10

Prior to selecting the UPS, it is necessary to

determine the need. UPS may be needed for a
variety of purposes such as lighting, startup
power, transportation, mechanical utility systems,
heating, refrigeration, production, fire protection,
space conditioning, data processing, communica-
tion, life support, or signal circuits.

Some facilities need an UPS for more than one

SIZING CALCULATION

purpose. It is important to determine the

acceptable delay between loss of primary power
and availability of UPS power, the length of time
that emergency or backup power is required, and
the criticality of the load that the UPS must bear. All
of these factors play into the sizing of the UPS and
the selection of the type of the UPS

10-1
 SELECTION OF UPS
3 PHASE OR 1 PHASE

Single phase power is used in most homes and small
businesses and adequate for running lights, fans, 1 or
2 ACs, some computers and motors up to about 5
horsepower; a single phase motor draws significantly
more current than the equivalent 3-phase motor,
making 3-phase power a more efficient choice for
industrial applications
Single-phase
1
0.5
Voltage
Most consumers of electricity in India have a three
phase mains connection if the total load is more
than 5-7 KW. Only if expected load is below 5-7KW,
then the consumer gets a single phase connection.
Even when the consumer has a three phase
connection, the choice of three phase or single
phase UPS depends on several factors like the
loads to be connected to UPS and also electrical
distribution within the facility from the building
incomer, electrical switchgear and distribution units
to the room the loads to be protected are within.
This not only builds up a complete picture of the

0
electrical circuits on-site. It also helps to determine
-0.5
whether to offer a three phase or single phase UPS
-1 system.
0 90 180 270 360
TIME
UPS Systems – Input and Output Phases
Figure-1 With the waveform of single-phase power, when the wave passes
through zero, the power supplied at that moment is zero. The wave cycles In UPS there are three potential phase
50 times per second configurations available. This is because a 3
phase mains or generator supply actually consists
3-phase power is common in large businesses, data
of three single phase supplies (and a neutral) with
centers, as well as industry and manufacturing around
a 120 degree phase orientation between the them.
the globe. While it is expensive to convert to three
A 3 phase supply can deliver more electrical
phase from an existing single phase
power than a single phase supply.
installation, 3-phase allows for smaller, safer and less
expensive wiring. The laws of physics and Ohms Law also come into
play, meaning that cable sizes also increase in
3-phase
1
diameter as amperages rise. A 10KVA output is
generally the largest single phase UPS system
0.5
available. This is due to the output amperage and
Voltage

0 cable requirements. 10KVA=10,000VA / 230Vac =

43.5Amps.
-0.5
In the world of UPS, it is common to refer to a
-1
0 90 180 270 360 single phase UPS only by its KVA/KW rating i.e.
Time 5KVA. However for a three phase UPS it is
Figure-2 3-phase power has 3 distinct wave cycles that overlap. Each common to refer to the KVA/KW rating along with
phase reaches its peak 120 degrees apart from the others so the level the number of phases i.e. 20KVA 3/1 or 100KVA
of power supplied remains consistent 3/3.

