Батареи для ЦОДов: пора выбирать литий-ионные

One of the ways to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of a data center is the use of lithium – ion batteries. Yes, they cost three times more than lead-acid ones, but the service life of an uninterruptible power supply system based on them can reach 15 or more years. The lead batteries will have to be changed several times during this time. Moreover, the cost of lead is constantly increasing, so the cost of replaceable batteries will increase. In addition, lead batteries are much more expensive to maintain, require air conditioning and heat removal systems and occupy three times the area. Therefore, as a result, the TCO of lithium-ion solutions is twice lower.

Another important advantage of lithium-ion batteries is their performance at high temperatures – they, like the rest of the UPS units, function normally at temperatures up to 60°C. The resource of lead-acid batteries reduces even the increase in room temperature to 27°C. And in case of emergency situations with the shutdown of air conditioners, the service life of such solutions will decrease significantly, and with a 10-year service life, lithium-ion batteries will no longer be two, but four to five times more economical than lead ones.

UPS with lithium-ion batteries are just finding their way to the data center market. Among those who offer their solutions in this area in Russia is ЭНЕРГОН, which has developed a series of lithium – ion battery modules for DELTA UPS Lithium Xpert UPS. This is a comprehensive, balanced solution adapted for the domestic market. The system is compact, fire-safe, easy to install and operate, easily scaled, which makes it especially convenient when installed in large data centers.

One rack with DELTA UPS Lithium Xpert lithium-ion batteries provides 186 kW of power for 15 minutes. At the same time, it weighs about 900 kg, so it can be installed on a standard raised floor with a load-bearing capacity of up to 2 t/m2. For comparison: racks with lead batteries of similar energy intensity will weigh more than 2 t / m2 and they will require the organization of an expensive unloading frame.

The battery pack monitoring system from ЭНЕРГОН allows you to stop possible problems.

A large battery pack consists of many small cells. The internal control ensures their balancing – by the end of charging, all the elements fit simultaneously. The system allows you to monitor the state of each cell individually, and the failure of one cell does not affect the performance of the battery cabinet as a whole – in this case, the capacity of the solution is reduced by a fraction of a percent. Lithium-ion batteries are not subject to instant "death" – with the failure of individual cells, the total energy consumption of the battery pack decreases gradually, and the system can safely "live" until routine maintenance.

Battery modules for DELTA UPS Lithium Xpert UPS will not cause a fire. To prevent a short circuit between the plates due to the "germination" of lithium metal chains (dendrites), a double separator is used that separates the anode and cathode. In addition, additional know-how is used in ЭНЕРГОН lithium-ion batteries, which increases their safety in case of physical damage.

During the production process, ЭНЕРГОН lithium-ion batteries undergo seven stages of quality control, including checking the identity of the cells installed in the solution. When calculating the number of battery modules required for a particular customer, ЭНЕРГОН uses a standard scalable unit of the module, so the customer receives the result almost immediately. The company has been operating on the market for more than 20 years and is the leading supplier of lead-acid batteries in Russia. The developed logistics system, the convenient location of the warehouse near the MKAD (Moscow) allows you to quickly carry out deliveries.

Lead-acid batteries are a time-tested solution, but in some cases it should be abandoned. When equipping a data center, pay attention to lithium-ion batteries.

Author: Evgeny Shvetsov