and accessories are protected from damage. A UPS unit can help to shield a single device or an entire data centre effectively. See our review of best UPS devices.

What are the different types of UPS?

There are three main types of UPS systems available to accommodate a complete range of applications, meeting enterprise and consumer needs. A Standby UPS is an offline unit that can detect an electrical failure and switch to battery power automatically. The two other UPS categories are Line Interactive and Online Devices, with online being the more expensive option. Each type of UPS keeps network devices operational when power is unavailable. Features, such as energy metering, vary by model.

What is a Standby UPS?

The basic Standby UPS is an uninterruptible power source that delivers short-term, battery-sourced power during outages. With this category of UPS, hardware receives utility power, under normal conditions, through a direct AC connection. The standby unit and its inverter are essentially on hold until backup power is needed. Depending upon the model, a standby UPS device can also safeguard data and sensitive equipment from surges, spikes, and dips. Compact devices are available for home network protection. A Standby UPS is commonly used to protect computers, modems, VoIP equipment, and other hardware. This category of UPS is the least expensive of the three UPS types.

Battery backup power is initiated with the Standby UPS, which is also referred to as a Backup UPS. Following a blackout, a Backup UPS delivers power for short periods of time. When it detects losses, the transfer switch initiates backup processes. Switchover times occur in milliseconds after failure, with response times varying by a standby UPS unit. The switch time is not instantaneous but should not normally interrupt the flow of power to equipment. If a lengthy outage is expected, the battery backup power of the UPS will allow for safe shutdowns, so equipment and data are protected.

Offline UPS Provides Basic Power for Home and Office

A standby UPS may also be referred to as an Offline UPS, a term that differentiates it from the fully uninterruptible, Online UPS. Though fundamental in design, an offline uninterrupted power source delivers backup runtimes for less demanding home and professional environments. Comms Express representatives have detailed information regarding Offline, Line Interactive and Online UPS models for network, server and desktop UPS applications.

What is Online UPS?

An Online UPS is a type of uninterruptible power supply that utilises either a double or delta conversion technology. With double conversion, network equipment does not receive electricity directly from the AC outlet. Instead, AC power travels to a rectifier, where it becomes DC power. Next, it travels to the battery, and then an inverter. After inversion back to AC, the power is delivered to equipment. With this online UPS device process, computing equipment receives continually clean power. With delta conversion, a certain amount of power is sent to run computers, routers, and other equipment directly. This creates an energy-efficient online UPS system where some of the power skips the processing steps.

If an electrical failure occurs, an Online UPS system maintains consistent current flow for the protection of network equipment. Upon fluctuation or failure, the rectifier within the UPS is automatically bypassed, and power is sourced from the battery until restoration occurs. The online UPS circuity is seamless. This is why Online UPS systems cost more than units in the offline or line-interactive UPS categories.

Double Conversion UPS Technology

Sensitive equipment can be protected with double-conversion UPS technology. Online UPS units are available for a wide range of users. With double-conversion UPS processes, network servers, data centres, and a full scope of environments can be protected, and there is no transfer time in the transition to battery power. Intelligent online UPS systems are available to support demanding loads and run times. More affordable double-conversion UPS units are available to smaller offices. Normally, the larger the unit, the longer equipment can be kept running.

What is Line-interactive UPS?

A Line-interactive UPS is one type of uninterruptible power source that can regulate voltage automatically. The line-interactive technology responds to high and low voltage conditions. Units also support systems during outages without battery drainage. With a line-interactive UPS, the electrical source is the first line of power; however, an inverter/converter technology allows for the unit’s battery to be charged throughout normal operations. During an outage, this UPS converts battery power to AC flow for device delivery.

Line-interactive UPS Systems for IT Applications

Within the category of power protection products, line-interactive UPS systems will safeguard sensitive equipment during brownouts and blackouts. Units in the line-interactive UPS classification are more expensive than standby models but more affordable than an on-line UPS unit. A line-interactive UPS will maintain performance during low voltage situations and short-term power failures. If a lengthy outage is anticipated, its battery power allows devices to be shut down safely. Some live interactive units also offer filtering features.

What is the difference between Online vs. Line-Interactive UPS?

Before buying a power protection unit, you may want to compare on-line versus line-interactive UPS technology. A line-interactive UPS adds an autotransformer to the basic standby design. It has the capability to increase or decrease voltage output. This transformer responds to changes in the AC power and can automatically regulate issues. In comparison, online UPS models use an inverter to transmit all or some of the power, at all times. This means an online UPS can live up to the term “uninterruptible” with a zero transfer time. It takes an interactive UPS a matter of milliseconds to switch into battery backup mode when a failure occurs.

Power Management Solutions with Battery Backup

Reliable power management systems help to ensure that electrical power to valuable equipment is never interrupted. When buying a UPS unit, the volt-ampere (VA) rating of the device should be compatible with the total load that must be protected. This load will include all equipment and network accessories. An advanced online UPS system uses double conversion technology for power management. It delivers consistently clean power, even during the brownout or blackout, for server-grade and data centre systems. Contact Comms Express for questions about VA and wattage ratings on UPS devices.

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Tripp Lite UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply

Eaton UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply

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Vertiv UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply

Online UPS and Offline UPS are the two crucial types of UPS. Both supply power to the device in case of power outage. But the similarities end here. The main difference between Online UPS and Offline UPS is that the Online UPS provides the power with the help of rectifier and inverter combination. It simultaneously provides power to load as well as the battery so that battery can be charged to supply power in case of power failure.

On the contrary, an Offline UPS supplies AC power directly to the load by switching ON the transfer switch. And in case of power failure, the offline UPS supplies the power from the battery backup. Another crucial difference between Online UPS and Offline UPS is the requirement of the large heat sink.