10-2
© Copyrights Reserved
 SELECTION OF UPS
3 PHASE OR 1 PHASE
3 Phase UPS Systems (3/3 and 3/1)
Most datacentres, commercial and industrial
buildings will have a 3 phase electrical incomer that
connects them via a local distribution transformer to
the Mains. Three phase circuits may be required
throughout the building to carry the large amounts of
electrical power required for large KVA three phase
This is a generalisation as many environments can
include both single and three phase loads of course.
From a UPS systems perspective, if we are to
connect the UPS to a three phase supply we require a
UPS with a 3/x configuration. If the loads are three
phase as well, then we require a 3/3 configuration. If
the loads are single phase we may need a 3/1
configuration.
Using a three phase UPS system can simplify a power
continuity plan and allows a site to adopt a centralised
power protection plan, where one large UPS is used to
protect a complete building or critical circuits and
operations within it. This is in contrast to a
decentralised power continuity plan using a number
of smaller UPS dispersed to protect clusters of loads
like computers and lower power equipment (<10KVA)
within a facility.
Single Phase UPS Systems (1/1)
The wall sockets that we typically plug into are single
phase supplies rated at 230Vac 50Hz in India. Typical
examples would include ATMs, small lab equipments,
desktop computers, file servers, switches, routers,
hubs and telecoms systems.
Single phase UPS systems up to 2KVA can be
supplied with a plug or with covered terminals for
hardwired installation. At 3KVA, the power
required means that the UPS will be supplied as
either a hardwired system or with a 16A plug.
Above 5KVA to the largest single phase UPS
10-3
© Copyrights Reserved
system available (typically 10KVA) the UPS will
require a hardwired installation and should also
include an UPS maintenance bypass switch.
UPS System Load Sizing
When sizing UPS it is important to know the phase
configuration required by both the mains supply
and the loads, in addition to the overall load size.
Electrical consultants and electrical contractors
will often state both load size and phase
configuration. An example would include ‘120KVA
three phase’. This refers to a 120KVA load run
from a three phase 415Vac, 50Hz supply. In terms
of load sizing, this means that each phase (of the
3 phase electrical supply) will deliver upto 40KVA
(or 174Amps at 230Vac). If the statement was
120KVA per phase then we would be looking at
3×120KVA per phase = 360KVA UPS load. The
need for a 120KVA three phase UPS could be met
with three single phase output 40KVA UPS
provided the connected loads are single phase
loads. These would be 3/1 configured and
installed one per phase. However, the overall
capital, installation and energy efficiency costs
just rose by a factor of 3 compared to a single
120KVA UPS system installation. 3/1 UPS upto
60KVA are also used in office environment where
the loads are single phase and this removes the
need to balance the load connections in each of
the three phases. Larger 3/1 UPS even upto
200KVA are typically required for DCS and
SCADA loads in heavy industries like Power Plant,
Steel Plant etc.
Typical UPS
Input Output Nomenclature Mains Voltage
Sizes
1 Phase 1 Phase 1/1 230/230Vac, 50Hz 400VA-10KVA
3 Phase 1 Phase 3/1 415/230Vac, 50Hz 5 - 200KVA
3 Phase 3 Phase 3/3 415/415Vac, 50Hz 10KVA – 4.8MVA
 UPS SIZING
STEADY STATE LOAD
CONDITIONS

Steady State Loading Conditions Type of Load Redundancy Configuration

As like any other power source, UPS is a limited power Level of UPS

supply and the capacity of the UPS is defined in KVA Non-Critical Load 0% N
(apparent Power) and KW (real power). Critical Loads 66% N+1

Critical Loads 100% N+N

To arrive at the capacity of UPS and the configuration of
Critical Loads 100% 2N
UPS, the following steps needs to be followed Fault Tolerant System

• Step 1  Need of Load

• Step 2  Configuration of UPS Step 3: Selecting the required UPS capacity

• Step 3  Check on the KVA & KW demand

supplied by the UPS Based on the total demand and the configuration
of UPS, the capacity of UPS is selected. The total

Step 1: Need of Load load in KVA and KW derived in step 1 will have to
divided by N as selected in step 2 to arrive the

Tabulate the need of load as shown in the below table UPS capacity.

and arrive at the load demand of the loads expected to

Total Load in KW (From Step 1)
be connected to the UPS. UPS Capacity in KW = ------------------------------------------ = > Total UPS in KW
N (from Step 2)

Total Load in KVA (From Step 1)

(Note: The load power factor has to be measured at the site or can be
UPS Capacity in KVA = ------------------------------------------ =>Total UPS in KVA
assumed based on the past experience) N (from Step 2)

Load KVA Demand Load Power Factor KW Demand

Load 1 KVA1 PF 1 KVA x PF1

Load 2 KVA2 PF2 KVA x PF2

Load 3 KVA3 PF3 KVA x PF3

Load n KVAn PFn KVA x PFn

Total Load KVA KW/KVA KW

Step 2: Configuration of UPS

The criticality, of the loads will determine the necessary

availability of the UPS. Based on the criticality the UPS
capacity or configuration can be selected

Where N is the no of UPS, required to support the Load.

For critical load with 66% redundancy N>2, where a
minimum of 2 UPS is required to support the load and
1 UPS for redundancy.
10-4
© Copyrights Reserved
 DYNAMIC LOADING
CONDITIONS

The sizing of UPS for loads which are dynamic in nature Number of Loads and Sequence of Operation
is a complicated subject, but with the recorded
The UPS selection depends on the no of loads, if
information as shown below, the optimised UPS
there is only one load, then the selection of UPS is
capacity can be derived based on
simple and is based on the maximum peak Current.
• Inrush Current-Nature & Duration
• Peak Process Current–Nature & Duration
UPS Capacity in KVA = √3 X V X Irms-peak
• Number of Loads, sequence of their operation
• Load Power Factor
If there are multiple loads with a combination of
• KVA and KW Demand of the UPS
static and dynamic loading characteristic, then
Inrush Current the UPS capacity is selected based on the
sequence of operation of the loads.
Input surge current or switch-on surge is the
maximum, instantaneous input current drawn by an
Sequential Operation of Load
electrical device when first turned on. The inrush
current can be omitted in the selection calculation if the
When the loads are operated in sequence, the
load is switched on only once and run continuously till
UPS capacity is selected based on the summation
the next shutdown of the plant as we can switch the
of rms currents of all the connected loads and the
loads in manual bypass and once the loads reach the
maximum rms peak current of the load as shown
steady state current, the loads can be transferred to the
in the below formula
UPS.

