An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a real-time power backup system that helps with the power supply when the conventional grid outage or shutdown eventuates. Be it residential or commercial—every infrastructure needs a UPS to seamlessly continue with the routine works. For corporates and enterprises, these power backup systems are very much crucial to support and protect their IT infrastructure.
As a renowned online UPS supplier, we’ll take the responsibility of educating people like you who are unaware of how does an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) work. Before diving into its working or operation, let’s first understand the different components of a UPS.
UPS and its components
- Inverter: In the absence of AC (Alternating Current) from the grid, the inverter converts the stored DC (Direct Current) power to a stable and spike-free AC power to supply to the connected electrical systems.
- Charger: The role of this component is to supply energy to the inverter.
- Battery: The main component—UPS batteries—stores the electrical energy or the power. It can be inbuilt or external with a specific capacity to store the energy.
- Switch: The power from the grid and the power from the inverter gets in and out respectively through the operation of these switches.
- Rectifier: This does the job opposite to the inverter, i.e., converts the grid’s AC power to DC power that gets stored in the batteries.
However, not all UPS devices have the same set of components. It varies between the UPS models and their manufacturers. Now, let’s get into the working…
How does a UPS work?
The three different modes and topologies in which a UPS can work are:
- Offline or standby mode
This UPS system is preferred when an infrastructure experiences challenges due to frequent power fluctuations. Installing an offline UPS helps mitigate the spikes and also provides power in the absence of a regular electricity supply. The working of this type of UPS solutions includes an inverter and a battery. As the power shuts down, the UPS converts the stored DC power to AC and supplies it to the connected devices.
- Online or double conversion mode
As the name implies, this is a double conversion working mode UPS in which the rectifier converts the incoming AC from mains to DC and the inverter converts this DC to AC power for uninterrupted power supply. This final AC output is refined and stable and is free from voltage sags and spikes. Hence, this type of UPS works best for organizations and enterprises with vast IT frameworks.
- Line interactive mode
This type of uninterruptible power supplies combines both offline and online models. Hence, they perform double conversions and also use the stored energy in the battery to supply power when the AC supply from mains is ceased. Thus, this type of topology works for mid-range IT requirements for which double conversion is overwhelming and offline mode is insufficient. For example, small-scale industries can use them to protect their devices protection and stead power supply.
So, if you ask us, “How does an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) work?” these are the major mechanisms involved. However, there may be some differences in the performance of this backup system and their runtime as there may be a need to switch on and off in these UPS working types. Some UPS models include isolation transformers for easy maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
1. How do you operate a UPS?
It is as easy as plugging in your mobile phone charger. Yes, you can operate a UPS just by connecting the required devices or electrical systems to the UPS system and then plugging the UPS into the mains for AC supply from the grid.
2. How long can a UPS supply power?
It depends on multiple factors, like battery capacity, UPS manufacturer model, the topologies, and the load runtime.
3. What is a UPS used for?
UPS is used for multiple purposes, including protecting the IT or networking infrastructure from unexpected voltage spikes or surges and supplying power during an outage.
