Opportunities and challenges that cloud computing brings to UPS power supply

UPS is a voltage-stabilized and frequency-stabilized AC power supply with energy storage devices, with rectifiers and inverters as the main components. As a protective power supply device, the performance parameters of UPS are of great significance and should be the focus of our consideration when purchasing. A wide input range of AC voltage indicates a strong ability to utilize AC power (reduce battery discharge). A small output voltage and frequency range indicates a strong ability to adjust AC power and stable output. The waveform distortion rate is used to measure the stability of the output voltage waveform, while the voltage stability indicates the stability of the output voltage when the UPS is suddenly loaded from zero to full load.

UPS power supply After years of integration, reorganization and reshuffle, the market has formed a situation of brand concentration, integrated management, reorganized channels, and established a complete distribution channel system. Eaton acquired Santak, which not only has solutions for the high-end market, but also has Santak series products for the consumer market; after APC was merged into Schneider, Merlin Gerin and APC products formed a great complementary advantage; and among domestic manufacturers, KSTAR, while continuing to maintain the industry market for many years, began to impact the domestic UPS power supply distribution market that had been silent for many years with its "Youdian" sub-brand.

Opportunities that cloud computing brings to UPS

With the continuous deepening of cloud computing applications, China's data center market will usher in a new leapfrog development period in the future. The next generation of data centers will be built into dynamic, intelligent, green and scalable cloud computing platforms. To achieve these, UPS, which is used to ensure the smooth operation of infrastructure, also faces challenges.

Because cloud computing services such as application outsourcing, information hosting, and repeated data storage and updates for the purpose of providing virtual redundancy will greatly increase Internet traffic and the amount of data processed by cloud computing servers, these new traffic will require UPS protection, so cloud computing technology will not only not replace UPS power supplies, but will also promote the overall market demand for UPS power supplies. The overall demand is also developing in the direction of standardization, high reliability, applicability, and green energy saving.

The first requirement brought by cloud computing is standardization. As the world's leading provider of critical power and cooling services, Qu Ying, vice president of Greater China and general manager of data center business of Schneider Electric IT Division, said: "Schneider Electric's APC products, whether UPS or power supply and distribution modules, are completely standardized. Through hot channel containment systems and InRow cooling, our cooling can be standardized and modularized. How to effectively manage modular components? We have the StruxureWare data center management software platform, which can fully monitor the building, power distribution, power supply, cooling, and actual operation status in the data center, and finally summarize it into one interface so that you can see it at a glance. When adding or reducing equipment, it will remind you of all the applications that can affect the association. Our products and solutions can fully meet the requirements of standardization."

If the development of the Internet has changed the world, the emergence of cloud technology has greatly enhanced this ability to change the world. UPS, as an important part of data center infrastructure, is also introducing the concept of cloud into UPS power supply systems. Eaton, as a leading global manufacturer of diversified energy management solutions, has launched two new UPS power supply technologies based on the concept of cloud computing. Wang Wei, technical director of Eaton North Asia, said: "Cloud computing allocates resources on demand. UPS also hopes to use on-demand allocation to establish an energy efficiency optimization model for data center power supply. For this reason, Eaton has launched the industry-leading technology of UPS module hibernation globally.

When the equipment is in a low-load state with a small amount of computing, some modules automatically enter a dormant state. As the amount of computing increases, the modules will automatically start up one by one and enter a normal working state, fully realizing on-demand operation. This improves power supply security while reducing energy consumption and IDCPUE value. "

The development direction of UPS

1. The hardware part of an intelligent UPS is basically composed of an ordinary UPS plus a microcomputer system.

The microcomputer system analyzes and synthesizes various types of information. In addition to completing the control function of the normal operation of the corresponding parts of the UPS, it should also complete the following functions (the German AEGSVSProtect series UPS has achieved this);

2. Fully digital

AEGSVSProtect series UPS adopts the latest digital signal device DSP, realizing 100% digital operation of UPS system. In this series of UPS, AEGSVS also adopts triple microprocessor redundancy system, using three microprocessors with independent power supply to control rectifier, inverter and static electronic bypass, thus further improving the digitalization and reliability of the system.

3-pulse rectification technology

AEGSVSProtect series models use 12-pulse rectifiers. The obvious benefits of using 12-pulse rectifiers are: increasing the effective value of the UPS input power factor PF to above 0.95, reducing the total input harmonic current component of the UPS to below 8%, thereby reducing the input voltage harmonic distortion; 12-pulse rectifiers, plus built-in input isolation transformers, greatly improve the UPS power supply's ability to protect against external transient spike interference.

The input DC power supply contains less AC ripple components, which is beneficial to extend the life of the battery. (Comparison: The 6-pulse rectifier needs to add an LC input filter at the front end to increase the input power factor of the UPS to above 0.95, but its total current co-current component is only reduced from the original 30% to about 10%, and this will greatly increase the overall cost of the UPS.

