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Brochure - Powering Wireless Networks
Brochure - Powering Wireless Networks
So far, the idea of powering stations has been taken for granted.
In real life, however, we don’t have this luxury. Power supply
connection is a very real challenge, and planning for the inevitable sent across transmission lines from power plants is ac, a device
outages and interruptions is critical to keeping the network called a rectifier is needed to convert the ac current to dc before it
operating—no matter what complications may arise. can be used by the communications equipment.
As wireless technology evolves, new and different powering The rectifiers’ output is connected to both the radio and its
architectures have emerged. In this chapter, we will study three transmission equipment—the “load” for the current—as well as
aspects of powering wireless networks. the backup battery equipment (Figure 1).
The first topic is the largest, both literally and figuratively, so let’s
see what it takes to power a conventional site. Figure 1: Basic power system diagram—arrows indicate the
dc current’s direction
1 Macro site power Why go to the extra trouble of converting ac to dc? There are
Power types—dc vs. ac several reasons. First, most communications equipment includes
semiconductors and other integrated circuitry that are designed
The core technology that drives modern communications runs on
to operate specifically with dc, such as:
direct current (dc) electricity. This is different from the alternating
current (ac) we use in our homes and offices. Since electrical power ··Telephone switches
··Microwave transmitters
Volt (V) ··Fiber-optic transmitters
A measurement of electric potential difference between two points
in a path. Voltage is sometimes referred to as “pressure” because it
··Mobile radio and cellular systems
shares many characteristics with pressure in a water pipe. Another reason dc power is preferred for communications systems
Direct current (dc) is its reliability advantage. Even the most advanced electrical grid
An electrical current that runs continuously in a single direction, can fail from time to time, and no one is immune to the possibility
making it well suited for use in motors and electronic components of power interruptions that may last for hours or days. When the
such as semiconductors. Batteries also produce dc current.
outage occurs at a cell station, shutting down is not an option. So,
Alternating current (ac) battery backups are installed to allow continuous operation—and
An electrical current that changes polarity (direction) 50 to 60 times these power sources produce dc power.
per second. It offers significant =efficiencies when transmitted across
power lines—making it the standard current for household use.
– DC
R R B D
E E A I ac ac
inverter out L
C C T S O
Utility T T T T To
misc A
ac
dc loads D
dc
out S
converter
+ DC + DC
Li Ion, 80Ah
Li Ion, 80Ah
Li Ion, 80Ah
Figure 4: VRLA lithium ion batteries configured in series Figure 5: A VRLA multi-string battery configuration offering
for –48 V applications additional redundancy
··Lithium ion batteries This configuration also provides a convenient means of maintaining
These batteries are relatively new for wireless telecom the batteries. Often, these strings will be installed with separate
applications. Unlike VRLA batteries, which are composed of four disconnection breakers—making it easier to locate failures and
12 VDC batteries per string, lithium ion batteries are packaged
isolate problems that could otherwise cripple the entire system.
in a single rack-mounted module that provides –48 VDC output
(Figure 4). These batteries are highly compact (50 percent the
Lithium ion batteries are packaged in rack-mounted –48 VDC
volume of a comparable VRLA battery).
modules in parallel. Should an individual module fail, the remaining
The arrangement of these batteries in series determines the voltage modules will continue to provide backup power.
polarity. If each of the 12 V batteries shown above is rated for 100
amp-hours, then each series string of batteries could be expected Generators: the first line of defense
to produce 100 amps of current for one hour. Capacity is directly
If batteries are the last line of defense against service interruption,
related to the size of the battery; but, rather than spending more
generators are the first. Since batteries alone can maintain operations
on larger batteries, we can achieve the same boost to capacity by
for only a few hours, longer ac service interruptions require a longer-
adding more strings of batteries to the system in parallel as opposed
term solution—and that means generating our own power. Unlike
to adding them in series. This option also provides safeguards against
batteries, generators provide power by burning fuel. Like batteries,
the failure of an individual battery, which would remove its string
there are different types and configurations available. Which one you
from the system altogether. By connecting in parallel, the spare
install depends on factors like space, cost and service expectations.
capacity is already online and ready to maintain the current for its
rated length of time. A diagram of sample parallel battery strings
rated at 240 amp-hours appears below. Note that, if a battery failed
in any of the three series strings, the remaining two strings would
continue to supply steady power at 160 amp-hours (Figure 5).
ac power on
dc
AC Load
dc
Battery
Battery charger
ac power off
AC Load
Figure 8: CommScope’s Compact Modular Cabinet offers options
dc
for every need, such as integrated power solutions including
battery rectifier plants, ac panels, and battery trays.
