UNITERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION
In any developing country, such as Nigeria, the growing disparity between power supply and
demand produces electricity shortages and excessive load shedding, as well as power outages for
a variety of reasons. Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a short-term and best solution for
customers in terms of rapid and backup power supply in such scenarios; it might be more
effective and efficient with hybrid storage source and active power filter. Furthermore, the
growing trend in the UPS sector has been seen since it provides a constant and clean power
supply to important and sensitive loads without delay or transients; it also provides fast
protection when utility power is unavailable.
Due to the inconsistent power supply provided by (NEPA), now called as Power Holding
Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is designed to help in
offices, workshops, and household appliances. With the help of the UPS, relying much on PHCN
won’t be necessary. It's also less stressful because it doesn't require changing over manually
when the light goes out; if there is a power outage, it will automatically switch on, then turn off
and begin charging the battery when power is restored. Another intriguing feature of the UPS is
that it does not require an external charger to charge the battery when it runs low; the UPS has a
built-in charger that will charge the battery whenever there is light.

UNITERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY(UPS) SYSTEM

When the input power source or mains power fails, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or
uninterruptible power source (UPS) supplies emergency power to a load. A UPS varies from an
auxiliary or emergency power system or a backup generator in that it protects against input
power interruptions almost instantly by delivering energy stored in batteries, supercapacitors, or
flywheels.
An Uninterruptible Power Supply ensures continuity of the power supply regardless of
fluctuations or interruptions in the utility supply. This is an essential requirement for critical
applications such as IT/data centers, stock exchanges, medical scanners, radar systems etc. Such
fluctuations and interruptions can have major consequences if there is even a momentary break
in the supply.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are designed to automatically provide emergency power,
without delay or transients, to critical applications in case of an interruption to, or unacceptable
condition of the mains/utility supply. Some UPSs also filter and/or regulate mains/utility power.
IMPORTANCE OF THE UPS SYSTEM
While the electricity utilities try to supply clean, stable electrical power to their customers, there
are times when the network may be overloaded or subject to accidents or emergencies.
The primary role of any UPS is to provide short-term power when the input power source fails.
However, most UPS units are also capable in varying degrees of correcting common utility
power problems such as the following:

1. Black-out:  This is a complete loss of power lasting for more than one cycle, often caused by
an accident or serious overload to the network.
2. Brown-outs (Under voltage) and sags: These are long duration voltage reductions often
caused by excessive demand on the system.
3. Swell:  This is an increase from nominal voltage lasting one or more-line cycles, possibly
caused by the inability of the generating equipment to follow sudden changes in demand.
4. pikes and surges: These are short duration increases in voltage possibly caused by transients
in the system.
5. Frequency drift: This is the inability of the generating system to maintain a stable system
frequency.
6. Harmonic Distortion: Distortion of a normal power wave, typically transmitted by unequal
loads.

Apart from a prolonged power outage, many applications can tolerate some or all of these
problematic situations; nonetheless, important applications like industrial processes or computer
and communications installations require supply continuity within restricted tolerances. When
failures occur, batteries can step in and save the day, ensuring supply security.
When the power source is interrupted, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is utilized to keep
the current flowing and the voltage stable. They are separated into several sections:
1. INVERTER SECTION
With the help of the oscillation, the Direct Current (DC) voltage is converted into an Alternating
Current (AC) voltage. An oscillator is an electrical circuit that generates a signal without any
external input. The inverter performs inversion or complementation, which is a basic logic
function. The job of the inverter is to switch a logic level (High/Low) to the opposing logic level.
It converts '1' to a '0' in bits and vice versa.
2. AUTOMATIC CONTROL SECTION
This section produces all of the necessary controls to achieve the overall system's goal. It
controls the system's 'ON' into BEDC, resulting in a BEDC line as the system's output and, at the
same time, linking the battery charger to charge the battery. The automated circuit also switches
"ON" the inverter into functioning mode as soon as there is a power interruption. By effectively
carrying out the exchange mechanism with the help of the relays, this automatic circuit ensures
that no lines collide.

AIM OF THE DESIGN

The Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) provides the efficiency in the use of power appliance
by ensuring continuous availability of power supply in the absence of main power source. For a
better output to be produced, it is advisable to charge the battery to its full condition and also
make sure that the battery has enough ampere so as to withstand much load.
TYPES OF UPS SYSTEM
To really comprehend UPS systems, the various types of UPS units and how they operate must
be known.

