SiC FETs Shrink 5kW Rack-Mounted Distributed UPS

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. has announced that it has developed a rack-mount dc power system for data centers. The F-DCPOWER is a compact device that fits in server rack space, improves system reliability via redundancy on both the power supply unit and the battery unit, and helps to enhance the server rack's capabilities without changing distribution systems. The power conversion units use Fuji Electric's SiC power semiconductor, which contributes to additional energy savings for server racks in data centers, thereby reducing operational costs. The units measure (W x H x D) 450mm x 89mm x 740mm and a basic system consisting of three power converters, two 5-minute back-up battery units and the accompanying cage frame weighs 40kg.

“The introduction of this new system was in direct response to the increase in data center power consumption as the facilities adopt higher-performance, higher-capacity servers,” said Phil Charatz, President and CEO of Fuji Electric Corp. of America. “Companies are seeking energy saving methods on equipment to reduce operational costs, and this advanced DC Power Supply provides data centers with an advanced solution that allows them to conserve energy and optimize the performance of the data center equipment.”

By placing the back-up power directly at each server rack, the three power conversions required by conventional UPS-based systems have been reduced to just one, making it possible to reduce power loss. According to Fuji Electric, a conventional ac UPS-based system is 84% efficient. By eliminating several conversion steps, the new DC-UPS achieves 92% efficiency.

Additionally, the new backup power system features a “peak assist” function that can draw power from a battery during peak hours, making it easy to control complex distribution systems. This allows data centers to enhance server utilization without reconfiguring their existing distribution systems. This is particularly important since many servers process data differently, and data centers with large power fluctuations must consider peak electricity consumption when configuring power distribution in their facilities, which should also increase the amount of contracted power and the size of the backup UPS. This control requires building complex power distribution systems, so the ability to improve server functions without affecting the existing systems saves time and money.

“This product is designed to cope with blackouts or other unplanned outages that cause instantaneous voltage drops by allowing equipment to draw power from a battery during these events, thus preventing facility shutdowns,” added Charatz. “Adopting a DC power source reduces the number of power conversions required to supply power to the servers, which in turn contributes to energy savings and a reduction in running costs.”

The use of a Li-ion battery and a completely overhauled circuit structure has allowed the power electronics manufacturer to reduce the size (rack occupation) of the new system by nearly 50% compared to that of the previous backup power product. The compact design reduces the amount of space needed for server equipment. The multiple installations of both the power supply unit and the battery unit not only improves equipment reliability by redundancy, but it also makes the system capable of handling two different power inputs (such as commercial power and a private power generation source).

In addition, the units are able to be replaced without interrupting the output power (hot swap feature). This product became available in early February 2016 and the electronics manufacturer will continue expanding the product lineup in order to support the adoption of standardized structures of dc power rails and racks designed for the data center industry.