News

Harmonic Reduction System Enhances UPS Efficiency and Reliability

March 11, 2014 by Jeff Shepard

Eaton Corp. today announced the launch of its Energy Saver System (ESS) Plus technology in the Americas, featuring a new Harmonic Reduction System engineered to detect and automatically correct harmonic currents before they affect valuable data center hardware and business continuity. As part of Eaton's Energy Advantage Architecture™ system, the innovative ESS Plus is the first in the industry to enable large, three-phase uninterruptible power systems (UPSs) operating in eco or energy-saving modes to mitigate harmonics, correct power factor and balance loads for increased reliability and efficiency.

“As evident in our research through The Green Grid, one of the industry’s leading organizations committed to data center resource advancement, operating a UPS in eco or energy saver mode is becoming much more prevalent as the need for data center efficiency increases,” said David Loucks, manager, Power Solutions and Advanced Systems, Eaton. “ESS Plus allows information technology and facilities managers to maximize the value and efficiency of ESS in applications where load harmonics, poor power factor, or unbalanced loads exist.”

Dedicated to providing valuable power management solutions, Eaton has researched power factor and harmonics issues that can reduce operating performance and result in utility penalties. For a typical UPS in an energy-saving operating mode, harmonics presented in the load flow upstream to the building transformers, resulting in wasted energy in the distribution system. To address this issue, Eaton’s introduction of ESS Plus mitigates harmonics in energy saver mode, allowing data center operators to improve UPS efficiency. The feature is designed to eliminate the need to apply additional equipment, such as a harmonic filter or harmonic mitigating transformer, which reduces capital costs and equipment footprint.

“Energy saver UPSs are engineered to save money and enhance environmental sustainability by reducing data center energy waste up to 10 percent under typical load conditions,” said John Collins, product line manager, Large Data Center Solutions, Critical Power Solutions Division, Eaton. “ESS Plus allows data centers to reap the benefits of energy efficiency in addition to advanced power protection, all together in a complete package with a value-driven price structure for both new and existing customers.”

ESS Plus builds on Eaton’s industry-leading ESS technology, which allows UPSs to achieve up to 99 percent energy efficiency across all load levels. ESS Plus enables the UPS to continually monitor currents from the critical load for harmonic distortion. If it detects harmonics in excess of pre-determined and adjustable limits, the system is designed to inject an additional current into the line that’s identical to but 180 degrees opposite of the harmonic current coming from the load, effectively canceling out the electrical disturbance. The ESS Plus is available as an option for the Eaton 9395 UPS. Existing 9395 units also have the capability to upgrade to ESS Plus.