Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an essential power protection device for hospitals, trading centers, data centers, automated factories, and other critical applications. It can eliminate impurities from the utility power grid to provide clean power to our critical equipment. And when the utility power fails or becomes unstable, it will provide reliable and stable power support to ensure our equipment continues to operate. In this article, we’ll introduce the double conversion UPS. You can find the answer regarding what is double conversion UPS in this article.
What is double conversion UPS?
Double conversion UPS is a type of uninterruptible power supply. It is also known as online UPS. Virtue’s online UPS with lithium batteries is available in both rack mounted UPS and tower type UPS. The inverter in a double conversion UPS is always operating. This means that the power for the connected equipment is supplied by the UPS inverter.
How double conversion UPS operate?
- The first is normal operating mode. In this mode, the double conversion online UPS will convert mains power into DC power, and simultaneously supply clean, stable power to the inverter and the battery. The DC power will be converted back to AC power by the inverter and then output to the connected equipment.
- The second operating mode is activated when the mains power is interrupted, triggering the UPS to switch to battery power mode. When the mains power is interrupted, the rectifier will stop operating because there is no input power available for conversion. At this time, the built-in LiFePO4 battery will provide DC power to the DC bus, the inverter will draw power from the DC bus and continue to supply AC power to the load. The load devices will not stop operating due to a power outage. This is because the inverter in a double-conversion UPS is operating continuously, providing a steady power supply to the load devices. What is double conversion UPS achieve 0-millisecond switchover time precisely because of this.
- The third mode is bypass mode. When the UPS is overloaded or experiences an internal fault, it will automatically switch to bypass mode. At this mode, mains power is directly supplied to the connected equipment.
What is the difference between double conversion and other types of UPS?
What is double conversion UPS different from other types of UPS is its inverter remains active at all times. This key difference also makes the power quality and switchover time of online UPS unlike other types of UPS. Among standby UPS, line-interactive UPS, and online UPS, online UPS has the shortest switchover time. This is because its inverter operates continuously. When the utility power fails or becomes unstable, the battery will immediately supply power. For the inverter, the only difference is the source of power. And for the connected equipment, there is no perceptible interruption in power supply.
Another point is the power quality. Mains power typically carries issues such as harmonics, noise, and voltage fluctuations. In contrast, the power output from the inverter is a processed and pure sine wave, so the harmonics and noise present in the mains power cannot be directly transmitted to the connected equipment. However, in online interactive UPS and standby UPS systems, the inverter only operates when the system is in battery-powered mode. During normal operation, power for the connected equipment is supplied directly from the utility grid. This also means that electrical issues present in the utility grid will be transmitted to the equipment.
What is double conversion UPS's advantage?
- Truly achieving zero switchover time: What is double conversion UPS greatest advantage is it can switch to battery power mode in zero milliseconds when the utility power fails, ensuring equipment does not detect any power interruption. Modern servers, medical equipment, industrial control systems, and other devices have extremely high power requirements. Any power interruption can cause them to shut down. But online lithium UPS can ensure equipment continues to receive reliable power support during a utility power outage, guaranteeing your business operations never stop.
- Providing clean power to equipment: Double-conversion online UPS can completely isolate power contamination because its inverter is operating at all times. Regardless of whether the power issues involve voltage fluctuations, electrical noise, or harmonic distortion, they are all filtered into a pure sine wave. Therefore, critical equipment is protected from damage to its sensitive electronic components caused by power issues.
- Provides a wide input voltage range and ensures UPS battery life: There is common voltage fluctuation in some areas with poor grid quality. In such situations, other types of UPS systems will frequently switch to battery power, causing the batteries to deplete prematurely. In contrast, online UPS can accommodate a wide input voltage range. This means it can operate in normal mode within the set voltage range, providing clean and stable power to your equipment. The battery is only used when mains power is interrupted. So it doesn’t go through unnecessary charging and discharging cycles, which helps to ensure battery life. If the power grid in the area where you plan to use your lithium UPS is particularly challenging, please feel free to contact us for a customized lithium UPS solution.
What is double conversion UPS used for?
Double conversion UPS systems are suitable for critical loads with extremely high power quality requirements, as well as applications in areas where grid quality is poor. Data centers and server rooms are the most common application scenarios. Equipment in these environments is extremely sensitive to power interruptions. Even millisecond-level power outages can result in data loss or hardware damage. The zero-transfer-time and pure sine wave output of double conversion lithium UPS systems can ensure that equipment does not detect power failures, and business operations continue uninterrupted. In addition, double conversion UPS systems are also used with communications base stations, automated production lines, and medical equipment such as hospital ICU monitoring systems and ultrasound machines.
How to choose the right double conversion UPS?
As a professional double conversion UPS manufacturer in China, we recommend customers select lithium UPS based on their actual application needs and equipment power requirements. First, we need to determine the power rating and input/output configuration of the online lithium UPS. It is also recommended that users select a lithium UPS with a capacity 20–30% higher than the total power of the critical equipment. One reason for this is to account for the inrush current during equipment startup, and the other is to accommodate future business growth. The input and output configurations should be selected based on the electrical supply and the voltage requirements of the actual equipment.
After determining the power rating and input/output voltages of the lithium UPS, you’ll need to determine the backup time. Our standard online UPS with lithium battery provides a short period of backup time to ensure you can save your data and shut down your equipment normally. If you need a longer backup time to ensure the generator starts or to keep your equipment running for an extended period, you’ll need to add additional batteries. And you’ll also need to determine other features, such as whether it supports ECO mode or includes SNMP card. If you have any purchasing needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. With extensive successful cases, we can quickly propose a double conversion UPS solution tailored to your needs.