UPS Capacity in KVA =√3 X VX ((∑1N Irms)+ Imaxrms-peak)

If the loads are switched on & off repetitively then the
UPS selection should include the inrush current also.
Non-Sequential Operation of Loads

Peak Process Current When the loads are not operated in a sequence,
the UPS capacity is selected based on the
It is the maximum current drawn momentarily by the
summation of rms currents of all the connected
loads during the process time. This current can be
loads and the rms peak current of all the
repetitive in nature. The peak current has to be part of
connected load as shown in the below formula
the UPS Sizing calculation irrespective of the nature
and duration.
UPS capacity in KVA =√3 X V X ∑1n(Irms+ Irms-peak)

10-5
© Copyrights Reserved
 BATTERY SIZING
CALCULATION

The purpose of the battery is to provide DC power to

the inverter of the UPS when the mains fail and
becomes an important component in the UPS system.
There are different technologies of battery available in
the market like Lead acid battery which is further
classified as Tubular battery, Sealed Maintenance
free(SMF,VRLA)Battery, Nickel Cadmium and Lithium
Ion battery.

Sealed Maintenance Free, Valve Regulated Lead Acid

(SMF VRLA Battery) is mostly used with the UPS
systems today. Figure 3 Schematic of Battery in Series and Parallel

A VRLA battery utilizes a one-way, pressure-relief By design, the battery has to be operated in a
valve system to achieve a “recombinant” technology. controlled electrical and environmental conditions
This means that the oxygen normally produced on the and the critical elements affecting battery life are:
positive plate is absorbed by the negative plate. This
suppresses the production of hydrogen at the 1. Under charge  Charging of battery with a
negative plate. Water (H2O) is produced instead, lower voltage and current
retaining the moisture within the battery. It never 2. Cycling  Cyclic usage of battery
needs watering, and should never be opened as this 3. Overcharge  Charging of battery with a
would expose the battery to excess oxygen from the higher voltage or current which is above the
air. recommended conditions of the manufacturer
4. Temperature  The ambient temperature
• The nominal cell voltage of a battery cell is 2V, 6
cells are connected in series inside the battery References
container to have a final voltage of 12V.
• The capacity of the battery is defined as • IEEE 1184:2006 IEEE Guide for Batteries for
“Ampere Hour (AH)”. Uninterruptible Power Supply Systems
• The batteries are connected in series to increase • IEEE 485:1997 IEEE Recommended
the voltage of the battery bank and are Practice for Sizing Lead-Acid Batteries for
connected in parallel to increase the capacity of Stationary Applications
the battery bank. • Datasheet’s of major battery manufacturer’s

10-6
© Copyrights Reserved
 LIFE EXPECTANCY OF
SMF VRLA BATTERY

Design Life of Battery

100

Expected Life (Percent of Rated)

Design life is determined by the manufacturer and
80
takes into account cell design and battery ageing
under controlled conditions in the manufacturer’s lab. 60

However, the design life of battery can be only used

40
for reference as the real service life of battery depends
on the various factor like 20

• Operating Temperature 75 80 85 90 95 100 105 110

• Number of charge, discharge cycle
• Charging conditions
• Depth of discharge
In simple terms, the battery will reach its end of life
when its capacity falls below 80% of its rated
capacity and warrants for immediate replacement.
Impact of temperature on life of battery
The battery is rated in watts/cell at an ambient
temperature of 25-27deg C. When the operating
temperature or battery is less the capacity of the
battery will be reduced and when the temperature is
higher than the design temperature, the capacity of
Percent of Capacity Available
Temperature ( ºF )
Figure 4 Temperature vs Life Curve
Frequency and Depth of Discharge
The life of a battery is related to the frequency
and depth of discharges. A battery can provide
more short duration, shallow cycles than
long-duration, deep discharge cycles. Even
momentary fluctuations in the AC power to the
UPS may result in battery discharges for several
seconds or more. Frequent cycling of the UPS
battery, even for short durations, shortens
battery life.
at 27oc
120

