ABB has announced a new UPS solution that promises to offer a 45% reduction in the amount of space taken up by the system. The new solution is dubbed MegaFlex, with ABB calling it the company’s most resilient and compact UPS to date. 

The MegaFlex range from ABB is targeting the IEC and UL market, with power ranges of up to 1.5 and 1.6 MW respectively.

Presented to coincide with Data Centre World in London, the MegaFlex solution delivers a 45% reduction in size for the IEC version compared to competitor models of equal power rating. Despite its small footprint, ABB maintains that the UPS also delivers impressive sustainable power technology with reduced energy losses due to high efficiency converters of up to 97.4%, adaptable to variable IT load. 

This supports ABB Electrification’s Mission to Zero for smart cities, a vision for a zero-emission reality for all, and reinforces its commitment to offer safe, smart and sustainable power technologies to the global data centre industry.

Ciaran Flanagan, global head of ABB’s data centre business said, “As larger data centres push power requirements ever higher, demand for scalable and redundant power solutions continues to grow. The vast amount of energy consumed by these data centres means that every percentage point improvement in efficiency brings with it cost savings. More importantly it also supports our sustainability commitments. 

“MegaFlex DPA has been created in response to increasing power demands and cleverly combines the highest efficiency ratings with the smallest footprint. We are excited to showcase this pioneering new product together with our broader portfolio of electrification and digital solutions for efficient and reliable data center operations.”

Other key features of the MegaFlex UPS solution from ABB include:

• Standardised power distribution architectures in compliance with the Uptime Institute classification system and EN 50600

• High-efficiency converters in VFI (Voltage Frequency Independent) mode with up 97.4% efficiency, driving up cost savings and improving energy consumption

• Portability – server rack can be moved into position simply and safely with an onsite pallet truck

• Compatible with either lithium-ion or VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid battery) for external storage

• Optional redundant power capacity of 1,000 kW N+1 and 1250 kW N+1

• The graphical system display allows the operator to display measurements, events and alarm

• Connectivity for optional communication boards including SNMP, Modbus TCP/IP, Modbus RS-485

• Provides up to 6 MW and satisfies the “six-nines” requirement for today’s most demanding data centers.

MegaFlex DPA is designed to work in synergy with ABB’s power infrastructure products to provide a continuous flow of clean power to a data centre and deliver the system-wide resiliency needed for modern data storage solutions that implement distributed, cloud or hybrid approaches.

Serviceability is made easier and more accessible with its modular platform. Enhanced self-diagnostics improve speed to market, reduce downtime and importantly mitigate risk from human error during start-up and maintenance phases. An intelligent predictive maintenance program allows greater planning and reduces service schedules throughout the product life cycle.