Thursday, March 16, 2017

ABB modular UPS now available for small to mid-sized data centers in North America

ABB CUSTOMER WORLD, HOUSTON, TEXAS, MARCH 14, 2017 - ABB has expanded its modular UPS technology for use in small to mid-sized data centers, server rooms and other IT infrastructure applications by introducing the Conceptpower DPA 120 UL UPS system. With over 15 years of experience in designing and manufacturing UPS systems, ABB continues to bring this expertise, now to the North American market.
The Conceptpower DPA 120 is the only true online, double conversion modular UPS on the market that is easily scaled to provide up to 600 kW of clean, reliable power. The fundamental component of the UPS is 20 kW slide-in module. Up to six module sets can be installed in a single cabinet, and five cabinets can be configured in parallel. UPS modules can be added to the system as power requirements grow, thus avoiding the need to over specify the initial design configuration.

The Conceptpower DPA’s “online-swap modularity” (OSM) capability, in which modules can be inserted and removed with the UPS running, simplify routine maintenance and eliminate service-related downtime. Not only does this feature improve availability, but it also reduces cost, since service engineers spend less time on-site and any risk of data or production loss are minimized. Modularity ensures reduced inventory levels of specialized spare parts. Additionally, this online-swap technology helps achieve “six nines” availability (99.9999 percent), highly desirable for data centers in pursuit of zero downtime.

Reliability and availability are ensured by the Conceptpower DPA’s proven Decentralized Parallel Architecture (DPA). Each module contains all the hardware and software required for full system operation. The modules share no common components; each of them has its own independent rectifier, battery charger, inverter, static bypass, logic control and control panel. With all the critical components duplicated and distributed among individual units, potential single points of failure are eliminated.

“Going forward we will continue to add value to our customers with a complete portfolio of power quality products that are the safest on the market, highly configurable for customer applications, proven to be reliable, efficient, and scalable. Our complimentary lineup of UPS, power conditioning and power distribution products position our product group to meet almost any power protection requirement across the globe,” said Hans Pfitzer, Local Business Unit Manager in ABB’s Power Protection Product Group.

Conceptpower DPA UPS systems boasts the lowest total cost of ownership compared to other UPS systems by offering high energy efficiency, scalability and an optimized modular design to enable easy front access serviceability. A class-leading energy efficiency significantly reduces system running costs and cooling expenses. More importantly, the efficiency is optimized and significant savings are achievable under every working condition. The straightforward nature of the Conceptpower DPA simplifies every step of the deployment process, from planning through installation and commissioning to full use. Flexible setup and fast maintenance mean lower operating and maintenance costs.

The Conceptpower DPA 120 is part of ABB’s broad range of products and integrated solutions that ensure data centers operate with optimum reliability and efficiency. From power distribution systems to enterprise management and grid connections, ABB provides savings in installation, energy, space and maintenance.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

ABB expands its modular UPS product offering for data centers in North America

RICHMOND, VA, United States — March 1, 2017 — ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has expanded the Conceptpower DPA 500 480V UL offering to include an optimized modular 300kW UPS solution for mid-sized and large data centers, server rooms and other IT infrastructure applications.
Building on the true online, double conversion UPS design of the Conceptpower DPA 500, this compact 300kW system allows for three 100kW module sets within each UPS cabinet, up to four cabinets can be configured in parallel for up to 1.2MW of clean reliable power, adding more flexibility to the specific needs of the installation. Easy to deploy UPS module sets can be added to the system as power requirements grow, thus avoiding the need to over specify the initial design configuration. “Market trends validate the modular approach to data center design and construction, enabling the right-sizing of infrastructure and reducing the initial capital investment towards meeting future needs,” said Laura Ortiz, UPS Product Manager in ABB’s Power Protection product group. “Conceptpower DPA UPS systems enable data centers to add capacity only when needed, allowing companies to operate in smaller footprints, hence saving on both capital and operational expenses.” The Conceptpower DPA 500 boasts the lowest total cost of ownership compared to other UPS systems by offering high energy efficiency, scalability and an optimized modular design to enable easy front access only serviceability. A class-leading energy efficiency, with up to 96.5 percent, significantly reduces system running costs and cooling expenses. More importantly, the efficiency is optimized and significant savings are achievable under every working condition. The straightforward nature of the Conceptpower DPA simplifies every step of the deployment process, from planning through installation and commissioning to full use. Flexible setup, with top or bottom cable entry frames and fast maintenance mean lower operating and maintenance costs. The Conceptpower DPA 500 is part of ABB’s broad range of products and integrated solutions that ensure data centers operate with optimum reliability and efficiency. From power distribution systems to enterprise management and grid connections, ABB provides savings in installation, energy, space and maintenance. About ABB ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 132,000 employees. www.abb.com

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

ABB uninterruptible power supplies: Light industrial UPS versus commercial UPS


ABB offers UPSs with different architectures, different features and a wide range of power capabilities. However, up until now, these UPSs have had one thing in common: They were designed for relatively friendly environments where the heating, cooling, ventilation and humidity are permanently controlled, and where there is no risk of biological attacks and very low levels of chemical contamination. Examples of such settings are control rooms or data centers in banks, hospitals, educational establishments, telecommunications hubs, server rooms, etc.

Of course, a large number of industrial settings are not so obliging when it comes to providing a friendly environment. Dust, moisture, vibration, excessive heat, corrosive air contamination, lack of space and manhandling are just some of the challenges that a UPS would have to face in industrial process plants, factories, electrical substations, oil and gas installations, and the like.

For this reason, ABB introduced, in 2016, a new modular UPS for use in these light industrial applications: The ABB PowerLine DPA UPS.

