44 1

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 36, NO. 3, AUGUST 1989

Off-Line Uninterruptible Power Supply with Zero

Transfer Time Using Integrated Magnetics
SALVADOR MARTiNEZ, MANUEL CASTRO, MEMBER,
IEEE,RAFAEL ANTORANZ,
FERNANDO ,&DANA, SENIOR MEMBER, IEEE

Abstract-An off-line uninterruptible power supply (UPS)or emergency power system with zero transfer time is presented. The power
transformer, a tnport-like transformer, acts as an inverter and as a
voltage stabilizer with no external loading coil. It has been made with
commercial El scrapless laminations. The battery charging circuit is also
integrated into the transformer and improves the dynamic output
response during line-mode operation. The result is a robust, short-circuitproof equipment with a harmonic distortion of lower than 3 percent, a
static output stability better than 1.5 percent, and a very high reliability.

1. INTRODUCTION

GREAT effort is being put forth nowadays to implement

small and economic uninterruptible power supplies
(UPSS), mainly to feed personal computers and systems. The
most commercialized economic solution is the off-line power
supply in which the line is normally connected to the critical
load, and when the line fails, an inverter is started and
connected to the load. The transfer operation is made with fast
electromechanical relays resulting in a typical transfer time of
5 ms.
When no transfer time is allowed by the critical load, other
solutions are available such as the classical rectifier-inverterbypass UPS and the triport [ 11, [2].
The operation of the triport demands an output voltage
stabilizing device when operating in line mode, and this device
is made of a nonintegrated coil and a triac in phase-controlled
working mode.
This paper shows an off-line UPS with zero transfer time
built over a triport transformer without an external stabilizing
coil. In the line-mode operation, the inverter coil of the triport
is used to stabilize the output voltage, whereas in the batterymode, that coil acts as the inverter primary, which stabilizes
the output operating in one pulse width control. The change of
the electrical topology is made of fast electromechanical relays
with a typical response of 4-6 ms. The energy stored in the
output capacitor typically keeps the output wave transient
between f 15 percent of the nominal voltage. This careful
transfer operation demands keeping the inverter control
synchronized with the line at all times. In a general sense, the
main electromagnetic device can be seen as an integrated
Manuscript received January 25, 1988; revised December 13, 1988.
S. Martinez and M. Castro are with the Electronic and Control Department,
Universidad Nacional de educaci6n a Distancia, Madrid, Spain.
R. Antoranz is with Coalba Engergia, Madrid, Spain.
F. Aldana is with the Electronic Engineering Department, Universidad
Politknica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
IEEE Log Number 8928461.

AND

magnetics component (concept proposed as defined by S. Cuk

(8)).
A range of three equipment powers has been developed (500
VA, lo00 VA, and 1500 VA) intended mainly for operation in
low-quality utility areas.
11. POWER
CIRCUIT

The power circuit is showed in Fig. 1. With line voltage

between f 15 and 20 percent of the nominal value, relay RE1
is closed, and relay RE2 is in position 1, connecting the triac to
the 8-9 coil of the transformer. The circuit acts as a line
voltage stabilizer keeping the output voltage between k 1.5
percent in any static condition. The magnetic shunts SH1 and
SH2 are adjusted to obtain an impedance of 0.333 Zn and 0.4
Zn (Zn = nominal impedance), respectively. Other lower
values are possible for SHl in case of smaller line voltage
tolerance, but it results in too high an output short circuit
current (31 nominal for 0.333 Zn in SH1 at nominal input
voltage). Besides, a line failure (short circuit equivalent)
affects the output voltage to a higher degree, while RE1 is still
closed.
The 0.4 Zn value for SH2 has been selected because of the
results of previous work on inverters. Therefore, less than 3
percent of total harmonic distortion in the output voltage in
battery-mode can be obtained. This value also helps keep the
first peak current in the transistor bridge, in case of output
short circuit, under 200 percent of the repetitive peak at 100percent load. The inverter control circuit reduces the static
output short circuit current to 1.6 In (In = nominal output
current) with the aid of the current transformer (CT).
The LC output filter resonates to the third harmonic. The
equivalent circuit at the fundamental frequency is a capacitor
whose reactive power is 1.66 Pn (Pn = nominal power),
which was also selected because of previous work on
inverters. The total harmonic distortion in line-mode is also
less than 3 percent in any condition.
It is worth while to ensure that, with the elected values for
the leakage inductances and the output capacitor, the circuit is
able to maintain the output voltage to within 1.5 percent of the
nominal value in the limit situations that follow:

Limit Case I
Line voltage 1.15 U nominal
Output voltage < 1.015 U nominal
Nominal load, cos cp 0, 9 lead
Fig. 2 shows the equivalent circuit and the voltage-current
phasors at the fundamental frequency for this situation. An

0278-0046/89/0800-01$01 .OO

1989 IEEE

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 36, NO. 3, AUGUST 1989

TRANSFORMER

D
LINE
2 2 0 V + 15 - 20%

50 HZ
RE I
(7

220 v 2 1,5%

fi

TO CURRENT
LIMITING
INVERTER
CIRCUIT

Fig. 1 .

