UPS face three key challenges in terms of environmental impact: the amount of electrical energy used to power them, how they draw this energy and the affect they have on upstream supplies, together with management of consumable items like battery sets. Multi Plus tackles these issues in a number of unique ways.
A zero-impact design philosophy has led to a UPS that generates an extremely low total harmonic distortion. At less than 3%, the distortion on its electrical supply is minimal and removes the need to dramatically over-size supply systems such as generators and upstream distribution switchgear. With an input power factor of 0.99 Multi Plus draws a near Unity power factor sine wave, leading to less wasted energy. Coupled with a highly efficient internal operation (94%), Multi Plus can achieve 35% more in energy savings than a traditional UPS and a faster capital payback (within four years).
UPS battery sets have a typical design life of five or ten years but can age much faster. Multi Plus has advanced battery optimisation features to extend the average working life of a battery set and reduce lifetime management costs including battery replacement and disposal. Features include: single and dual level recharge options, a cyclic battery charging option to minimise electrolyte consumption, temperature compensation, predictive battery testing to identify potential failures, deep discharge protection and a wide operating input window.
“The new Multi Plus represents state-of-the-art power electronics and comes in conveniently sized solutions from 10-20kVA”, commented Robin Koffler, General Manager for Riello UPS Ltd. “Models up to 20kVA have been installed across Europe to great acclaim and the 30 and 40kVA models are expected to ship later this year.”
To enable Multi Plus to be suitable for a wide variety of applications, the UPS has been designed to operate with load power factors ranging from 0.9 leading to 0.9 lagging. In addition to its low heat output and compact footprint (.26sqm at 20kVA), this feature makes Multi Plus one of the best suited UPS for the protection of high-density loads (such as blade servers) within data centre environments and means that it can deliver up to 15% more active power than a traditional UPS. Up to six modules can be operated in parallel. Its various operating modes, including On-Line, Eco, Smart-Active and Stand-By/Off also allow customers to configure UPS operation to best meet the needs of their loads at any time of day.
Multi Plus has a sophisticated range of communications options including a front graphic display panel that provides real-time measurements, operating status, and alarm conditions in five different languages. The UPS also has a variety of options for remote monitoring, extended runtime applications, temperature monitoring, electrical isolation and power distribution.