100
the battery increases.
80

60
Elevated temperature operation will shorten battery 100% DoD 50%DoD 30%DoD
40
life. A general rule of thumb for lead-acid batteries is
that the prolonged use at elevated temperatures will 20

reduce the battery life by approximately 50% for every

200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200

8 ºC above 25 ºC No. of cycles

Figure 5 Cyclic Life of Battery

10-7
© Copyrights Reserved
 CONSIDERATIONS FOR
BATTERY SIZING

Load Profiling Ageing factor captures the decrease in battery

Sizing a battery is important to ensure that the loads
being supplied or the power system being supported
are adequately catered for by the battery for a period
of time (i.e. autonomy) for which it is designed.
Improper battery sizing can lead to poor autonomy
times, permanent damage to battery cells from
over-discharge, and UPS shutdown due to low
voltage.
The load profiling has to be done based on
• Nature of Loads to be supported by the battery
• Continuous
• Non-Continuous
• Momentary
%Rated capacity
performance due to age. The performance of a
lead-acid battery is relatively stable but drops
markedly at latter stages of life. The "knee point"
of its life vs performance curve is approximately
when the battery can deliver 80% of its rated
capacity. After this point, the battery has reached
the end of its useful life and should be replaced.
Therefore, to ensure that battery can meet
capacity throughout its useful life, an ageing
factor of 1.25 should be applied (i.e. 1 / 0.8).
There are some exceptions, check with the
manufacturer.

100

• Battery autonomy time 95

90 % RATED CAPACITY
• Design Margin 85

• Ageing Factor 80

• Effects of temperature 10 20 30 40
% Life
50 60 70 80 90 100

Figure 6 Capacity vs Life Curve

Design Margin
Effects of Temperature

Design Margin is considered to provide a capacity Temperature correction factor is an allowance to

margin to allow for unforeseen additions of load to the capture the ambient installation temperature. The
UPS system and less-than optimum operating capacity for battery cells are typically quoted for
conditions of the battery due to improper maintenance, a standard operating temperature of 25 deg C
recent discharge, or ambient temperatures higher than and where this differs with the installation
anticipated, or a combination of these factors. A temperature, a correction factor must be applied.
method of providing this design margin is by adding IEEE 485 gives guidance for vented lead-acid
load of 10–15% to the battery sizing calculations. cells (see table), however for sealed lead-acid
and Ni-Cd cells, please consult manufacturer
for recommendations. Note that high
temperatures, lower battery life irrespective of
capacity and the correction factor is for capacity
sizing only, i.e. you CANNOT increase battery life
by increasing capacity.

10-8
© Copyrights Reserved
TEMPERATURE
CORRECTION
FACTOR FOR
BATTERY SIZING

Cell Size Electrolyte Temperature Cell Size

Electrolyte Temperature
correction correction

factor factor
(oF) (oC) (oF) (oC)

25 -3.9 1.520 78 25.6 0.994

30 -1.1 1.430 79 26.1 0.987

35 1.7 1.350 80 26.7 0.980

40 4.4 1.300 81 27.2 0.976

45 7.2 1.250 82 27.8 0.972

50 10.0 1.190 83 28.3 0.968

55 12.8 1.150 84 28.9 0.964

60 15.6 1.110 85 29.4 0.960

65 18.3 1.080 86 30.0 0.956

66 18.9 1.072 87 30.6 0.952

67 19.4 1.064 88 31.1 0.948

68 20.0 1.056 89 31.6 0.944

69 20.6 1.048 90 32.2 0.940

70 21.1 1.040 95 35.0 0.930

71 21.7 1.034 100 37.8 0.910

72 22.2 1.029 105 40.6 0.890

73 22.8 1.023 110 43.3 0.880

74 23.4 1.017 115 46.1 0.870

75 23.9 1.011 120 48.9 0.860

76 24.5 1.006 125 51.7 0.850

77 25.0 1.000

Note --- This table is based on vented lead-acid nominal 1.215 specific gravity. However, it may be used
for vented cells with upto a 1.300 specific gravity. For cells of other designs, refer to the manufacturer.

10-9
© Copyrights Reserved
 BATTERY SIZING
CALCULATION FOR
UPS SYSTEMS

Battery Sizing Calculation for UPS System Battery is connected to a DC-DC Converter and the
output of the DC-DC converter is connected as an
The inverter of UPS provides a constant voltage to input to the UPS (refer figure 9)
the loads connected to it. During a battery discharge
the battery supplies constant power to the inverter of In this case, the load on the battery is based on the
the UPS. The DC input voltage to the inverter output load connected to the inverter, the losses of
decreases during the discharge. To maintain a the inverter bridge and also the losses of the
constant power output, the battery discharge current DC-DC Converter,which could increase the
increases accordingly required battery capacity.
VOLTS DC

AMPS DC

Rectifier Inverter
Mains Supply

Output to
15KW
130 130
Critical
125 RES
AMPE 14KW Load
120 120 POWER = V*A
115
110 110 VOLTA 153KW
GE
105
100 100 12KW
95 Battery
90 90 Battery
85
Charger
MINUTES
Figure 9 UPS with DC-DC Charger between the inverter and Battery