Power circuit.

LINE

Fig. 2. Voltage and current phasors during line-mode operation for the
Limit Case 1 .

equal number of turns in coils 1-2, 3-4, and 8-9 are assumed.
The voltage drop in the shunt inductor L S H l is
G = r L x 0 . 3 3 3 = 0 . 9 4 In

- 16.5"

is available with the triac completely short-circuited and larger

than the necessary value. This means that the triac will not
close totally.

x0.333 Zn ~ 9 0 ' = 0 . 3 1 3Un ~ 1 3 . 5 ' Limit case 2

Line voltage 0.8 U nominal
The necessary current in the shunt inductor LSHZ
results, after
0 Output voltage 20.985
nominal
a graphic solution of the phasor diagram, in 2.35 In. As the
~
~load, cos
~ +0.8
, ilag ~
~
l
impendance elected for this shunt is 0.4 Zn,a current of
Fig. 3 shows the voltage and current phasors for this case.
Un
-The equivalent circuit is the same as for Limit Case 1. It is
-2.5 In
0.4 Zn
concluded after a graphic solution that the triac is not

MARTINEZ et al. : OFF-LINE UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY

.9

443

I
Fig. 4. Transformer for the 1.5-KVA model (dimensions in mm).
Fig. 3. Voltage and current phasors during line-mode operation for the
Limit Case 2.

7.5 percent in line-mode operation and 8 percent in inverter

mode.
Commutating strategies other than the elected one-pulsewidth-modulation strategy are possible for the inverter. These
include the sinusoidal-pulse-width modulation (PWM) strat[JLsH;= x 0.333 Zn'= 1 .OS In L 40.4"
egy, but the inherent necessity of an important power in the
x0.333 Zn ~ 9 0 =0.35
'
Un L 130.4' output filter that will sustain the output voltage during the line
mode to battery-mode transfer makes a more complicated
It has been demonstrated that the device in line-mode technique unnecessary.
operation maintains the output voltage within k 1.5 percent of
111. CONTROL
CIRCUIT
the nominal value with any load (zero to normal; cos p from
0.8 lag to 0.9 lead for a line regulation larger than + 15-20
The control circuit has two electrically isolated parts: the
percent. The measured limits were in fact +25-24 percent.
inverter
and mode transfer control circuit (see Fig. 5) and the
The extraordinary upper limit is probably due to saturation of
stabilizer
control circuit (see Fig. 6).
the iron under coil 1-2.
During line-mode operation, the battery is charged in a
A . Inverter and Mode Transfer Circuit
constant voltage basis, profitting from the excellent output
In the line-mode operation, the mode-transfer circuit closes
voltage stability. The transformer isolated coil 6-7 feeds the
battery through the rectifier bridge RB. The resistence of the RE1 and switches RE2 to the position 1. The inverter control
coil is selected to keep the charging current immediately after is running everything except the output amplifiers. The pulse
a long discharge under 0.3 of the ampere-hour capacity. After generators are kept in phase with line thanks to the phaseseveral minutes, this results in a small overheating of the locked loop. This is so the output sinus rhythm is not lost when
transformer's intermediate coil, which is perfectly allowable. the system transfers to battery mode.
When the line monitor detects a line failure, the mode
After two or three hours of charging time, the current through
the 6-7 coil is negligible. In battery-mode operation, relay transfer circuit opens RE1, switches RE2 to position 2, and
RE1 opens the charging circuit. The battery charging circuit switches on the inverter transistor amplifiers. The phaseacts as an excellent alternative voltage clamp and keeps the locked loop follows the crystal oscillator. This battery-mode
output overvoltage under 9 percent, with a load step of 50 operation lasts until the line recovers or until the battery power
lowers to a dangerous level. In this case, the low-battery
percent of the nominal load.
The transformer, see Fig. 4, is made of commercial E-I detector stops the inverter.
If the line recovers before the battery discharge, the line
0.35-mm-thick scrapless laminations of oriented grain silicon
steel. Two opposite E's are used at a maximum induction of squarer is connected to the phase-locked loop, and after a
1.35 T for nominal voltage under the 1-2 and 3-4 coils. The while, to regain line synchronization, RE1 closes. The
efficiency obtained in the 1500-VA equipment is 81 percent in inverter transistor amplifiers are switched off 5 ms later, and
the line-mode and 86 percent in the inverter mode, both with RE2 comes back to position 1. In this way, the transfer from
battery-mode to line-mode operation overlaps the inverter and
nominal output current, cos (o = 0.9 inductive.
In spite of the high shunt inductance, the equipment has an the line during 5 ms avoiding an output wave under voltage.
During the line-mode to the battery-mode transfer, the
acceptable operation with rectifier-type loads, thanks to the
LC filter, which short-circuits the third harmonic current. The output voltage wave typically has an undervoltage of 15
1000-VA unit loaded with a four-diode bridge rectifier percent during half cycle. The amount and duration of this
followed by a 2200-pF capacitor and 850-W resistor in undervoltage depends on how fast the line monitor and the
parallel gives an output voltage total harmonic distortion of relays are.
completely open. It manages a current equal to 0.36 In, which
gives a line current equal to 1.05 In. This, in turn, produces a
voltage drop in the shunt 1 coil equal to

rL

444

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 36, NO. 3. AUGUST 1989

TRANSISTORS

CTu

Fig. 5 .
I

Inverter and mode transfer control circuit.

