What Are The Benefits of A Modular UPS System?
Modular UPS provide several benefits over more traditional monobloc UPS and are available in single phase and 3 phase formats. Scalability, built-in redundancy, hot-swappable maintenance, elimination of single points of failure, space saving (vertical growth) and higher energy efficiency, make this type of UPS ideal for larger server rooms and growing data centres that need scale their power protection to meet the demands of GPUs and AI servers.
Modular UPS Explained
A modular UPS is built from hot-swappable power modules in a single UPS frame. Work through the tabs to see how it scales, saves energy, is serviced and maintained, and how it reports back to your monitoring systems (DCIM and BMS).
- Compact FootprintCapacity grows vertically inside one frame, so adding power needs no extra floor space.
- High EfficiencySleep mode keeps only the modules you need running, so each one works in its efficient zone.
- Lead-acid or lithium-ionChoose maintenance free VRLA batteries or compact, long-life lithium-ion.
- Remote MonitoringBuilt-in SNMP card to your DCIM, with volt-free dry contacts to your BMS.
Start with the modules you need today and add more as your critical IT loads grow. Each new module slides into a spare slot in the same UPS frame, self-tests and joins the system automatically. Capacity scales vertically, so there is no extra floor space, no shutdown and no rewiring.
A UPS is most efficient when its modules are optimally loaded. In energy-saving sleep/hibernate mode, the UPS runs only the modules needed to power the load plus one for N+1 redundancy. The others hibernate and wake instantly if the load rises or a module drops out. For example, a 20 kW load runs on two 25 kW modules (N+1) and the rest sleep.
The efficiency zones are indicative. Exact efficiency curves vary by UPS manufacturer and model.
Power modules are hot-swappable. With N+1 redundancy, any single module can be withdrawn while the load stays protected. Click a module in the diagram to withdraw it, then slot in the replacement. In hibernate mode a sleeping module wakes to take its place.
The same UPS can run with either battery technology. Lead-acid (VRLA) is proven and has a lower upfront cost. Lithium-ion is smaller and lighter for the same runtime, lasts longer, recharges faster and has its own battery management system. Its lower lifetime cost (TCO) and smaller footprint often make it the better long-term choice.
A wrap-around external maintenance bypass lets the IT load run directly on mains while the whole UPS, including the frame and batteries, is isolated for safe work, then returns it with no break. The built-in SNMP card reports live status to your DCIM over the network, and volt-free dry contacts signal alarms to your BMS. Try a mains failure and watch both respond.
Modular UPS Benefits
- Scalability: modular UPS allow you to grow (or downsize) your UPS system to meet your day-one and future load demands. You can start with a low capacity (N+1) arrangement with two modules and then add additional power modules as your server capacity grows. This avoids the need to install a larger monobloc type UPS to meet future expansion.
- Energy Efficiency: right sizing the UPS to the critical loads means that active power is matched kore closely, resulting in low energy losses. In addition, modules not in use can be set to ‘hibernate’ to further increase energy efficiency. Modern monobloc UPS are highly efficient compared to designs using transformers from 10-1 years ago but modular UPS can result in a further 2-3% in energy saving achieving 98%+ energy efficiency for some UPS brands in online mode.
- Redundancy: you can select the level of resilience wanted for the UPS installation. If you want a pure capacity (N) system or one that provides N+1, N+2 using additional modules that automatically power the loads without interruption of a UPS module fails.
- Hot-Swappable Module Maintenance: modular UPS have a lower Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) than traditional monobloc UPS due to the hot-swappable modules. It is relatively easy to hot-swap a UPS module, typically within 20-30minutes of arrival on site of a UPS engineer. The new module is inserted and powers-up, goes through self-diagnostics and is accepted within the system, all without interruption to the load.
- Space Savings and Vertical Growth: using a single or multiple frames, additional modules can be added to an existing system to increase capacity or resilience. A modular UPS therefore scales vertically inside the initial frame or horizontally one or more UPS frames is required. Vertical growth in particular can reduce the physical space required by at least 30% compared to a monobloc UPS.
- Eliminate Single Points of Failure: a traditional monobloc UPS has a built-in static transfer switch to guard against failure, short-circuits or overload conditions. It is extremely rare for a static switch to fail or for a well maintained monobloc to suffer a critical failure, but it can happen. With a modular UPS system, faults are isolated down to individual modules, which are then automatically bypassed or disconnected from the circuit without interruption or risk to the critical load.
Please contact our Projects Team for further informtion on modular UPS.