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UPS Backfeed Protection

Enhanced safety and reliability

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved.

 Back-feeding – what is it?
• Back-feeding of power means that the power transfer
within an electrical device is towards the input terminals
• This creates a safety hazard since, as a result, input terminals
may be powered even if they have been disconnected from the
mains supply

• Backfeed protection is implemented to shield the bypass

line from thyristor short circuit failure in the static switch

• Backfeed protection is implemented to prevent leakage

current via the static switch snubbers and SCRs from
creating upstream voltages when mains is not present

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 2

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 Backfeed protection requirements

• The international standard IEC 62040-1 and

AS62040.1.1:2003 require that
the UPS device shall prevent all hazardous voltage and energy
from being transferred to the UPS input terminals after the input
power has been interrupted

• The standards allows for two alternative

implementations of backfeed protection
• installing an internal backfeed isolation device within the UPS
• installing an external backfeed isolation device with only
backfeed detection implemented within the UPS

• Note: (AS 62040.1.1-2003 Uninterruptible power systems (UPS) — General and safety
requirements for UPS used in operator access areas, section 5.1.4 Back feed protection.)

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 3

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 Backfeed protection requirements

IEC 62040-1 and AS62040.1.1:2003 state the following:

“For permanently connected UPS without internal automatic backfeed isolation (see
5.1.4), the instructions shall require the fitting by the user of a warning label on all
primary power isolators installed remote from the UPS area, to warn electrical
maintenance personnel that the circuit feeds a UPS.

The warning label shall carry the following wording or equivalent.

ISOLATE UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS)

BEFORE WORKING ON THIS CIRCUIT”

The practical implications are that all isolators in the chain feeding the UPS must
be so identified if the UPS does not have backfeed protection.

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 4

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Backfeed protection in a single UPS
system

• Eaton 3-phase UPS equipment include internal backfeed

contactors as standard*
• Backfeed contactor is situated in the bypass line

*model dependent
© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 5
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Benefits of an internal backfeed contactor

In addition to the safety related

advantages:

• Internal backfeed protection brings

operational advantages
• The UPS is able to continue in double-
conversion mode even in the case of a static
switch fault before and while maintenance
work is carried out
• The bypass lines in a parallel system have
redundancy
• Backfeed protection is tested during standard
manufacturing testing

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 6

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Backfeed protection in a single UPS
system

• The internal backfeed contactor is used to

automatically protect against fault situations
in the static switch

• If a thyristor suffers a short-circuit failure

• The inverter output to the bypass input terminal become
shorted
• Opening the backfeed contactor prevents the
backfeeding of power

The UPS can stay in double-conversion mode

even in the case of a static switch failure

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 7

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Backfeed protection in a single UPS
system

• Internal backfeed contactors in Eaton UPS units are always tested

as a part of standard manufacturing testing
• During the UPS burn-in tests
• The UPS unit runs at 80% of its nominal power in both double-
conversion and bypass modes
• Current measurement accuracy of the static switch is tested
• The backfeed contactor functionality
is tested

• Accurate bypass current

measurement enables backfeed
detection

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 8

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Backfeed protection in a parallel UPS
system

• If a fault in one of the static

switches were to occur, inverters
would start feeding current back
to the input transformer
• Backfeed contactor opens

• The static bypass lines have

redundancy
• Failure of one static bypass does
not prevent the other bypass
lines from operating

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 9

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Backfeed protection in a centralised
bypass system

• In a centralised bypass
topology the system bypass
module (SBM) provides a
common bypass line for the
paralleled UPS modules

• The Eaton SBM module

includes an internal back-
feed disconnect device as
standard

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 10

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Problems using external backfeed
contactors

• External backfeed contactor means:

• Space needs to be reserved in the input switchgear for the
UPS backfeed isolation device

• Often only one backfeed contactor is installed per entire

parallel UPS system
• Failure in one of the static switches results in the loss of all the
static bypass lines connected to the common backfeed contactor

• If the UPS doesn’t have a circuit for controlling an external

contactor, then the only functionality that you can have is to
protect against feedback through SCRs and snubbers during
mains failure

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 11

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Which Eaton UPS has backfeed
protection?

© 2012 Eaton Corporation. All rights reserved. 12

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Questions

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