At present, there are two kinds of UPS battery system: lithium-ion battery and lead-acid battery. Due to the rapid development of lithium-ion battery technology in recent years, it has become the first choice of backup uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in many data centers. After all, can UPS use lithium-ion batteries?
First of all, we need to be sure that the UPS can use lithium-ion battery. Compared with the traditional lead-acid battery, the initial investment cost of lithium-ion battery is higher. However, lithium-ion battery is far better than lead-acid battery in volume, weight and lifespan. At present, most lithium-ion UPS are applied in some special projects with high requirements.
Lithium-ion battery UPS has a variety of advantages: small size, light weight, the capacity of lithium-ion battery with the same volume is higher than that of lead-acid battery; the lifespan of lithium iron phosphate lithium-ion battery pack is longer under the same conditions; excellent high-temperature performance, the thermal peak value of LiFePO4 lithium-ion battery can reach 350 ~ 500 ℃; it can be quickly charged and discharged with high current 2c. The battery can be fully charged within 40 minutes at 1.5C under special charger. It is safe and reliable. After strict safety test, LiFePO4 will not explode even in severe collision.
There are many reasons why lithium-ion batteries can not be used in UPS. The main reason is compatibility. Lithium-based batteries have many different chemical properties, size, voltage range, shape factor and connector type. These differences must be considered in the design and implementation of UPS inverter, charger, hardware and firmware. If the voltage of the battery system is assumed to be within the capability of the UPS, it is possible to make the existing UPS compatible by updating the firmware of the ups to ensure that the right charging routines are implemented, proper run time calculations are made, and that accurate reporting of state of charge occurs.
Overall, with the continuous improvement of lithium-ion battery research and development technology, it will become an important part of UPS system. Lithium battery UPS will be widely and deeply applied in hybrid energy storage system, data center, industrial field, communication base station, aerospace and other fields.