Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) An uninterruptible power supply, (UPS) is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically the main power supply, fails. A UPS differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator in that it will provide instantaneous or near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions by means of one or more attached batteries and associated electronic circuitry for low power users. A variety of design approaches are used to implement UPS systems, each with distinct performance characteristics. The most common design approaches are as follows: Standby Line Interactive Standby-Ferro Double Conversion On-Line Delta Conversion On-Line During the project work the observed types of UPS are Stand by and Double Conversion On-Line at the IT Faculty building and an on line dual conversion UPS at the Department of Building Economics.

1. Stand- by UPS The Standby UPS is the most common type used for Personal Computers. The Offline / Standby UPS (SPS) offer only the most basic features, providing surge protection and battery backup. With this type of UPS, a user's equipment is normally connected directly to incoming utility power with the same voltage transient clamping devices used in a common surge protected plug strip connected across the power line.

Figure 1: Stand by UPS Department of Building Economics 1

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Advantages of Stand-by UPS y y y Low cost High efficiency Compact

At the IT Faculty building there are mainly stand by UPS. For servers they have used stand by UPS with a longer back up time period while having a shorter back up UPSs individually for other computers in labs. Below tables illustrate the specification of two observed UPSs at IT faculty building.
Table 1 : UPS of an individual computer

Model Battery DC voltage of long backup Type of load Input voltage Input frequency Output voltage Output frequency Back up time Transfer time Short-circuit protection

DCP 650VA/ 390W 7AH x 1 12 VDC Computer, displayer 230/240 + 25% 50/60 Hz + 10% 230/240 + 10% 50/60 Hz + 0.5Hz (in battery mode) 8 ~ 20 mints (rated computer as load) < 10ms Fuse in AC mode, limited output currency in inverter mode >80% in inverter mode 00c 400c 10% - 90%

Efficiency of power Temperature Humidity

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Table 2 : UPS of a server computer

Model Capacity Input Voltage Range Frequency Phase Output Voltage range Battery mode Frequency Transfer time Battery Type and number Back up time Recharge time Protection/ Monitoring Short protection

PC 650 650 VA 160 275 V 40 70 Hz Single + GND 220 VAC 220 VAC + 15% 50 Hz + 1Hz (battery mode) 2ms typical 12 V7AH 1pc 8 20 minutes depending on load 90% capacity after 8 hours circuit Line mode fuse and software protection (CPU) Battery mode Software protection (CPU) Surge protection Alarms Over Protection Yes Audible and Visual Temperature >750C Alarm will sound >850C the system will shutdown < 45dB 00C-400C 0%-95% relative humidity Up to 0.7 Yes

General

Noise Temperature Humidity Power factor Built in AVR

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Currently Prevailing Maintenance Activities and Drawbacks The main ongoing maintenance activity for UPS is battery replacements. Normally when purchasing these stand-by UPS units, one year warranty is taken from the supplier. Therefore as for normal practise, the batteries are checked after two years of operation. When the main power is disconnected manually and UPS is being loaded, if it is unable to provide at least five minute back up, the remedial action is taken which means a replacement of the battery. The time constraint is taken as 5 minutes since to on stand-by generators and to provide the generator power to the building that much time is spent. There are specifications for replacement batteries as given in below table.
Table 3 : Specification for UPS battery

Rated Voltage Rated Capacity Dimensions Length Width Height Total Height Terminal Type Chemical

12 V 7.0 AH or 7.2 AH 5.94 2.54 3.70 3.94 F2 (0.25 wide) Sealed Lead Acid

At the replacement a sticker is pasted on the UPS with the replaced date and after a year the UPS back up time is checked again. If it is more than 5 minutes the battery condition is good and it will not be changed until a failure occurs. In addition to that corrective maintenance is done for receiving complaints. Drawbacks of current procedures y Do not maintain a proper record system with installed date, replacement dates, complaints received, etc which may help to predict troubles and for easiness of reference. y Only check UPS conditions when complaints received.

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

2. Double conversion on line UPS In the Double Conversion On-Line design, failure of the input AC does not cause activation of the transfer switch, because the input AC is charging the backup battery source which provides power to the output inverter. Therefore, during an input AC power failure, on-line operation results in no transfer time. Both the battery charger and the inverter convert the entire load power flow in this design, resulting in reduced efficiency with its associated increased heat generation.