1. STANDBY UPS

This is a break/fix type of UPS. This system typically consists of a battery to provide a short-
term source of electrical power, a rectifier or charger to maintain a battery voltage, an inverter to
provide power to load during normal operations, and a static switch to transfer load
automatically between utility and the inverter with minimal disturbance. It also may have input
and output isolation transformers and filters to provide the appropriate isolation and disturbance
attenuation. They also contain control circuits, sensors and monitors. This UPS system converts
AC to DC power that is compatible with the battery’s voltage and characteristics.
Fig 2. Standby UPS system

2. DOUBLE CONVERSION UPS

This type of UPS is different than a standby or line interactive UPS in several areas. First, the
primary power path is the inverter versus the AC mains. In this system, failure of the input AC
doesn’t cause activation of the transfer switch, because the input AC is the back-up source. This
type of system works by converting power from AC to DC power and then back to AC. It
protects your facility at the highest level as it isolates your equipment from raw utility power.
Since the unit is always online, it provides power with zero transfer time to your equipment, so it
is ideal for facilities with mission critical equipment, or in locations that have poor power
conditions. It also has an internal static bypass, so that if your UPS has a major failure, you can
keep your critical loads online during a repair or replacement.
Fig 2. Double conversion UPS system

3. LINE INTERECTIVE UPS

This type of UPS monitors incoming voltage from the utility and provides automatic voltage
regulation when low or high voltage conditions occur. A line-interactive UPS preserves battery
life, as it may not need to constantly switch to battery mode in places prone to brownouts on the
grid. Line-Interactive units also provide protection from power spikes and surges. They also
provide Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) filtering.
This UPS is ideal for applications where you are not protecting mission-critical equipment and
the utility power is fairly clean. These UPS units are typically inexpensive, even for a smaller
office.
Fig 2. Line Interactive UPS system

COMPONENTS OF THE UPS SYSTEM

There are four main components in any online double conversion uninterruptible power supply
(UPS) system: Rectifier; UPS Batteries; Inverter; and Static Bypass Switch.  

1. RECTIFIER 
The rectifier carries out several key functions. The first is to convert the input power from AC
(Alternating Current) to DC (Direct Current). Its second main role is to recharge the batteries,
while the DC power routes to the inverter too. 
Depending on the size of the UPS, the rectifier module may incorporate the battery charger. With
smaller uninterruptible power supply systems (i.e., below 3 kVA) it is not uncommon for the
rectifier and battery charger to be separate components.  
UPS rectifiers can accept wide input voltage fluctuations, meaning the system can handle
overloads or surges without having to engage the batteries.  

 Fig 2. rectifier
2. BATTERIES
The batteries in a UPS system provide emergency power when the mains supply fails. Either the
rectifier or a separate charger ensures that the batteries are always charged.  
UPS battery systems have at least one string of batteries, with the number of batteries required
depending on the DC voltage of the UPS. Batteries within a string are connected in series, so if a
single battery fails, so too does the entire string.  
For smaller UPS systems, the batteries are often internal to the unit. Whereas in larger solutions,
UPS batteries are often housed in their own standalone cabinets.

3. INVERTER
This component fulfils the second half of the double conversion by switching the DC voltage
from the rectifier or battery back to an AC output that powers the critical load. 
This conversion process (AC to DC to AC) and filtering smooths out events such as spikes, sags,
surges, and electrical noise, ensuring the final output is a pure sine waveform.  

4. STATIC STANDBY SWITCH

This component is a safeguard in case there’s a failure within the UPS system. In the event of a
UPS fault, the static bypass switch automatically connects the load to the mains supply,
bypassing the rectifier, batteries, and inverter.  
Having to transfer to mains supply isn’t ideal as the power won’t be filtered or conditioned as
usual in an online double-conversion UPS, but it does enable equipment to continue functioning
while the UPS is repaired or replaced.  
The static switch has two modes; by default, the switch will accept AC power from the
uninterruptible power supplies, but it also has the option to accept AC power directly from the
mains, or ‘bypass’.
 

Switching over to mains power is far from ideal, so in the event that your critical loads are
transferred to raw mains power, it will be accompanied by an alarm or warning condition to
ensure the UPS power system issue is resolved as quickly as possible.

Fig 2. Block Diagram of a UPS system

Fig 2. Bypass switching method