Check back-up

Power supply manufacturer PULS UK is urging companies to look closely at the redundancy back-up systems providing emergency power to mission-critical production equipment. PULS believes that many supposedly fail-safe systems are not as secure as operators think.

Common problems affecting redundancy systems include: batteries in DC UPS and AC UPS units not functioning correctly - either because their useful life has expired or they are working outside their temperature range; AC UPS or generators that are not sufficiently powerful for the inrush current needed for the system; offline AC UPS systems that appear to be functional but are not; and single fusing of the input circuits of redundant power units. PULS's engineers have even seen systems where various components have not been connected or have been wired incorrectly.