Figure 7 Constant Power Discharge Characteristics
There are different methods to connect the battery
with the inverter of UPS. Battery can be connected
directly to input of the inverter (refer Figure 8)
In this case, the load on the battery is purely based
on the output load connected to the inverter and the
losses of the inverter bridge.
UPS Efficiency And Power Factor
UPS power ratings are quoted in volt-amperes (VA)
and/or watts. The rating in watts is equal to the
rating in volts-amperes multiplied by the power
factor.
UPS output power rating in watts = UPS output in
volts-amperes × power factor

Rectifier Inverter
Mains Supply

Output to The battery load for sizing purpose is the UPS

Critical
output rating in watts divided by the efficiency of the
Load
inverter. The efficiency should be based on rated
UPS output.
Battery UPS output power in kilo watts X1000
Nominal battery load in W =
Figure 8 Battery connected to the DC bus Inverter efficiency

Nominal battery load in W

Nominal battery load in W/Battery =
No of Batteries

10-10
© Copyrights Reserved
 BATTERY SIZING
CALCULATION

Adjusted Battery Load Calculation

The nominal battery load should be adjusted for ageing and

operating temperature conditions.

Battery Load in W/Battery = Nominal battery load in W/Battery

× ageing factor × temperature correction factor x design
margin

This final battery load in battery has to be cross referred with

the battery manufacturer’s discharge characteristics for a
specified battery autonomy time (sample table is shown in fig
10) with the required cutoff voltage to arrive at the capacity of
the battery required.

General Guidelines for Battery Selection

• Calculate the load in Watts-hours as accurate as

possible.
• Include system losses due to efficiencies of power
conditioning (inverter, battery charger - DC/DC
converters).
• Include the appropriate factors: Temperature,autonomy,
design margin, and depth of discharge (DOD), ageing
factor
• Consider shallow DOD (max 20% recommended) and
occasional deeper DOD (max 80%)
• Select highest battery capacities per unit to reduce the
number of battery strings in parallel for better charge
balance. The recommended maximum number of strings in

10-11
© Copyrights Reserved
 CONSTANT
BATTERY SIZING POWER
DISCHARGE RATING
CALCULATION
WATTS PER BATTERY
Constant power discharge rating watts per battery @ 27 OC*
DURATION
ECV
10 min 15 min 20 min 30 min 60 min 2 hrs 3 hrs 5 hrs 8 hrs 10 hrs 20 hrs
1.60 3594 2801 2269 1817 1125 680 495 340 225 183 93
1.65 3441 2764 2223 1786 1100 670 483 325 219 181 92
1.70 3288 2727 2177 1755 1075 659 470 318 213 180 92
1.75 3135 2690 2127 1724 1050 649 456 310 210 178 91
1.80 2982 2570 2078 1693 1024 638 442 302 207 177 90

Figure 10: Sample constant power discharge rating of battery

Sample Calculation :
15 mins backup on a 500KVA UPS with an output power factor of 0.9
UPS Rating (KVA) 500KVA Specified by Customer or Consultant

Actual Load on UPS (KVA) 500KVA Specified by Customer or Consultant

Output Power Factor 0.8 Specified by Customer or Consultant

Inverter Efficiency (n) 95% Based on UPS Manufacturer’s data

No of Batteries 50 Nos Based on UPS Manufacturer’s data

End Cell Voltage (ECV) 1.75V Specified by Customer or Consultant

Backup time required (in mins) 10 mins Specified by Customer or Consultant

Ageing Factor 1.25 Specified by Customer or Consultant

Design Margin 1 Specified by Customer or Consultant

Temperature Correction Factor 1 Specified by Customer or Consultant

Step 1:
Arrive UPS output power rating in watts = UPS output in volts-amperes × power factor
= 500 X 0.8 KW = 400KW

Step 2:
Arrive the nominal battery load in W

UPS output power in kW X1000 Answer of Step 1

Nominal battery load in W = =
Inverter efficiency Inverter efficiency
400 X 1000
= ------------------ = 421053 W
0.95

10-12
© Copyrights Reserved
 SAMPLE
CALCULATION

Step 3:

Arrive the nominal battery load in W per Battery

Answer of step 2 4721053

Nominal battery load in W/Battery = = = 8421 W/Battery
No of Batteries 50
Step 4:

Arrive at the adjusted battery power required by taking into consideration design margin,
ageing factor and TCF (Temperature correction factor)

Adjusted nominal battery load in W/Battery = Answer of Step 3 X Design Margin X Ageing Factor X TCF
= 8421.05 X 1 X 1.25 X 1
=10526 W/Battery

As the maximum available AH is 200AH Battery in 12V SMF VRLA battery, we need to parallel multiple
strings of battery to achieve the desired backup time.

