Technical Bulletin 1-14

Thinking About Replacing Your Old UPS?

MGE has had a track record of successful UPS operation since 1971. During this time we
have had a good opportunity to view the operational lifecycle of equipment in the field. It
has been demonstrated with UPSs like the EPS 4000 that 15-20 year life spans are no
problem, with a reliability track record that would make even the most critical operation
safe beyond a doubt. So why replace your old UPS? Incentives to replacing older UPSs
come about principally from technological advances, operating costs advantages and
space constraints.

Technological advances that made a

difference: Technological advances that
have most profoundly affected UPS design
are the advent of IGBT's (Insulated Gate
Bipolar Transistors). These devices have
largely replaced SCR's (Silicon Controlled
Rectifiers) in UPS inverter construction.
IGBT's offer the advantage of much simpler
driver circuitry reducing the PC board, heat
sink and overall inverter size by a factor of
five times. IGBT's also offer far better
switching characteristics (a much sharper Top: An new IGBT
rise and fall cycle). This sharp switching inverter for the EPS 6000
(12" x 20")
allows the UPS to use pulse width
modulation technology, creating an output Left: An inverter leg for an
waveform that is practically distortion free, SCR based EPS 6000
without filters. The output waveform can (48" x 20")
also be optimized for non-linear (computer
and electronic) loads as the PWM
technology compensates for the severe
harmonic feedback associated with these loads.

Optimized IGBT inverters vs. Inverters that use IGBT's: While some manufacturers
have simply retrofit the inverter sections of the UPS with IGBT's taking advantage of the
lower costs from reduced drive circuitry requirements, MGE actually manufactured a
whole new series of UPSs specifically designed to take full advantage of IGBT
technology. Most notably MGE implemented a variable frequency, variable pulse
switching technology for the inverter, optimizing the output waveform pulse width and
switching frequency according to the load requirements. The benefit is seen in MGE's
system efficiency, which now remains high and stable all the way down to very low loads.
This is a major advantages over "plain" IGBT based UPSs that witness a substantial drop
off in the efficiency at lower
loads where most UPSs
operate. Compared to an SCR
based UPS and some non-
optimized IGBT UPS,
operating efficiencies may be
up to 10% higher on MGE's
IGBT UPS. This translates out
to substantial energy cost
savings.
 How a new UPS can pay for itself!

Efficiency Differences Between Old and New UPSs

Modern EPS KVA Range Efficiency Efficiency advantage over
older SCR type UPS
EPS 6000 225-4,500 kVA 94.5% 5-10%
COMET 50-150 kVA 94.5% 5-10%

Cost Savings / Efficiency Difference

1% 2% 3% 4% 5%
Load (kW) 1 year 5 years 1 year 5 years 1 year 5 years 1 year 5 years 1 year 5 years
2500 $28,470 $163,724 $56,940 $327,447 $85,410 $491,171 $113,880 $654,894 $142,350 $818,618
1500 $17,082 $98,234 $34,164 $196,468 $51,246 $294,702 $68,328 $392,936 $85,410 $491,171
500 $5,694 $32,745 $11,388 $65,489 $17,082 $98,234 $22,776 $130,979 $28,470 $163,724
100 $1,139 $6,549 $2,278 $13,098 $3,416 $19,647 $4,555 $26,196 $5,694 $32,745

Note: Calculations based on a utility rate of $0.10 per kWh, $0.03 / kWh per kW of heat rejection for air conditioning costs and a 6% cost of capital compounded
annually for five year cost savings estimates. The above numbers are only estimates. Actual savings will vary depending on utility costs.

w A 5% efficiency difference can practically pay for the cost of a new

UPS in under five years. A new MGE UPS is up to 10% more efficient
than many older UPS.

Why are SCRs still used in the UPS rectifier and Static Switch? Note that SCR's are
still widely used on the rectifier and static switch portions of the most modern UPSs. This
is because in DC based functions (i.e. rectifiers) or simple switching functions (i.e. static
switches) IGBT's offer no real advantage over SCR's. In fact SCRs are slightly more
robust in static switch applications (due to a higher capacity to sustain short circuits), still
making SCRs the premium choice.

The space reduction advantage: The other major revolution in newer generation UPSs
is the reduction in footprint. Toady's UPSs are practically half the size of UPSs 10-15
years ago. This is important in large data centers and growing facilities where floor
space is at a premium. While the battle to reduce the footprint continues, the biggest
gains in size reduction have been made over the last 10 years.

How long will my UPS last? From a life expectancy of components standpoint, chances
are an old EPS4000 will outlive most people beyond retirement if maintained properly.
The only components really subject to replacement are the capacitors and fans, which
should be changed according to the recommended maintenance schedule. Other
components on the UPS are not really subject to deterioration. MGE will continue to
keep stock of parts for 10 years after a major product is discontinued, offering the
customer a chance to keep the UPS far longer than many other pieces of electrical
equipment. Other component deterioration can be argued but has not proven to be a
cause of critical load failure. Of course we recommend that a newer UPS will offer the
benefit of newer components but the other good news for MGE owners is that the
reliability of the old EPS 4000 UPSs continues to prove to be outstanding.
Have UPSs become more reliable? Sure we have learned from the past but UPS
reliability even 10 years ago was still extremely high on the larger kVA modules. So while
the newer generation of UPSs certainly offer an increased level of reliability, statistically
the failure rate has been so low that increases in reliability are now measured in five
decimal points as opposed to four decimal points (99.99999% up time). MGE customers
seeking to improve reliability continue to pursue redundant configurations (sharing the
load among many modules) as opposed to looking at using "the most reliable UPS".

What MGE has recognized over time is that operator error and batteries are by far the
two biggest reasons attributable to critical load losses. Responding to this issue, MGE
integrated the Advanced Battery Management System into it's three phase UPS.
Included in this system are battery end off line predictions warning users when batteries
are approaching the end of their useful life, as well as predicative failure tests that
analyze battery discharge performance for irregularities. The latest operator interface
has also been enhanced with safety interlocks to prevent user initiated load losses.

In conclusion, the top reasons for looking at replacement of older

generation UPSs are:
w Operating costs reductions (energy savings often pay for the cost of the new UPS)

w Smaller footprint (freeing up valuable space and allowing for expansion)

w Better performance (higher dynamic response and lower distortion of the output
waveform)