For most types of businesses, a short lasting power outage doesn’t cause a catastrophe. Sales might go dormant for a few hours, and on-site internet communication with customers and clients may be suspended for a bit. But, when the lights come back on, it’s back to business as usual, with the exception of having to play catch-up after the unexpected downtime ends.
When Power Outages Are Critical
Most companies and organizations can weather an acute power outage without major incident, but there are also entities for which a short lived power outage can cause a catastrophe. For example, if a hospital loses power, patients who are in the middle of surgery, or who depend on life support equipment, are likely to perish. That’s why big hospitals typically have large backup generators that swing into action the moment utility power becomes unavailable.
A data center is another example of an entity that can experience major problems during a power outage, if the facility is unprepared for the event. Big data centers often serve as repositories for the data of multiple clients that require off-site data storage, and require access to the data at all times, just as they would have if the data were stored in on-site silos.
NEBS Inverters for Data Centers
Whereas hospitals typically use diesel powered backup generators for emergency power, data centers commonly use apparatuses called uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs). A UPS is essentially a large battery that operates on the same basis as a backup generator: When utility electricity is unavailable, the UPS immediately supplies data center power.
In some cases, a data center installs a UPS at every workstation. In other cases, each department has its own UPS. In other cases still, a large, centralized UPS provides data center power to all IT equipment and work areas. Regardless of how a UPS is configured, it needs a way to invert the direct current (DC) that batteries produce to alternating current (AC) that most IT equipment and modern appliances use.
Unless a UPS comes with a built-in inverter, an inverter should be installed on the power line that connects the device to the electrical system it serves. When an inverter is needed, a NEBS Level 2 inverter is commonly implemented.
Due to their lack of operability requirements, NEBS Level 1 inverters are typically used for beta testing. NEBS Level 3 inverters, which have the level of operability requirements, are used in situations where an inverter must operate under remarkably adverse conditions. NEBS Level 2 inverters are designed for specific, indoor environments, particularly data center environments.
Although NEBS Level 2 inverters are the least used type of NEBS inverters overall, they’re commonly used to support data center power by unleashing the power of UPSs, inverting DC electricity that the apparatuses produce to AC electricity that powers the data center.
Need a NEBS Level 2 Inverter?
If so, Exeltech can provide the equipment you need. We produce stock inverters and custom inverters that can be manufactured to conform to any level of NEBS certification. To get started on ordering an industrial grade NEBS Level 2 inverter, call us today at (800) 886-4683, our use our contact form. We look forward to helping you protect your data center from power outages.