Step 5
Watts/Per battery required (Answer of step 4)
No of strings required =
Watts the battery can deliver
(from battery manufacturer datasheet)

A 160AH battery can deliver 3552 W at end cell voltage of 1.75V/Cell for 10 mins
10526 W
= = 2.96 strings = 3 strings
3552W
Hence in this scenario, 3 strings of 160AH battery with 50 battery in each string will provide 10 mins backup
at end cell voltage of 1.75V/Cell.

10-13
© Copyrights Reserved
 SELECTION OF
CABLES

Selection Of Cables For this reason, the following rule may be applied:
The cross section of cables depends on: neutral cross section = 2 x phase cross section in
• Permissible temperature rise Sq mm
• Permissible voltage drop
For a given load, each of these parameters results in a Output Cables
minimum permissible cross section. The larger of the
two must be used. To arrive at the cross section of the cable, the
output current needs to be calculated using the
When routing cables, care must be taken to maintain below formula
the required distances between control circuits and
power circuits, to avoid any EMI disturbances caused KVAX1000
by HF currents. Rated Current in A(I) =----------------------
√3 X Vph-ph
Temperature Rise
Permissible temperature rise in cables is limited by using the cable manufacturer’s datasheet and the
the withstanding capacity of cable insulation. conditions linked with routing and bunching of
Temperature rise in cables depends on: cables, the required cable can be selected.
• Type of core (Cu or Al)
• Installation method As thumb rule, we can consider 2A/sq mm to arrive
• Number of touching cables type of cable, the the cross section of the required cables.
maximum permissible current.
Rated Current in A(I)
Voltage Drops Cross Section of Cables in sq mm = --------------------------
The maximum permissible voltage drops are:
• AC circuits (50 or 60 Hz) 2

• If the voltage drop exceeds 3% (50-60 Hz),

increase the cross section of conductors.
• DC circuit
• If the voltage drop exceeds 1%, increase the
cross section of conductors.
Special Case For Neutral Conductors
In three-phase systems, the third-order harmonics
(and their multiples) of single-phase loads add up in
the neutral conductor (sum of the currents on the three
phases).

10-14
© Copyrights Reserved
 INPUT, OUTPUT AND
UPS TO BATTERY
CABLES

Input Cables
The cross section of cables required for the input of
Rectifier Input Power in W
the UPS can be derived using the same formula like
Input Power in VA = ---------------------------------------
output cables, but the input power in KVA needs to
Input Power Factor
be derived based on the

VA
• Connected Load
Rated Current in (A) = ----------------------
• Efficiency of the Inverter
3 X Vph-ph
• Battery charging Power
where Vph-ph is the minimum operating Voltage of
• Efficiency of Rectifier
rectifier
• Input power factor of rectifier
• Minimum operating Voltage of Rectifier

Rated Current in A(I)

Step 1: Arrive at the input power of Inverter
Cross Section of cables in sq mm = -------------------------
Capacity of UPS in KVA X Output Power Factor X 1000
2
Inverter Input Power= ------------------------------------------------------------ UPS to Battery Cables
Inverter Efficiency
The inverter of UPS provides a constant voltage to
the loads connected to it. During a battery
Step 2: Calculate the battery charging power in W
discharge the battery supplies constant power to
Battery Charging Power = 2.2VX No of Cells X Charging Current
the inverter of the UPS. The DC input voltage to the
The charging current is typically 10% of AH Capacity
inverter decreases during the discharge. To
maintain a constant power output, the battery
Step 3: Calculate the Input power of Rectifier in W
discharge current increases accordingly.

Inverter Input Power + Battery Charging Power

The selection of UPS to battery bank cables has to
Rectifier Input Power = --------------------------------------------------------
be based on the current at minimum discharge
Efficiency of Rectifier
voltage, which can be derived based on the below
formula
Step 4: Calculate the input current drawn
UPS Capacity in KVA X Power Factor X 1000

Current Idc in A = ---------------------------------------------------------------

The rectifier input power calculated in step 3 needs
No of Cells X End Cell Voltage X Inverter efficiency
to be converted to KVA by taking into consideration
the input power factor
Uninyvin cables are generally preferred for cables
between UPS & battery due to high current carrying
capacity and smaller cross sectional area.

