ELECTRICAL SUPPLY
UPS technology advances and capabilities expand
Graeme Tucker, a director at Power Control, takes a look at recent developments in UPS technology, and the potential benefits to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Rapidly advancing healthcare technology is transforming the way patients are being diagnosed and treated. From sensitive medical imaging equipment to connected devices, data monitoring, and lab tests, the future of healthcare lies in working hand in hand with technology, and with that comes the need for efficient power generation and protection.
When compared with other hospital technologies, the visual progression of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS systems) has seemed somewhat gradual. This is predominantly down to the critical requirement for a power supply to be running ‘24/7’, and the knowledge that using proven technology means it will simply work when needed, so why reinvent the wheel?
Greater efficiency
However, over the past decade or so, a UPS system’s internal components have advanced to be more efficient, driven mainly by the commercial market to improve overall efficiency or PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) within data centres and IT applications. The improved UPS efficiency also contributes to reducing the client’s carbon footprint, operating costs, and cooling demands. Telemechanical advances to UPS mean that the units have also become smaller and lighter, with less heat dissipation.
Although the demand has been mainly centred around other market sectors, there has been a positive knock-on effect on the healthcare market, which has seen Estates managers benefit from these UPS advancements. For example, due to the lower loads typically found in healthcare, high-efficiency UPS could save 40-50% in energy consumption. The smaller UPS footprint means hospital plantroom space can be optimised and reduced.
How does lithium-ion shape up? The high market demand for lithium-ion batteries has also started to creep into the UPS standby market. This is an exciting advancement for the UPS industry, and could provide a wealth of benefits to the healthcare facility. As advancements are made to hospital equipment, the need for
A new UPS installation at a southern NHS Trust.
additional power to older facilities also increases. Lithium-ion batteries can be used as an additional supply of mains power to cope with the temporary spikes that are often caused by advanced medical technology.
Although not mentioned in HTM 06-01, battery technology is evolving. Over recent years, lithium-ion has been one of the most anticipated developments in the UPS industry. When paired with a UPS, lithium-ion batteries present not only an efficient and reliable tertiary power supply, but also numerous benefits to the healthcare industry.
The chemistry behind lithium-ion batteries gives them the ability to store large amounts of electricity, and increases the number of times that they can be charged/discharged during their lifetime, making them the perfect catalyst for peak shaving. In the energy industry, ‘peak shaving’ refers to the levelling out of peaks in electricity used by energy storage systems. This is commonly used to take advantage of drawing and storing energy during times where electricity from the grid is cheap, and then using the stored electricity during peak times of the day. While this is a benefit in itself for preserving healthcare budgets, it also branches into load control, whereby the UPS provides
short bursts of additional power above what is available from a mains supply.
Drawing on stored energy For example, if the maximum input of a hospital is 100 KW, where a lithium-ion UPS is installed, the input supply can be limited to the maximum 100 KW, and any additional power needed to support medical equipment will be drawn from energy stored in the batteries of the UPS system. In this scenario, the UPS is being used as both an energy storage system and a tertiary power supply, in line with the relevant regulation relating to medical applications and back-up power. Lithium batteries also offer a reduced footprint, greater tolerance to cycling, and the ability to cope with various environmental conditions. Lead-acid batteries are limited in how much charging current they can handle, mainly because they would overheat, whereas lithium-ion can handle a higher amperage from the charger. In some cases, the batteries can charge up to twice as quickly, making them the ideal battery for applications that require constant use.
Where a VRLA battery handles, on average, 300 cycles, a lithium-ion battery handles 5000, 10 times the amount. This is critical for an application that requires
October 2021 Health Estate Journal 65
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