- Diesel rotary uninterruptible power supply
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Most forms of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) are battery-powered. These are ready for immediate use at the instant that the mains electricity fails, but the small amount of stored energy they contain makes them suitable for a few minutes of use only. To get uninterruptible and continuous power supply they need a diesel-generator back-up system.
Diesel rotary UPS devices (DRUPS), combine functionality of a battery-powered UPS and diesel-generator. When mains electricity supply is within specification, an electrical generator functions as motor to store kinetic energy in an electro-mechanical flywheel. The electrical generator in combination with a reactor or choke coil, functions as active filter for all sorts of power quality problems, like harmonics, RFI, frequency variations, etc. When mains electricity supply fails, stored energy in the flywheel is released to drive the electrical generator, which again supplies the power to the load without interruption. At the same time (or with some delay to prevent the diesel engine from starting at every incident) the diesel is started up. After 2–3 seconds the diesel engine takes over from the flywheel to drive the electrical generator to create the electricity required. In diesel engine operation the electro-magnetic flywheel can support to keep a stable output frequency. Typically a DRUPS will have enough fuel to power the load for days or even weeks in the event of failure of the mains electricity supply.
Main advantages of DRUPS equipment compared to battery-powered UPS combined with a diesel-generator are the higher overall system energy efficiency, smaller footprint, use of less components, longer technical lifetime (no use of power electronics) and the fact it does not result in chemical waste (no use of batteries).
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