10-15
© Copyrights Reserved
 CABLE DATASHEET

Uninyvin Size(area) Conductor Overall Diameter Conductor Max

Cable Diameter “Max” “Max” Resistance Current Rating

at 20°C “Max” “Amps”

Core “Sq. mm” “mm” “mm” “ Ω/ 900m” BS-G-177

22 0.347 0.838 2 49.66 11

20 0.566 1.04 2.3 30.95 14

18 0.966 1.32 2.5 17.82 18

16 1.17 1.55 2.8 14.7 21

14 2.05 1.95 3.4 8.41 31

12 3.22 2.43 3.8 5.35 43

10 5.33 3.15 5 3.23 61

8 8.76 4.24 6.3 1.97 87

6 13.3 5.54 7.5 1.3 115

4 21.5 6.9 9.3 0.802 160

2 33.3 8.76 11 0.517 200

1 40.7 9.75 12.2 0.423 220

0 53 11 13.7 0.325 240

0 68.3 12.4 15.4 0.252 270

0 84.2 13.9 16.9 0.204 300

0 109 15.6 18.7 0.158 350

Ambient Tem. °C 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100

Derating Factors 1 0.96 0.92 0.88 0.83 0.78 0.75 0.73 0.68 0.62 0.53 0.48 0.3

10-16
© Copyrights Reserved
 CABLE DATASHEET

Maximum Continuous Rating Amperes in Free Air

12 3.22 43 30 22 15

10 5.33 61 47 36 25

8 8.76 87 65 49 36

6 13.3 115 87 65 -

4 21.5 160 120 92 -

2 33.3 200 155 120 -

1 40.7 220 165 130 -

0 53 240 185 168** -

0 68.3 270 210/240* 190** -

0 84.2 300 235/265* 210** -

0 109 350 270/305* 245** -

(*Denotes two cables only, ** Denotes five cables only)

10-17
© Copyrights Reserved
 SELECTION OF
PROTECTIONS
(CIRCUIT BREAKERS
OR FUSES)
Moulded Case Circuit Breakers are electro mechanical In the first case, the capability strictly
devices, which protect a circuit from Overcurrent and Short depends on the UPS design and in the
Circuit. second case it is based on the i2t
characteristic of the SCR selected in the
Their primary functions are to provide a means either to bypass path or fuse (if present in UPS)
manually open a circuit and automatically open a circuit under
When a short circuit happens on any one
overload or short circuit conditions. The overcurrent, in an
the distribution system on the output of the
electrical circuit, may result from short circuit, overload or faulty
UPS, the current increases significantly. If
design.
the fault is not cleared within milliseconds,
we might risk the uptime of other loads
MCCB is an alternative to a fuse since it does not require
connected to the same UPS as the UPS or
replacement once an overload is detected. Unlike fuse, an
the upstream protection of the UPS will trip
MCCB can be easily reset after a fault and offers improved
resulting in downtime of all the connected
operational safety and convenience without incurring
loads.
operating cost.

In practice, for a given prospective

Moulded case circuit breakers generally have a
short-circuit current value, the minimum i2t
• Thermal element for overcurrent and
let-through of the upstream device must
• Magnetic element for short circuit release which has to
MCCBs are now available with a variety of releases or higher be than the maximum i2t let-though
operating mechanisms and these are given below of the downstream device.

• Thermal Magnetic Release For protection of short circuit on the

• Electronic Release downstream, the UPS will be based under
• Microprocessor Release two conditions

Protections Against Short Circuit • Shortcircuit current with bypass

UPS is a limited power source, that is short circuit withstand source available
capacity is also limited based on the selection of components. • Shortcircuit current without
bypass source
One of the features that must be carefully evaluated when • Shortcircuit current with
choosing a UPS is its capability to properly withstand a short downstream transformer in PDU or
circuit current on its output for a certain amount of time. This global output of UPS
capability depends on whether the output short circuit current is
withstood solely by the inverter or by the source through the
static bypass.

10-18
© Copyrights Reserved
 SELECTION OF
PROTECTIONS
(CIRCUIT BREAKERS
OR FUSES)
• i2tSCR> i2tMCCB2
MCCB 1 MCCB 2 • i2tMCCB3> i2tMCB6>i2tMCB7

Short circuit current without bypass

When the bypass is disabled or if the bypass

source is not available and if short circuit
happens downstream the UPS the inverter of
UPS will support for a short duration before it
MCCB 3 MCCB 4 trips because of electronic protections.

MCB 5 MCB 6 In this scenario, the i2t MCCB3> i2t MCB6>

i2t MCB7 For the magnetic setting of MCCB’s
Short Circuit Current with bypass
MCB 8 MCB 7 Short Circuit Current without bypass & MCB’s has to be coordinated with inverter
Fault S.C current.

