What Are Some Key Features to Understand When Choosing an Online UPS?
When any organization is designing and building a large project like data centre, hospital, industrial unit etc., their designing is not complete without providing for a UPS system. In typical Indian conditions, a UPS is required not only to give backup power during power failures but also to give protection to the attached equipment against power fluctuations, spikes, surges, frequency variations and line noise etc. Therefore, a good quality Online UPS system plays an essential role in proper functioning of any organization.
Online UPS helps you to bridge the time gap between utility power failure and generator start up. Every kind of device is different in its functioning, technology, size and operational efficiency. Hence it is essential to choose the right UPS system based on your required applications.
There are several Online UPS manufacturers in India which are providing Online UPS systems at affordable prices, but there are very few manufacturers that can provide a quality product which is backed up with excellent after sales service support.
What is Online UPS?
Online UPS is the ultimate form of power conditioning and power protection device for any critical application. A true Online UPS system completely isolates the attached equipment from the raw power line. A good UPS system protects the attached equipment against spikes, surges, brownouts, blackouts, line noise and change in frequency.
The Online UPS consists of a rectifier-battery charger, inverter and control circuitry. The rectifier unit converts the AC power to DC. While the AC is present, the battery charger charges the batteries and the rectifier supplies regulated DC power to the inverter. The inverter with the help of the control circuitry inverts the DC back to AC. By converting the main line power to DC, and then regenerating the AC, the UPS effectively isolates the attached equipment from all kinds of power pollution.
In the event of a power failure, even for a few Pico seconds, the inverter in the UPS simply draws its power from the batteries instead of from the rectifier, so there is no break or interruption in the power supply. Although the role required of the UPS system is clearly defined, the reliability and the stability of different types of UPS systems need to be examined closely before buying an Online UPS system.
Before choosing a UPS, it is essential to determine and analyse the amount of time for which the users are likely to run their UPS system in case of power failure. It all depends upon the user's requirements. Some users want power backup for a few minutes to keep their operations running until the generator is switched on, whereas other users want to run their connected load on power backup continuously until the main power supply is restored. Let the manufacturer know your requirement, so that they can suggest you the capacity of batteries to be used accordingly.
While choosing an online UPS from UPS manufacturers in India, one should consider the following points;
• Power requirement
• Features
• Experience and reputation of the manufacturer
• Warranty period
• After sales service support
• Power requirement
The first and foremost step would be to analyse the required capacity of the Online UPS. For this you need to know the electrical load of the connected equipment. For this purpose, you can seek guidance from the UPS companies. You should ask a UPS manufacturer in case they are willing to do a power audit at your site to check the electrical load. Some of the UPS manufacturers may do a power audit at a nominal cost or sometimes even without any service charge.
• Features
You should consider the features that are required for your particular application. For example, if your application is industrial, going for a UPS with inbuilt isolation transformer is a must. Other features like wide input voltage range, and wide input frequency range should also be considered. Unfortunately, in India, most suppliers are not manufacturing UPS systems but they are simply importing UPS systems from China. Therefore, they lack the capability of customising the UPS as per your required application and needs. Some of the Indian manufacturers that have their own R&D team will be able to provide you a solution that fits into your needs.
• Experience & reputation of the manufacturer
You should try and procure through a manufacturer that has been in the market for at least 10 years and has enough on field experience. Since these days many companies open and shut within a short span of time, the manufacturer through which you intend to purchase should be stable enough to sustain for a long period of time. You should also try and take referrals of their list of installations from your field.
• Warranty
Most companies are providing One-year warranty on their product. We still advise you to try and get a good deal for an additional one year of warranty by paying a nominal extra cost.
• After Sales Service Support
One of the most important factors while deciding which UPS to buy is by considering the after-sales service support. The manufacturer should be capable of providing prompt service in case of any breakdown and should have the necessary spare parts readily available with them. UPS importers are normally dependent on their original supplier, which can clearly lead to a delay in providing the service. You should also consider the period for which the manufacturer is willing to provide service for a particular product and maintain spare parts for the same. Some of the good manufacturers provide service and keep spare parts for a product which may last from 10 to 15 years. On the other hand, many UPS system suppliers simply tell the user to upgrade the UPS system after a span of 7 to 8 years, citing the reason of non-availability of spare parts, which unfortunately results into additional capital expenditure for the user.
Final Thought
Whether you are purchasing a UPS for Datacentre/IT company or an industrial application, it is a very important to invest in a reliable and efficient Online UPS system. Therefore, to find the right UPS, you need to determine which UPS system is the right choice for your application. Online UPS manufacturers in India can help you to narrow down which UPS system will fit in your needs. In case you have any further questions or your need any guidance, please feel free to contact us @ info@nexusups.com or call us at 9350397112.
