Until now, lead-acid batteries have been the only available solution for storing energy in DC-UPS systems. These batteries present several drawbacks, such as a short lifespan, high weight, and a limited operating temperature range.
Advances in electrolytic capacitor manufacturing technology allow for high capacities in smaller sizes at a much lower cost than a decade ago. Mean Well has implemented this solution in the new DBUF20/40 series of Buffer Modules to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of batteries.
The result is a family of DIN rail-mounted modules that provide backup power during micro-outages or switching.
In combination with a UPS, they serve as voltage sources during transitions to the UPS input.
They can also be used to provide the necessary power for PLCs or similar devices to save operating parameters or sensitive data in memory in the event of a power failure.
Multiple DBUF20/40 units can be connected in parallel for longer runtimes.
Runtime depends on the application's power consumption.
Fig. 1 Autonomy time according to buffer model and load consumption.
Capacitor-based buffer modules do not experience a decrease in autonomy with charge and discharge cycles.
The DBUF20/40 requires no periodic maintenance and has a useful life of more than 10 years (MBTF > 105,000 hrs@40°C), much longer than that of lead-acid batteries. Another added advantage is that they do not deteriorate if they have been stored for a long time before installation.
They have a wide operating temperature range: -25°C to +75°C. This allows their use in harsh environments (mobile, solar, wind power applications, etc.) where it is impossible to use battery systems.
The charging time for the DBUF20/40 modules is very short.
In these devices, the output voltage is regulated. A selector switch allows you to adjust it to a fixed 22VDC or a dynamic Vin-1VDC.
The V+ and V- outputs are duplicated to facilitate user installation.
It includes a status indicator LED and has an enable input and monitoring outputs.
The weight reduction of these devices is significant compared to using batteries in DC-UPS systems.
Electrónica OLFER SL is responsible for distributing these devices in Spain and Portugal.