4. High frequency

The power switch of the first generation UPS is thyristor, the second generation is power transistor, and the third generation is field-controlled device (MOSFET and IGBT). The switching speed of power transistor is one order of magnitude higher than that of thyristor, and the field effect transistor MOS-FET is one order of magnitude higher than that of power transistor. The current capacity of IGBT power device is much larger than that of MOSFET, and the on-resistance is small. The operating frequency is lower than that of MOSFET, but it can also make the carrier frequency of power conversion rate as high as 50KHz. The increase of conversion rate frequency greatly reduces the inductance and capacitance used for filtering, and greatly improves UPS efficiency, noise, volume, dynamic response characteristics and accuracy.

5. Redundant parallel technology

German company AEGSVS has developed new application technology, and its parallel technology is currently in the leading position in the industry. Through the redundant parallel operation of several UPS, the power supply reliability of the system can be further improved. Redundant operation means installing at least one UPS in addition to the basic load requirements. Through CAN bus technology, a UPS system (at least two UPS) can be formed.

AEGUPS parallel operation mode does not require additional central control components, and the load is evenly distributed. If a single UPS fails, it will be shut down immediately, and the other UPS systems will automatically take on all the loads without any impact on the load. AEG uses the unique Flexible Multi-Host Technology (FMMT) to ensure that the system is safe and reliable. AEG's CAN bus high-speed and effective communication realizes FMMT technology. If any of the two hosts fails, the other machine will automatically take over the main control function immediately.

6. Greening

The harmonic current and lagging current generated by various electrical equipment and power supply devices seriously pollute the power grid. With the introduction of various policies and regulations, the call for pollution-free green power supply devices is growing louder. In addition to installing high-efficiency input filters, UPS should also use power factor correction technology at the input end of the power grid, which can not only eliminate the harmonic current generated by the rectifier filter circuit itself, but also compensate the power factor, so that the input power factor of UPS reaches above 0.98.

UPS's future market outlook

Driven by the rapid development of computer networks and communications, today's UPS has developed into a type of UPS that can establish a two-way communication control and management function between the UPS network and the computer network based on the introduction of a large number of microprocessor monitoring technologies. UPS networking has two meanings. One is the interaction between the UPS and its monitoring system and the load it protects - the computer or local area network. When the power supply is abnormal, the microcontroller inside the UPS will promptly send the abnormal information to the computer or local area network it protects, and issue an alarm message to remind the operator or network administrator to deal with it in time, and automatically stop the operation of the computer or local area network before the UPS power supply time ends, and automatically save the on-site information. Send EMAIL, BP-CALL, etc. to relevant personnel through the MODEM. In this sense, UPS is one of the nodes of its protection network. The other meaning is to treat UPS as an independent node of the generalized network and install a communication adapter to assign an independent IP address to UPS. In this way, the network administrator or authorized person can remotely monitor the situation of UPS in real time through the network from anywhere in the network, just like managing a computer. Using this control function, users can monitor the operating parameters of UPS in real time on the computer network terminal. In addition, users can also perform scheduled automatic startup and shutdown operations on the UPS output on the computer network terminal. After automatically completing the operation of transferring programs and data to the disk, it will automatically "shut down the operating system."

Such an orderly shutdown operation will ensure the safety and reliability of users' software and data.

In the past decade, with the rapid development of the telecommunications industry and the rapid improvement of information technology, high-power UPS power supplies have been widely used. As an indispensable "guardian" in the field of communications, high-power UPS can not only prevent the harm caused by instantaneous power outages and accidental power outages to users and ensure the business continuity of communication operators, but also effectively eliminate grid clutter and maintain the stability of grid voltage and frequency, thereby providing high-quality power supply for the constantly updated communication equipment and network equipment systems.

Technological innovation has always been the core of competition in the high-end UPS market. From the application point of view, the power platform including UPS is a strong foundation for the normal operation of the network platform. The leap of information network technology will inevitably be reflected on the power platform and put forward more stringent requirements on the power system. For example, how to maximize reliability and availability, how to eliminate harmonic pollution as much as possible, how to maximize energy efficiency without sacrificing system reliability, etc. UPS product providers must base themselves on customer needs, constantly seek technological breakthroughs, and answer these questions well.

In addition, the entire industry continues to develop in the direction of providing overall solutions. With the deepening of network applications, user needs are more personalized, requiring not only UPS products to have considerable reliability and stability, but also paying more attention to the reliability and stability of the entire power supply system and even the physical infrastructure that supports the entire data center business, requiring manufacturers to provide comprehensive solutions for power supply systems, engineering construction suggestions and perfect after-sales services to reduce system maintenance and management costs.