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  • Matching UPS topology to need

    Different applications demand different levels of power backup. The three most common UPS topologies are offline, line interactive and online. Learn more.

Different applications demand different levels of power protection.

And it's led to the development of three core UPS topologies to deliver them. Choosing which one will best meet the needs of specific circumstances will be influenced by the level of reliability and availability required, the type of equipment to be protected and the environment involved. 
The three most common approaches are offline, line interactive and online. Each works in a different way, with line interactive and online offering progressive steps up from offline through extra protective features and benefits.
Offline is a low-cost UPS solution providing sufficient protection for office environments by solving three power problems: power failure, sag and surge. It supplies power to the application directly from the mains in normal mode, filtered but without active conversion. And its battery is mains charged. Offline is not a suitable route, though, where the power supply is low quality (for example on industrial sites) or subject to frequent disruptions. 
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Line interactive solves five power problems as per offline plus undervoltage and overvoltage.  In normal mode, the UPS monitors the supply voltage quality. In case of fluctuations, a voltage compensation circuit boosts or reduces the supply voltage without using batteries. It'scontrolled by a microprocessor in normal mode that monitors supply quality and reacts to fluctuations. A voltage compensation circuitboosts or reduces the supply voltage to compensate for fluctuations.
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The online route ensures a consistent quality of power supply regardless of disturbances in the incoming mains and can be used with any type of equipment as there are no transients when changing over to battery power. It solves all nine power problems, so offers protection as per line interactive plus from line noise, frequency variation, switching transient and harmonic distortion. Online eliminates electrical interference as output voltage is entirely regenerated by a sequence of AC to DC conversion followed by DC to AC conversion.
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Eaton offers products right across the UPS needs spectrum

Eaton UPSs map directly to offline, line interactive and online needs – each named after the number of the nine common power problems it solves.

Eaton 3 Series (offline) is a basic solution that protects non-critical hardware and data operating in standby mode.    

Eaton 5 Series (line interactive) offers an intermediate solution for office environments and servers, with good communication options. 

Eaton 9 Series (online) features double-conversion UPSs with excellent connectivity and communication options to provide full protection against all types of power problems – delivering 100% uptime for the most critical applications.    

Download our free critical power protection fundamentals guide

In our comprehensive guide, we delve deeper into UPS systems design considerations. From the advantages of modularity, how advanced technologies are boosting cost and operational efficiencies, how redundancy impacts availability and more. Downl,oad the guide for free.
Click here to download the PDF

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