Are You Prepared For the next Power Outage?
By Terry Zak and Cliff Damron
Business has become dependent on new technology. Communication with your clients and the exchange of information fuels the economy. And this technology is fueled by clean reliable electrical power. As business becomes more dependent on technology to succeed, electrical power to run that technology becomes more important.
Electrical power has been and still is very reliable, but is not failsafe. In some cases the power provided is not high quality. Power outages will occur without warning and usually just as we need to complete a crucial activity. Businesses that rely on data or are dependent on the Internet cannot tolerate even a momentary power loss. Many businesses today rely on data that is painstakingly collected and massaged, re-examined, shared and sold. The data and its potential profits are the very things that keep a business running. We rely on the consistency and quality of the power utility industry to keep our machines running and safe. When the power fails our businesses can come to a standstill. Decisions are postponed, money is lost, time is wasted, and in some cases that valuable data is lost.
Although the power utility industry as a whole claims that it is Y2K ready, things may go wrong. In any event, an earthquake or other unpredictable force of nature could cause your business to be without power for hours or even days. Today, a sound power backup plan needs to be part of any sound business plan. The following is information and a glossary of terms that you should know and consider when creating your power contingency plan:
The solution to secure power protection is to back-up your utility power delivery with not only an adequate Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS) and / or power regulation system, but also an adequate generator system. As businesses have become more and more dependent on computers to complete everyday tasks, these components have become an indispensable resource.
In simple terms the UPS is a backup power supply, available upon power failure. If the electrical utility’s power is interrupted, the UPS electronically switches from the utility to its internal battery supply. This battery supply provides power to your critical machines. The UPS unit plugs directly into the utility receptacle, and the electronic component or computer plugs into the UPS. The power is sent directly through the UPS box to the electronic component, and through a power circuit switch that will monitor the power and switch to batteries if necessary. Additionally, a battery charger is attached, to keep the batteries at peak charge.
It should be noted that if you plan to keep your business going in a prolonged blackout by use of a generator system alone, you will cause severe harm to your electronic equipment. Generator power cannot be used to directly power electronic systems. The uneven, or “dirty” waveform produced by generator power causes damage to solid-state electronic components, as well as improper data transfer.
You should have additional concern about “dirty power” if you feel that the utility power provided to your business facilities is of low quality.
Uninterruptible Power Supply systems come in various voltage sizes and operations. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has three categories of UPS systems as follows:
Off-Line– The system will automatically switch from utility power to battery power. This level of UPS is intended for machines that can tolerate the momentary loss of power during switching.
Line-Interactive,The system will regulate the power and provide continuous power to critical operations. These systems add one step to the Off-Line configuration because they condition the power (clean it up) before connecting to the switch and battery charger. This level of UPS uses the utility to provide power to the machine and provides clean power with no interruption.
Rectifier/Charger,These units can be used with either utility or generator-produced power, because the power is first converted from AC to DC and then re-inverted from DC to AC. This re-inverted AC generator power source is as safe to use as a utility-generated power source. This class of UPS is used when a high level of protection is desired. The power from the utility or generator is also converted to DC power and provided to the batteries, and then it is rectified to a precise AC output profile to fit your power load requirements. Switching time is instantaneous because the batteries are always on line and providing power.
What you need to consider are the answers to the following questions:
? What are my power voltage and load requirements?
? Can my components tolerate a momentary loss of power during switching?
? For what length of time do I need to be able to withstand a power outage?
? Do I need to enhance my capabilities with additional generator backup?
Consideration of these issues, combined with sound planning, can mean that if (when) a prolonged power utility blackout occurs, your business will keep running while others come to a standstill!
(Terry Zak and Cliff Damron are technical advisors for Eagle-Tek Marketing Group, LLC of Woodland Hills. If you have further questions, or would like more information on what type of UPS system might be best for your business, please contact them at Eagle-Tek Marketing Group,LLC (818) 887-5889.)
