Reliability and resilience are vital to South Africa’s industrial sector, especially in the face of challenges like load shedding and ESKOM’s failing electrical generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. To keep complex industrial installations running smoothly, industries are turning to Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems for backup power solutions. Let’s investigate how UPS systems work and why they’re essential for South African industries.
Understanding the Industrial UPS
At Standby Systems, we understand the unique demands of South Africa’s industrial landscape. Our partnership with Riello UPS, a company known for its 100% Italian-designed and manufactured systems, has been crucial in protecting against power outages since 2003, when we became the sole distributor for AROSRIELLO. This collaboration has allowed us to establish ourselves as a trusted partner across various sectors. Our clientele includes businesses in:
- Mining: Anglo America, Anglo Gold
- Petrochemical: Sasol
- Mass Distribution: DSV, Takealot
- Commerce
- Banking: ABSA, INVESTEC
- Retail
- Data Centres: ABSA, INVESTEC, IDC
- Computer Rooms
- Education and Medical Fields: Mediclinic, Netcare, Radiologists
…and many more.
Firstly, let’s understand how industrial UPS systems differ from commercial ones.
- Capacity and Power
Industrial UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems are built to manage devices that require a lot of power, such as ARC furnaces, motors, and plasma cutters. These devices produce harmonics, power factors, and electrical noise that can distort the UPS’s output signal (sinewave). This distortion makes it difficult for the UPS’s electronics to maintain a stable and continuous power supply to the connected equipment.
The transformer-based ranges of MPT, MHT, and MHE UPS by Riello are top-tier products designed to handle demanding loads and deliver continuous power. These Riello UPS systems outperform lower-quality alternatives that may fail under the same conditions.
On the other hand, commercial UPS systems are typically utilized for “cleaner” loads, such as IT infrastructure, data centres, and lighting.
While these loads are less likely to distort the UPS output waveform or demand peak power, certain loads, like downlighters and blade servers, can still pose challenges due to their unity or leading power factor loads. However, 99% of these loads are manageable for a UPS system, and it’s the challenging loads that set apart high-quality UPS designs, like those from Riello, which use cutting-edge technology to ensure optimal performance and reliability.
- Mechanical Robustness and Durability
Manufacturers construct industrial UPS systems, such as the Riello MPT, MHT, and MHE UPS, to endure the rigors of industrial environments. These UPS systems are equipped with dust filters at all air inlets to manage high dust levels, tropicalized electrical and electronic components to handle high humidity and moisture, as well as cooling fan redundancy and component temperature monitoring to cope with vibrations and temperature fluctuations.
On the other hand, commercial UPS systems are designed for controlled indoor environments that are typically clean, dust-free, and low in humidity. These environments do not necessitate the same level of durability as industrial settings. Therefore, products like the Multipower scalable and modular UPS, along with the Sentryum and SDU rack-mount UPS, are more suitable for commercial applications.
- Reliability and Strength
In the industrial sector, power continuity is vital. Riello UPS’s uninterruptible power supplies are known for their hardiness to highly demanding and abusive loads, along with their versatility and technological superiority, ensuring reliable operation in various environmental conditions, including high temperature, humidity, and fluctuating utility supply whilst keeping the connected load running 24/7.
The grey area in the application field of Riello UPS is the medical imaging sectors where the highly versatile and constantly changing load draws prove a challenge for most UPS systems, but not for the Riello transformer-based MPT, MHT, and MHE ranges of UPS available from 10 to 800 kW in unitary or parallel modules of up to 8 units.
- Flexibility and Customization
Riello UPS systems are highly flexible and can adapt to different power sources, making them suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. They can be customized to meet specific system requirements. Riello UPS units are all parallelable in 1 and 3-phase options allowing for redundancy as well as load growth and expansion over its service life.
Choosing the Right UPS for Your Industry
When selecting a UPS for your industrial application, carefully consider these factors.
- Load Requirements
Calculate the total power load your critical equipment requires, including both active power in VA or kVA and true power in Watts or kW. The RMS current load draw and the peak current load draw are also very important as a load could be sized for a specific kVA/kW, but if the peak current draw exceeds the crest factor ratio of 3:1 of the inverters design, the UPS will be overloaded. Ensure that the UPS capacity meets or exceeds these requirements to provide sufficient power backup with allowance for start-up loads and future expansion.
- Runtime Needs
When selecting a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) system, start by assessing the runtime necessary to keep your critical equipment operational during a power outage. Opt for a UPS system that offers a battery backup capacity sufficient to meet your required runtime.
Ensure the battery is a high-rate UPS battery, suitable for the demands of the UPS inverter, such as the Elite ELGHR and ELHRL ranges of VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries.
Moreover, verify that the UPS can efficiently recharge the battery. Many manufacturers provide UPS systems with small battery chargers that result in prolonged recharge times. This regular undercharging can lead to battery sulphation, thereby diminishing the battery’s performance and lifespan, especially during frequent load shedding.
- Power Quality Requirements
Select a UPS system that can provide the necessary power quality needed by your sensitive equipment. Consider factors of the inverter’s specifications, such as voltage regulation percentage, frequency stability, overload ability, fault clearing ability, and harmonic content of the load.
Also, consider factors of the technical specifications for the input section of the UPS, i.e., the rectifier and its operation in conjunction with standby generator sets in terms of harmonic generation and power demand with full battery recharge once the genset has taken load.
- Environmental Considerations
Consider the environment your UPS will be operating in, including factors like temperature, humidity, dust levels, and vibrations, and choose an industrial UPS system that can operate reliably in these conditions.
- Total Cost of Ownership
Consider both the upfront cost and long-term operational costs of the UPS system. Look for energy-efficient options and consider factors like battery replacement costs and maintenance requirements.
Calculating UPS Backup Time
To calculate the backup time of an industrial UPS system, you need to consider several factors:
1. Battery Capacity
Determine the capacity of the UPS system’s batteries, typically measured in ampere-hours (Ah) or kilowatt-hours (kWh). This information is often provided by the UPS manufacturer, or you decide simply on what backup time you need, and one of Standby Systems’ technical sales consultants will be able to size everything for you. Make sure when you are looking at battery options you take into consideration what inverter loading percentage the battery is sized, as not every manufacturer will size the battery at 100% inverter load. Also, take into account the load power factor as a power factor of 0,6 or 0,7 used in sizing will only be able to do 60% or 70% of the full inverter kW rating in terms of time.
2. Efficiency
Consider the efficiency of the UPS system, usually expressed as a percentage. This indicates how efficiently the UPS converts power from the battery to the load. This will also determine how much heat the UPS will generate and what size cooling system you will need to use to keep the UPS and battery at a preferred constant 20 to 22 degrees C.
3. Derating Factor
Account for derating factors or safety margins recommended by the UPS manufacturer to ensure the proper functioning of the system under a variety of conditions.
In Conclusion
In South Africa’s industrial sector, where Eskom’s challenges and load shedding are a reality, reliable power is critical. Industrial UPS systems, like Riello UPS and Pureline offered by Standby Systems, provide the necessary protection to keep essential operations running smoothly, ensuring industries remain resilient in the face of power outages and infrastructure challenges.
If you would like more information on this subject, read our blog, Empowering South African Commerce and Industry: The Crucial Role of UPS Systems in the Age of Load Shedding.
Standby Systems offers a comprehensive range of products and services. We have an experienced and highly specialised technical team of UPS professionals to advise you on which UPS system and battery is best for your industry’s specific needs. Visit Standby Systems’ website or contact us at 011 794 2541 or 011 794 3406 or WhatsApp 082 450 2361.