Uninterruptible Power Supply Key Terms

Some key terms for outfitting a business with uninterruptible power supplies

An Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS is a handy resource for all kinds of businesses. Though today's power grid is pretty reliable, all kinds of interruptions can still happen, depending on the location of a business. Commercial UPS designs ensure that when the power goes down, regardless of who is around to help out, backup battery systems will keep things running smoothly. Knowing about some of the key terms for types of UPS and design will help business leaders figure out what kind of UPS they could best use to safeguard their own business operations against power grid failures.

 

Power protection

One aspect of electrical setups that UPS units are meant to help with is power protection. Power protection is the process of hedging electrical systems against spikes, sags, brownouts and other fluctuations in a constant electrical current.
Try: See more on power protection at this guide from GenesysMicro.

Shutdown software

Some types of UPS have automated shutdown features for handling situations where the regular power has been off for a while.
Try: See more on shutdown software (3:01) for UPS at this UPS FAQ.

Continuous UPS

One type of UPS is a continuous or "online" setup in which the system continually draws power through the battery apparatus or other feature and not through the direct electrical line.
Try: See more on the continuous UPS and how it works, as well as comparisons to other UPS types, at this guide from Kerchner.

Standby UPS

Another very different option for UPS is a standby UPS unit. Standby UPS is when the power usually comes in directly from the source. When the system detects some kind of problem, the power switches over to the UPS system.
Try: See more on the standby UPS type at this page from PC Guide.

Line interactive UPS

For another option, there's the line interactive UPS model, where a portion of AC power charges the battery as the system "regulates" the line using bi-directional technology to integrate the power components.
Try: See more on the line interactive UPS model, as well as others mentioned above, at Lazar's Power Electronics Guide.

Delta and double conversion

Double conversion and delta conversion are two different models for providing efficient UPS systems. They are often evaluated as part of a discussion on design.
Try: See more on both double conversion and delta conversion at this page from APC Media.

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