Battery charger
Charge (+)
LVD -48
panel breaker
panel
Breaker LOADS
alarm
Batteries Temperature
comp sense probe
(electrically isolated
from battery)
Charge (–)
Modular rectifier shelves Shunt
N+1 parallel modules
Controller
Return
Ground bar
Charge/discharge panel
(Terminal panel)
Figure 9: A diagram of a typical –48 VDC power distribution system (Images and illustration courtesy of GE)
··Low-voltage disconnect (LVD). If a low-voltage condition Figure 12: A system controller interface displaying voltage,
amperage and alerts
is detected in the backup batteries, the controller can open
additional contacts to equalize voltage and close them again
when levels equalize.
-48V dc
-48V dc
R R B D
ac L
E E A I dc-dc voltage To O
C C T S converter
Utility out misc A
T T T T
ac -48V loads D
in
ac Return Return
Generator
Figure 13: A dc-dc converter system connected in series to a cell site’s power system
AC IN
AC IN
AC IN Secondary Secondary
DC OUT voltage voltage
DC OUT distribution
Shunt DC OUT network
Main power bus equipment
loads
AC IN Return bus
AC IN
AC IN
DCAC IN
OUT
AC IN
DC OUT
DC OUT
DC OUT
DC OUT Primary Primary
distribution
voltage
Battery string network
equipment
loads
Controller
Figure 14: Supporting two voltages at a single site using one power plant and converters
Figure 15: Converters and rectifiers occupying adjacent Online inverters feature a dc input and an ac output with an
power shelf slots optional ac standby line available.
Figure 16: A selectable voltage distribution panel, showing Figure 17: An integrated rectifier, dc distribution and controller
both +24V and –48V applications power system
R R B D
E E A I ac L
C C T S inverter O
Utility T T T T A
ac -48V D
im
ac Return
Generator
Figure 18: A dc-ac inverter system connected in series to a cell site’s power system
Batteries
Utility grid
ac 10
ac 30
ac or dc generator
dc fuel cell
Figure 19: Power source flexibility lets rectifiers draw from conventional or renewable sources
dc IN
ac IN
–48V dc dc electronic
Battery storage dc OUT
load
dc OUT
58
56
54
Battery voltage (V)
52
50
48
46
44
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
electronics reach their low-voltage drop-out value. next few years so an upgrade is not needed soon after the
cell site cabling is completed.
–– Battery backup time. Depending on the reliability needed
for a particular cell site, the tower-top electronics should have
enough battery backup time for a technician to reach the site
and ensure the generator has successfully started. This can
range from one to eight hours.
–– Power line losses. Energy efficiency really matters for cell sites.
Power loss is a function of the cable’s resistance multiplied by
the square value of the current. Use 54 volts to calculate the
current for efficiency since the rectifiers provide 54 VDC power
to the RRUs when primary power is connected.
RRH or
PowerShift
Remote
Wherever they are located, small cells require both data (fiber-
optic cable) and power (copper) in order to function. Hybrid
cable, containing both fiber and copper, makes this possible.
However, with the proliferation of new small cells, a new
distributed power connectivity strategy is required to manage
it all efficiently.
5G deployment may be several years away, yet it is already proving to be a major disrupter of the status quo. In
exceeding 95 percent efficiency, using higher-voltage distribution
preparing their networks to handle the massive demands for more bandwidth, new applications, lower latency
For the purposes of this paper, we have excluded in-building and venue solutions such as distributed
antenna systems (DAS) which are typically part of the macro layer.
The current efforts represent a small percentage of the millions of new small cells that will be needed to deliver
the much-anticipated promises of 5G. As small cell deployment continues to increase, mobile network operators
are facing a host of fundamental challenges, including how to deliver power to each individual node without
to power small cells without involving extra work from utilities
breaking the bank.
These deployments are most efficient when used for new clusters
Powering the future of small cells and beyond 1
of small cells, since that’s the best time to plan a centralized power
source that can serve the maximum number of neighboring small
cells. It also has the added advantage of cutting-edge fiber-optic
speed, bandwidth and low latency that optimize LTE today and
Small cell power—
enable 5G tomorrow.
a detailed analysis
small cell
AC
Power
Rectifier supply
The solution is ideal when both power and data connectivity can be deployed as part of a greenfield rollout, and where
multiple new locations can be
Fiber flexibility clustered around a single point of connection to the grid. (Figure 28)
point
Power hub with backup (RBC 36, CO, DSL cabinet) Fiber + power
same cable or pathway
Fiber + power
same cable or pathway
C-RAN hub
antenna systems (DAS) distant DAS remotes. Its capacity to deliver up to 1,460 watts also
makes it suitable for powering high-capacity, multiple-in, multiple-
out (MIMO) remote configurations.
The power behind indoor coverage
DAS is a technology that enables cellular coverage and capacity
in an indoor or mixed indoor-outdoor space. It is a network of
remote antennas connected to a radio and baseband unit that
is integrated with the outside macro wireless network. DAS is a
popular way to improve indoor connectivity or to offload massive
amounts of concentrated traffic from the macro network—such
as at a sports stadium, an airport or an office building, where
high amounts of traffic in a relatively small space can overwhelm
the broader network.
commscope.com
Visit our website or contact your local CommScope representative for more information.
BR-113273-EN (1/19)