A power supply can be described as a source of electric power, and this device could supply power to the load. A power supply is composed of a transformer, rectifier, etc. A redundant power supply can provide uninterrupted power services in case of a power failure. This redundant power supply would convert the electrical current from a source to the required voltage, current, and frequency for the load. A redundant power supply is a combination of two or more power supplies in case if one power supply is interrupted the other one will give the required power for the operation of the load.
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What is the need for a redundant power supply and where is it used?
In certain conditions like in a factory or in an office we would need a higher reliability power supply and if there is any power failure then it could create a lot of loss. So in order to prevent this we can use a redundant power supply, for example in an oil refinery there could be many types of machinery or instruments and all of this instrument would require reliable power and if not then it could affect the operation of the oil refiner and also heavy damage could happen. So in case of any power failure in this refinery could be a very critical and dangerous situation so we must use a reliable power supply for this process. So a redundant power supply is inevitable in many industrial applications.
What is a multiple redundancy?
We can see many computer servers which have a redundant power supply, so if one of the power supply fails then there is another one that would supply power to the load. We can improve redundancy by connecting each power supply to different circuits. We can also improve the redundancy by connecting each power supply to its own UPS. So by doing this we could get high protection or double protection from both the power supply failure and UPS failure.
How does a redundant power supply work?
So basically the redundant power supply is the combination of two or more power supplies for a load. So if one of them fails the other one will provide power with the required frequency. So the first power supply would be a primary supply and the other one will be a backup supply. In certain applications, the loss of power could lead to the failure of a process and that’s why we need a redundant power supply. So we need two power supplies for a redundant power supply and these power supplies must be the same, if they are not the same then it would cause a lot of problems. In the above image we can see the power supplies that are connected to a redundant module it is because the power supply that is used is a standard power supply. There are other power supplies that are designed for redundant use so in this case, we don’t need to use a redundancy module because they already have it. The redundancy module will be a diode circuitry and it is inevitable in a redundant power supply so we must make sure of it.
The redundancy module would check the primary power supply so if the primary supply voltage changes the redundancy module would detect it and the power supply will be switched from the primary to the backup supply. If the voltage that reaches the load changes then it could affect very badly. So while shifting from the primary to backup supply there won’t be any power interruption to the load. So if the primary supply is regulated then the redundancy module will shift from the backup supply to the primary supply.
What is the difference between a redundant power supply and an uninterrupted power supply?
The redundant power supply would protect the devices from internal power failures. A UPS would protect these devices against the interruption of the utility power. The redundant power supply costs less than a UPS, The redundant power supply unit is smaller in size when compared to the UPS so the installation will be very easy. The UPS can be connected to many devices when compared to a redundant power supply.
What are the applications of redundant power supply?
- Medical
- Instrumentation and electronics
- Telecommunications and fiber optic network
- Networking applications
- Oil refineries
- Power plants
