Webinar: Uninterrupted Power Interpreted Questions & Answers

Are UPS Flywheel compatible?

Flywheel technology for static UPS has not shown to be a practical alternative to batteries and therefore we do not offer this solution.

As battery technology advances, how do you foresee these advances will improve UPS technology?

I believe that we will see very small advances in the efficiency of UPS however we are reaching the limits of this already. What will be very important will be to ensure we maximise the usage and right sizing of the system.

What is the recommended humidity?

Typically the maximum humidity is 95% however the UPS should be kept in a clean dry environment for maximum reliability.

What is the typical useful life span of the lead acid batteries before they need to be replaced?

At 25°C, VRLA battery should last approximately 5 years.

Is your UPS able to use Lithium-ion batteries? What is the typical life span of Lithium-ion batteries?

We do supply Li-Ion batteries with our UPS systems. As you appreciate it is a reasonably new application to use Li-Ion batteries with UPS for standby use and the actual lifespan is currently a prediction. Most people are predicting a 10-12 year lifespan for a 15 year design life battery.

Is there a fire risk for UPS with Lithium-ion batteries? Is there a need for extra fire protection system for the UPS room?

In Singapore, the currently practice is to follow fire safety protocol per VRLA battery. For large battery installation, a separate room with hydrogen monitoring, purge fans and fire protection systems are required.

What is the typical useful life span of KOHLER UPS? Understand that batteries life is shorter than UPS.

UPS lifespan is very much dependent on the environment that it is operating in. In a good environment we would expect our UPS’s to last 10-15 years.

Hi, I would like to enquire, does the lithium ion batteries come with self extinguishing features?

Our Li-Ion solution does not come with a self extinguishing feature however we have many built in safety features to ensure that the battery does not get to a critical situation. We would be very happy to explain these in more detail.

If I have an application to operate the UPS in an environment of around 30°C, what are the options to preserve battery life?

Providing air conditioning at 25°C would be the best solution. If air conditioning is not a viable solution, we can explore other types of battery technologies, NiCad, Li-Ion, Pure Lead batteries. These batteries provide better life span at 30°C compared to VRLA batteries. Last resort is to accept the fact that VRLA battery life span reduces at 30°C and have it check and change more frequently when necessary. Routine maintenance and battery monitoring system helps to mitigate battery failure risk to avoid catastrophic failure.

Provision of output transformer before supplying to loads is important in order to prevent earth fault of downstream equipment causing tripping of the upstream incoming breaker (eg MCCB).

Provision of an isolation transformer after the UPS can be used for galvanic isolation to enable the neutral to be earthed at the output of the transformer. As explained during the webinar this must not be confused with a transformer based UPS as this will have the same requirement.

Common early failure of UPS is often capacitors. What type of capacitors are used? How long is life span before replacement?

UPS’s use a variety of different AC and DC capacitors and this very much depends on the design. Different manufactures use different types and therefore it is not possible to give you a specific answer except to ensure that the manufacturers recommendations are followed.

UPS in parallel with other UPS- what are the technical considerations?

Parallel connection of different brands of UPS is not possible as different manufacturers use different propriety communication protocol and parallel connection.

Would like to understand under the scenario during a transfer from normal source to generator source. Will the neutral be maintained to single-phase loads as there is no output transformer from the modular UPS? Is it then necessary to provide Output Isolation transformer to the server loads?

Whenever the is a 4P ATS with emergency supply(ie Generator), the neutral will float during the transfer. Isolation transformer provides references neutral to the load at the down stream. This is required regardless if the UPS system is of transformerless, modular or has internal transformer.

Do you recommend condition monitoring for UPS battery?

For Li- Ion batteries condition monitoring is mandatory, with VRLA batteries it is optional however personally I would recommend it due to the increase in reliability of the UPS system.

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