Figure 2: Double conversion on line UPS

Advantages of On-line UPS y y No time gap between power failure and supply Excellent voltage conditioning

Table 4: On line dual conversion UPS

Model Rating Battery Typical back up time

LP10-31T 10kVA/ 8kW 240V/ 12Ah 50% load - 22 minutes 100% load 8 minutes

Enclosure Net weight including battery Input power factor Input frequency Output voltage

680 x 313 x 720 mm 170kg 0.99 40 70 Hz 220/230/240V (user selectable)

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Output voltage regulation Output frequency Humidity Ambient operating temperature Audible noise

+/- 1 50/60 Hz 95% non condensing 0-400C 40-55 dB

Currently Prevailing Maintenance Activities At present all the maintenance activities of the UPS system are performed by Energy Net (pvt), Ltd. A technician from the above mentioned company comes in every four months and check for any abnormal condition of the system while measuring Input voltage, rectifier voltage, load percentage, power / electronic controls of cooling fans, UPS loading and etc. He fills a check list and original copy is given to the department while keeping a copy to him. Format of the check list is attached in annexure. If any break down occurs, it is informed to the company through a telephone call and they will come to check and perform the necessary remedial actions. Draw backs y Maintenance only centred through outsourced company Since no maintenance or inspection is done by the owner of the UPS, hardly a failure will be witnessed by them. If they record relevant operating parameters daily (eg: Main voltage, Inverter voltage, Load percentage, supply return frequencies) then there is a possibility to identify any deviating circumstance. Additionally if the owner himself can visually check the panel fans monthly the risk of switching off of the UPS due to the heat generated inside as malfunctioning of fans, can be minimized.

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Proposed Preventive Maintenance Schedule for UPS

Table 5 : Proposed maintenance schedule

Duration Monthly For stand-by UPS - Turn off the UPS, y y y y

Maintenance Activities

Check the air way for any blockage Make sure the UPS cover is not covered by dust Check input, output and battery connecting lines are firm or not Check line insulation effective or not

- Turn on the UPS - Let the UPS work in battery mode for about 5 minutes For On line UPS - Check the panel fans Quarterly - Visually inspect equipment for loose connections, burnt insulation or any other signs of wear - Connect the UPS to AC and turn on the UPS, charge the battery for at least 10 hours, noting the load status (Only for On line UPS) Bi - annually - Check for liquid contamination from batteries

Corrective and Preventive Maintenance activities implementation procedure Individual UPS: y Initially all the UPS units will be given with a separate code number in accordance with the relevant lab number, in order to keep all the information relating to undergone maintenance activities. y Since the maintenance technicians are now given the preventive maintenance schedule, all preventive maintenance are performed in an effective manner. y They will also be given a below mentioned kind of a format to keep all the records of preventive maintenance. (At this table the dates of the performed maintenance are required to be written).

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Table 6: Preventive Maintenance Record Sheet

Preventive Maintenance Records Location: Lab no.................... Total UPS units: .................... Biannually D J D

UPS code J F M A M

Monthly J J A S O N D M

Quarterly J S

If there is any abnormal condition or a failure, it will be informed to the maintenance division of computer systems at IT faculty through phone. Mostly addressed problems are as follows.

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Table 7: Troubleshooting of stand-by UPS

Problem Normal LED does not light up when UPS is turn on. Inverter LED is red and UPS beeping.

Possible causes 1. AC power not on 2. Power cable not properly inserted 3. Fuse blown 4. Faulty wall socket

Solution 1. Turn on AC power 2. Insert properly 3. Change the fuse 4. Change to another wall socket power cable

UPS beeps occasionally on AC mode and UPS may heated up

1. UPS may be overloaded 2. Unstable AC supply

1. Check that equipment matches the specified capacity of UPS 2. Check the AC supply and wiring

Battery backup time is short. Long beeping sound is heard.

1. UPS may be overloaded 2. Battery not fully charged 3. Battery may be near the end of its life span

1. Remove

any

non

critical equipment 2. Charge the battery for at least 8 hours before use 3. Battery is replaced

In troubleshooting if the UPS is still under warranty period, the dealer will be contacted over the phone when a battery replacement or any sever failure occurs.

y y

All the corrective actions will also be recorded for further reference. The preventive maintenance activities are carried out when the labs are vacant.

Department of Building Economics

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

On Line Dual Conversion UPS: y According to the service agreement, the Energy Net company technicians will come for quarterly service. They are bound to come for the service as to a negotiated timetable. Prior to their visit the Department will be informed through a phone call since the necessary permission is needed to be taken from the security. y y The technicians are always accompanied with the lab assistant throughout the service. After the completion of the service, the check list they have filled with the conditions of the UPS will be authorized from the lab assistant. y
y

All the records will be kept filed at the department. Any failure of the system will be informed to the company over the phone and as for the agreement they are bound to take remedial actions as soon as possible. Department will pay
additional payments for these kinds of requirements.

Department of Building Economics

10

Maintenance Management

Operations and Maintenance Plan for UPS

Annexure

Department of Building Economics

11