I
LEAD - LAG
NET2

SMOOTH

sncm - CIRCUIT
OPENING

Fig. 6.

Stabilizer control circuit.

B. Stabilizer Control Circuit

This simple circuit has two advantages over previous
solutions. First, the reference sawtooth wave is not synchonized with the output but with the line. This improves the
stability as the sawtooth phase is not affected by changes in
load and input voltage. Second, a smooth short-circuit opening
device is included, and this avoids output overvoltage after a
short-circuit in the load. This overvoltage would amount as
much as 40 percent of nominal valve during one or two cycles,
in spite of the charging-battery clamp (see Figs. 7 and 8).

Fig. 7. Output voltage during line-to-battery transfer. Worst-case nominal

load resistive. Upper trace is the line monitoring inverted signal.

IV . DISADVANTAGES

The leakage inductances LsHl and LsH2 limit the currents

and 2.5 I,,
that the UPS can deliver to 3 I, (I,, = Ino,nd)
respectively, into a stady-state load short circuit. The inverter
control reduces the 2.5 I, value to 1.6 I, after 100 ms. This
value can be too low for some critical loads. The first half
cycle in-rush current can be higher because of the relatively
large LC output filter.
The transformer is heavier than the one in the direct
connection off-line UPS (35 kg for the 1500-VA model), but it
has go& common and differential mode noise suppression in
both modes of operation.
The one-half-cycle swing during the line-to-battery transfer
(Fig. 7) can disturb the operation of some very critical PCs.

Fig. 8. Output voltage during battery-to-line transfer. Worst-case nominal

load resistive. Upper trace is the line monitoring signal.

445

M A R T ~ N E Z6t al.: OFF-LINE UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY

Fig. 9.

1500-VA equipment. (Courtesy of Coalba Energia S.A., Madrid.)

V . POSSIBLE
IMPROVEMENTS

New studies and experiments reveal the possibility of

reducing the output voltage distortion during transfers by
using the inverter semiconductors in multitask (inverter, linemode regulation, and static switch) with a better synchronization between line and inverter control. This, in turn, can
allow, with a little modification on the turn ratio of output to
inverter coils, use of the inverter diodes for charging the
battery when it is in a low voltage condition. In this way, the
rectifier showed in Fig. 1 can be reduced in power, and it can
act as a high impedance, constant voltage floting charger.
VI. CONCLUSIONS

An off-line UPS with zero transfer time has been developed

using a triport transformer as a voltage stabilizer with no
external loading coil during the line-mode operation. The
system stands up output short-circuits in any mode of
operation and permits a line regulation of + 15-20 percent.
Equipment of 500 VA, lo00 VA, and 1500 VA has been
implemented at an efficiency of 8 percent in the line-mode
and 86 percent in the inverter mode operating over a battery of
96-V nominal for the largest equipment. Fig. 9 shows the
1500-VA equipment.
The topology change of the power circuit is made with the
aid of fast small relays. Bigger power would require static
switches.

A method has been proposed for new investigations that will

improve the voltage distortion during transfers and will reduce
the power of the battery charger.
In spite of having a sinus output with zero transfer time, the
power circuit of the inverter is normally off. This fact, and the
simplicity of the stabilizer that has a control circuit with only
one integrated circuit normally active (LM 324), gives the
UPS a very high reliability.
The weight of the 1500-VA model, with an eight-minute
battery included, is 85 kg, and its volume is 56 1.

REFERENCES
J. J. Suozi, System consideration of triports, in Proc. ZNTELEC,
Oct. 1978, pp. 46-49.
R. Rando, Ac triport-A new unintermptible ac power supply, in
Proc. ZNTELEC, Oct. 1978, pp. 50-58.
S. B. Dewan and A. Straughen, Power Semiconductors Circuits, 1st
ed. New York: Wiley, 1975, pp. 160-175.
R. J. Kakalec, A feedback-controlled ferroresonant voltage regulator, ZEEE Trans. Mag., vol. MAG-6, no. 1, pp. 4-8, Mar. 1970.
P. H. Hart and R. J. Kakalec, A new feedback-controlled ferroresonant regulator employing a unique magnetic component, ZEEE
Trans. Magn., vol. MAG-7, no. 3, pp. 571-574, Sept. 1971.
J. Bullinga, A regulated inverter employing a constant volt-second
product transformer, presented at INTERMAG Conf., 1973.
M. Castro, J. Carpio, S. Martinez, J. Peire and F. Aldana, Low
distortion static inverted based on a special transformer, presented at
IEEE Trans. Annual Meeting, 1987.
S. Cuk, A new zero-ripple switching dc-to-dc converter and integrated magnetics, ZEEE Trans. Magn., vol. MAG-19, no. 2, Mar.
1983.