When there is a utility power outage or “blackout”, diesel generators remain one of the quickest and most capable technologies for providing emergency backup power within seconds. While other technologies may take up to two minutes to handle the full electrical load, diesel generators can typically ramp up to full load within 10 seconds or less. The U.S. National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA standard 110) states that full electrical readiness must be achieved within 10 seconds for healthcare and other critical power applications.
But what happens during those 10 seconds without power?
For many applications, a 10 second power interruption could be life threatening or cause serious damage to equipment or product. To bridge the power gap, the solution is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
A UPS is a system that provides emergency power when there is an interruption in the utility or main power. UPS systems provide near-instantaneous protection to critical loads by supplying power stored in a variety of energy storage technologies, most commonly batteries. The run time of most UPS’s is short, allowing enough time for the emergency backup generator to start up and take on the load. In a typical design, once the generator has been activated, it will power the electrical load as well as recharge the batteries in the UPS system so that it is ready when needed again.
Benefits of UPS Power Systems
A UPS is typically used to protect hardware such as computers, servers, hospital equipment, data centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption, financial losses, privacy breaches or data loss.
UPS systems are also capable of correcting or improving common utility power problems::
1. Voltage spike or sustained overvoltage
2. Momentary or sustained reduction in input voltage
3. Voltage sag
4. Noise, defined as a high frequency transient or oscillation, usually injected into the line by nearby equipment
5. Instability of the mains frequency
6. Harmonic distortion, defined as a departure from the ideal sinusoidal waveform expected on the line
Global Power Supply offers complete backup power solutions, including end-to-end power system design, installation, and maintenance. We can provide your business with an emergency backup generator, integrated UPS system, as well as any required power distribution to maximize the efficiency of your backup power system, while minimizing cost. For a complimentary power consultation, please contact our team of experienced power experts today.
For more information about Global Power Supply’s generators in critical applications contact us today.