Figure 10 Short circuit current with bypass source available

Short circuit current with Transformer in PDU or
When a short circuit happens it will downstream the UPS, global output of UPS
and the UPS will transfer the short circuit immediately to the
static bypass as the static bypass will have a higher When a transformer is used either at the
let-through energy(i t). 2
global output of the UPS or in a PDU,the
transformer changes the short circuit
In this scenario, let through energy(i t) of the MCB 7 has to
2
discrimination of the downstream circuit. Now
be lower than that of the breakers present in the upstream in the UPS short circuit current has no relevance
to have a proper discrimination of the short circuit. If the to fault discrimination.
MCB 6 has a lower let through energy(i t) when compared 2

with MCB 7, then we risk to lose all the loads connected to The fault circuit current or the let though
MCB6. energy will purely depend on the impedance
of the transformer.
The let through energy(i t) of MCCB2 is very important. If the
2

let through energy of MCCB 2 is higher than what the SCR
can handle, then the SCR will fail.
To protect the loads, SCR and to have the proper
discrimination of short circuit, the following rule has to be
respected
The short circuit current of the transformer is
the ratio of full load current of the transformer
and its impedance. If we have transformer
with a rated current of 200A and with an
impedance of 5%, the short circuit current of
transformer will be 4KA.

10-19
© Copyrights Reserved
 PROTECTING BATTERY
FROM SHORT CIRCUITS

Short Circuit Protection in Battery Path The following figure shows the curve of the short-
circuit current delivered by a stationary lead-acid
Battery is one of the vital components in an UPS battery; as it can be seen in the figure, after the
system and its main purpose is to provide DC power time, and this is the time necessary to reach the
to the inverter of the UPS when the mains fail and get peak, and the short circuit value decreases to the
charged through the rectifier when the mains return. quasi steady-state short circuit current.
iB
Like any other power source, battery will also
contribute to the fault current when there is fault on the ipB
IK
battery. The main parameters which contribute to
magnitude of the current are battery’s internal
resistance (this depends on plate surface area,
internal plate spacing and electrolyte type) and its tpB t
external circuit resistance. The short circuit current will Figure 12 Curve of Short circuit current in a battery
vary based on the condition and the age of the
battery. The short circuit current of battery can be
calculated by using the Ohms Law(V=IR).
Short Circuit Current of Battery Bank
V
The short circuit current of the battery can be The short circuit of the battery Isc = --------
calculated based on the standard “IEC 61660-1, R
“short circuit currents in DC auxiliary installations in
power plants and substations – part1: Calculation of Where V  Open Circuit Voltage of the battery
short circuit currents”. R Internal Resistance of the battery

Rated voltage ≤ 500 ≤ 750

(Un) ≤ 250

Protection + - + - + - + - + -
+
isolation
function

LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD LOAD

Figure 13 Pole Configuration of Battery bank based on Operating Voltage

10-20
© Copyrights Reserved
 CO ORDINATION OF
BATTERY BREAKER

Selection of Battery Breaker Capacity and its Trip Unit
The selection the battery breaker depends on
parameters like
Operating Voltage of the Battery Bank: Generally most
of the breakers are designed with an voltage of
250V/Pole and based on the operating voltage of
the battery bank, the poles has to be connected in
series to achieve the desired voltage level as shown
in fig.13
As we said earlier, the short circuit current depends
on the voltage and the internal resistance of the
battery. The internal resistance increases with the
ageing of battery under these conditions and the
short circuit current decreases. If this short circuit
current is less than the pickup value of the magnetic
setting of the breaker the principle objective of using
the breaker is defeated as the breaker will not trip.
R L

Nominal Discharge Current of the Battery Bank: This is

the current which passes through the breaker under
normal conditions of battery discharge V K

Short Circuit Current of the Cattery Bank: Most of the

breakers have a thermal and a magnetic trip unit.
Figure 14 Schematic of a DC Circuit
While the thermal setting is used for overload
protection, the magnetic setting is used for short
circuit protection. When we discuss about battery To overcome this issue, the magnetic pickup of the
protection, the magnetic setting of the breaker is breaker trip unit is set at 70% of the nominal short
used to disconnect the battery from the circuit when circuit current so that even at low voltage or when the
there is a short circuit. It is important to select the battery reaches the end of life, the battery breaker
breaker with the right trip unit so that the battery is will do its job of “protecting the battery “
isolated when there is an fault.
The magnetic setting(Im) of the breaker is < 70% of Isc
Note: When an AC breaker is used for a DC of Battery
applications a derating is applicable on the trip
settings of the breaker.

Coordination of Battery Breaker with the Battery Fault

Current
Now that we have selected the right breaker for the
battery protection, the most important task which
lies ahead is to coordinate the battery breaker with
the short circuit current of the battery.

10-21
© Copyrights Reserved