Uninterruptable power supply (UPS) management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10432017-B1
Application number	US-201615070969-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A data center includes an electrical load, a connection to a utility power source, a uninterruptible power supply (UPS), a switching device and a control system. The control system is configured to cause the switching device to discontinue routing electrical power to the electrical loads via the UPS for a given period of time while electrical power is still available to be fed to the electrical loads from the utility power source. Subsequent to the given period of time, the control system cause the switching device to resume routing electrical power to the electrical loads via the UPS.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center, comprising:
an electrical load;
a connection to a utility power source that supplies electrical power to the data center;
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) electrically coupled to the utility power source, via the connection, and electrically coupled to the electrical load;
a switching device electrically coupled between the connection to the utility power source and the UPS, wherein the switching device is configured to selectively route electrical power from the utility power source to the UPS; and
a control system, wherein the control system is configured to:
command, while electrical power is available to be routed to the electrical load from the utility power source via the connection to the utility power source and suitable for operating the electric load, the switching device to discontinue routing electrical power from the utility power source to the electrical load via the UPS for a given period of time; and
subsequent to the given period of time, command the switching device to route electrical power from the utility power source to the electrical load via the UPS;
determine a metered battery recharge rate such that an overall rate of electrical power consumption from the utility power source during recharge of the battery does not exceed a threshold power consumption rate; and
instruct the UPS to recharge the battery according to the determined metered battery recharge rate,

wherein the UPS is configured to:
supply, from a battery of the UPS, electrical power to the electrical load during the given period of time and while electrical power is available to be routed to the UPS from the utility power source; and
subsequent to the given period of time, recharge the battery of the UPS, according to the determined metered battery recharge rate, with electrical power routed to the UPS from the utility power source.

2. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to coordinate timing of the recharge of the battery of the UPS such that the battery of the UPS is recharged when electrical power from the utility power source is less expensive than during the given period of time.

3. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the electrical load, the UPS, and the switching device are part of a data center zone, wherein the data center further comprises:
one or more additional data center zones, wherein each data center zone comprises:
a respective electrical load;
a respective UPS electrically coupled to the utility power source and electrically coupled to the respective electrical load of the respective data center zone; and
a respective switching device electrically coupled between the utility power source and the respective UPS of the respective data center zone, wherein the respective switching device of the respective data center zone is configured to selectively route electrical power from the utility power source to the respective UPS of the respective data center zone;
wherein the control system is further configured to:
command, while electrical power is available to be routed to the electrical loads of the data center zones, a given switching device of a given data center zone to discontinue routing electrical power from the utility power source to a given electrical load of the given data center zone for a particular period of time; and
subsequent to the particular period of time, command the given switching device to route electrical power from the utility power source to the given electrical load of the given data center zone;

wherein the given UPS of the given data center zone is configured to:
supply, from a battery of the given UPS, electrical power to the given electrical load of the given data center zone during the particular period of time; and
subsequent to the particular period of time, recharge the battery of the given UPS with electrical power routed to the given UPS from the utility power source;

wherein the data center further comprises a reserve power system comprising a reserve UPS, wherein the reserve power system is configured to provide uninterruptible power support to the electrical loads of one of the respective data center zones from the reserve UPS.

4. A method, comprising:
feeding electrical power from an electrical power source via an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to an electrical load in a data center;
discontinuing to feed the electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS while electrical power is available from the electrical power source and suitable for operating the electric load in the data center and instead feeding electrical power to the electrical load in the data center from a power storage of the UPS;
resuming to feed electrical power from the electrical power source via the UPS to the electrical load in the data center; and
recharging the power storage of the UPS at a metered rate such that an overall rate of electrical power consumption from the electrical power source does not exceed a threshold power consumption rate.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metered rate is determined such that the power storage is recharged at a rate that is less than or equal to a threshold recharge rate.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
coordinating recharge of the power storage of the UPS with a cost of receiving electrical power from the electrical power source such that the power storage of the UPS is recharged when electrical power from the electrical power source is less expensive than during a period of time when the feed from the electrical power source is more expensive.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
adjusting the metered rate of recharge of the power storage, such that the power storage is recharged above a threshold level of charge in a threshold amount of time.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
prior to discontinuing to feed the electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS, determining a cost associated with the electrical power from the electrical power source exceeds a threshold,
wherein said discontinuing to feed electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS is performed in response to determining the cost exceeds the cost threshold.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein said discontinuing to feed the electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS is performed in accordance with a schedule.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
monitoring the power storage of the UPS while electrical power is fed to the electrical load in the data center from the power storage of the UPS; and
in response to detecting an anomaly related to the power storage of the UPS while monitoring the power storage of the UPS, resuming to feed electrical power from the electrical power source and issuing an alert indicating the anomaly related to the power storage of the UPS.

11. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
prior to discontinuing to feed the electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS, determining a reliability variable associated with electrical power from the electrical power source satisfies a reliability criteria,
wherein said discontinuing to feed the electrical power from the electrical power source to the UPS is conditionally performed in response to determining the reliability variable meets the reliability criteria.

12. The method of claim 4 , wherein the power storage of the UPS is a high energy capacitor.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed on a computing device, cause the computing device to:
receive condition in

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Morales Osvaldo P
• Czamara Michael P
• Jenkins Stephen Roy

Classifications

• H02J7/933

  the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters · CPC title

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J2105/55

  according to an economic condition, e.g. tariff-based load management · CPC title

• H02J2105/425

  the loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title