PowerLine DPA’s IP31-rated protection can easily cope with dust, water condensation, humidity (up to 95 percent), excessive heat, corrosive or biological air contamination and rough manhandling. The PowerLine DPA can provide power in the range of 20 kVA to 120 kVA and is designed to operate in a temperature range of -5 to +45 C without power derating.

When environmental conditions are not clean, risk can increase, so top priority has been given to the safety aspects and the UPS features a high degree of protection for users and maintenance staff. The ABB PowerLine DPA UPS has a robust mechanical design suitable for rough environments (water protection up to IP42, anti-corrosion treatment, anti-condensation heater, dust filter, etc) as well as an electrical design that protects against short circuit and overload; provides galvanic isolation up and downstream; employs halogen-free cables so no toxic gases are emitted in case of fire; and has a cold start capability in case of power blackout.

Lack of space is a problem frequently encountered in industrial environments, so the PowerLine DPA UPS has not only a small footprint but, unlike other ABB UPSs, also cable entry at the front (top and bottom), which eliminates the necessity for rear access and the associated extra space this entails. Ventilation flows from the front to the top, which means the UPS can be placed right up against a wall and lifting eyes support easy transportation and installation.

To ensure compatibility with the networking and distributed intelligence that is becoming prevalent in light industrial installations, the PowerLine UPS - like other ABB UPSs - can be supplied with relay boards and a network management card to allow environmental monitoring, extensive alarm handling and dispatching, redundant UPS monitoring, integration into multivendor and multiplatform environments and the supply of UPS data to Web applications.

The PowerLine UPS is similar to some other ABB UPSs in another way too: it is built on ABB’s unique and proven decentralized parallel architecture (DPA). The modular nature of DPA delivers not only the best availability but also the best serviceability and flexibility: Modules can be replaced without switching to bypass the whole system or powering off, so routine maintenance is simple.

ABB commercial UPS
ABB “Light” industrial UPS
Applications: Data center in banks, hospitals, offices, airports, central train stations
Applications: Digital automation and control systems, instrumentation, communication and electronic devices in manufacturing, transportation and utilities
The interruption of AC power may disrupt data processing and telecommunications but does not create an inherent risk of injury to people and property
The interruption of the AC power may result in the loss of finished products or hundreds of person-hours resetting the production equipment
Aimed at: business continuity and data protection
Aimed at: 24/7 operation, personnel and operational safety
Key attributes for control room and data center infrastructure are energy efficiency, power expansion capability, optimized footprint, optimized cooling system, standardized power blocks and N+1 redundancy, remote control & monitoring
Key attributes for manufacturing plants and industrial control rooms are continuous operation, parallel redundant operation, galvanic isolation, system degree of protection, short-circuit and overload capability, safety, fire protection, integration into the electrical control system
Manufacturing process order: Configure to Order
Manufacturing process order: Engineer to Order

 

Essential difference between commercial and light industrial UPS
ABB commercial UPS
ABB PowerLine DPA
Environmental characteristics
Control room is clean and the temperature and humidity are controlled by HVAC
Neither the temperature nor the humidity is controlled
Operating temperature range: up to 40°C
Operating temperature range: up to 45°C (without power derating)
Humidity: 0% to 95% without water condensation
Humidity: 0% to 95% with water condensation
Non air contaminants
Air contaminants: often dusty and corrosive

 

Mechanical UPS characteristics
Ingress protection: Up to IP21
Ingress protection: up to IP42
Low-toxicity and low-smoke cable (optional)
Low-toxicity and low-smoke cable
Ventilation: forced with monitored fans from front to the back
Ventilation: forced with monitored and redundant fans (N+1) from front to the top
Operating and maintenance access: front access
Operating and maintenance access: front access

 

Electrical characteristics
System power range: 10 kW – 5 MW
System power range: 20 kVA – 120 kVA
System configuration:
- single
- parallel (N+1)
System configuration:
- single
- parallel (N+1)
- parallel-redundant (two identical fully segregated 100% rated UPS units)
Power factor = 1
Power factor > 0.9
Efficiency > 96%
Efficiency > 90%
Non input galvanic isolation
Input and output galvanic isolation (optional)
UPS topology: transformer-less
Input/bypass/output transformer usually specified for galvanic isolation or step up/down transformer
Non overload and short-circuit UPS input protection
Overload and short-circuit UPS input protection
Manual bypass switch
Manual bypass switch

 

UPS battery
Autonomy: 5-60 min
Autonomy: Up to 8 hours
Battery type: VLRA & Ni-cd
Battery type: VLRA & Ni-cd
Internal batteries (optional)
External batteries
Overload and short-circuit battery protection
Overload and short-circuit battery protection

 

Control and monitoring
Central graphical control panel with touch screen display (optional)
Central control panel with graphical display, control keys and programmable alarms and indications
Fixed input & output relay
Programmable input & output relay
Network communication interfaces (SNMP, Modbus) allowing integration to the building management systems (optional)
Network communication interfaces (SNMP, Modbus) allowing integration to the electrical digital system or SCADA systems

 

Product performance
UPS design life: up to 10 years
UPS design life: up to 15 years
International standard:
IEC-62040-1 Safety
IEC-62040-2 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
IEC-62040-3 Performance
IEC-62040-4 Environmental aspects
International standard:
IEC-62040-1 Safety
IEC-62040-2 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
IEC-62040-3 Performance
IEC-62040-4 Environmental aspects
In compliance with
EN 50171 Central Power supply system (optional)

 

UPS documentation
General technical data sheet, general arrangement, operating and maintenance manual
On project basis technical data sheet, general arrangement, electrical wiring and operating & maintenance manual