The Online UPS consists of the rectifier which provides power directly to the inverter as well as to battery. Thus, the heat dissipation will be large. Therefore, Online UPS require large heat sink in comparison to an Offline UPS.

There exist some other significant differences between Online UPS and Offline UPS; we will discuss it with the help of comparison chart.

Content: Online UPS and Offline UPS

Comparison Chart

ParametersOnline UPS Offline UPS Definition An online UPS is one which supplies the AC power through rectifier and inverter combination circuit in case of power availability as well as in power outage.An offline UPS is one which supplies the AC mains power directly to the load in case of power availability and whenever there is power outage it supplies power to load through backup battery. Heat dissipation and Operating temperatureHeat dissipation is more in comparison to offline ups because online ups is ON continuously.Heat dissipation is low because offline ups is switched ON only in case of power outage. Transfer TimeTime required to switch the path during power outage is termed as transfer time. As the transfer switch in case of online ups is always ON thus, transfer time is zero.Transfer time is about 5 ms. External distortionsOnline UPS is immune to external distortions such as surges, spikes and power failure.Offline UPS is not immune to external distortion. ComponentsIt require more components and thus it is complex to design.It require less components and thus simpler in design. Heat Sink Large heat sink is required in case of online ups. Small heat sink is required in case of offline ups. CostCostly in comparison to offline ups.Less costly than online ups. On-time of InverterThe inverter is ON in power outage as well as during power availability.The inverter is ON only when the power failure occurs. Reliability & efficiencyThe online ups is less reliable because it is in ON state always.The offline UPS is more reliable because it is in ON state only during power outage and thus its efficiency is high. ApplicationsIn medical equipment, in telecommunication equipement etc.In computers, PCs etc.

Definition

The Online UPS consist of a rectifier, battery and inverter in-line with AC mains and load. The AC power supplied to the Online UPS is fed first to the rectifier circuit, then it will convert it into DC power. Then, this DC power is used to charge the battery, and this DC power is supplied to the inverter circuit, and then it is supplied to load.

There is transfer switch, but that will always be in ON position. Thus, at every instant of time, the power delivered to the load will be from the combination of rectifier and inverter circuit. The main advantage of using Online UPS is that no switching is required between the main power line path and battery backup path in case of power outage.

Advantages of Online UPS

1. The Online UPS do not require switching between the two paths in case of power failure. Thus, the power delivered to the load will not be interrupted.
2. The significant advantage of using Online UPS is that the isolation between the load circuit and input circuit is proper, which is useful to get distortion less signals.
3. In Online UPS the inverter is always in ON condition. Thus the power delivered to the load will be available at every instant of time, as there is zero transfer time.

Disadvantages of Online UPS

1. The designing of Online UPS is quite complex, as it requires a large heat sink.
2. The power dissipation in case of Online UPS is more because it is supplying power instantaneously to battery backup as well as the inverter circuit.
3. The cost of designing of online ups is much more than that of Offline Ups.

The Offline UPS directly supply the AC power to the device connected to the load. In case of power failure, the offline UPS changes the position of the transfer switch. And it connects the load to the battery backup path.

The battery of the offline Ups gets charged during the availability of AC power. In that condition, the AC power is directly supplied to the load circuit, and at the same time the battery of the offline ups gets charged with the help of rectifier circuit

In case of power outage, the charged battery is used to supply DC power to the inverter which in turn converts the DC power into AC and supply it to the load terminal.

Advantages of Offline UPS

1. The cost of designing of Offline UPS is very low in comparison to the online UPS.
2. The internal control of offline ups is simple as two paths are there and both works at the different time according to the position of the transfer switch.
3. The efficiency of the offline UPS is high because of the battery backup and inverter in not ON all the time as in case of Online UPS.

Disadvantages of Offline UPS

1. The quality of the electric signal obtained from Offline UPS is very poor because the inverter is not always ON.
2. The transfer time in case of the power outage is about 5ms, during this time there will be no output power. There will be a slight disruption in the output power due to transfer time.
3. The offline Ups directly supply the AC power when it is available, then the spikes and surges if present in the input voltage will also be passed to the output circuit.

Key Differences between Online UPS and Offline UPS

1. The key difference between Online UPS and Offline UPS lies in their working. An Online UPS supplies the AC power through a rectifier and inverter circuit even when the AC mains power is available. On the contrary, the offline ups directly supply the AC mains power to the load circuit when the power supply is available.
2. The transfer time is the key term which differentiates Online UPS and offline UPS. The transfer time in case of Online UPS is zero as there is no switching between the inverter rectifier path and mains supply path. While Offline Ups possess transfer time of about 5ms.
3. The other significant difference between Online UPS and Offline UPS is that the inverter in online ups is ON all the time while the inverter in offline UPS is on only when the power supply is unavailable.
4. The cost of the online UPS is more than the offline UPS.
5. The efficiency of the offline UPS is more than the efficiency of online UPS because the inverter and the rectifier circuit is not ON all the time in offline UPS.

Conclusion

The UPS is a device which supplies power to the load circuit without any interruption, not even in case of power failure. The online Ups is the one which supplies the AC mains power to the load circuit via rectifier and inverter circuit and simultaneously supplying power to the battery backup. While the Offline UPS directly supplies the AC power to the load circuit and connect to inverter, rectifier and battery backup only in case of power outage.

Both are crucial device to obtain uninterrupted power. It only depends on our application that which UPS is to be used. If the transfer time of few milliseconds can be tolerated and you are seeking for less costly ups, then offline ups will be the best choice.

But if you are dealing with the application such as medical equipment, industries, telecommunication where even a few millisecond transfer time is not desirable then Online UPS should be used but keep in mind its high cost.