BendBroadband Vault’s Uninterruptible Power Supply System

Power backup comes in many forms. At the BendBroadband Vault, we use multiple methods of backup and redundancy in order to ensure that customers’ data and services do not get interrupted. Ever. In fact, the Vault guarantees a constant supply of clean power in support of our Tier-III Facility Certification.

One way that we do this is through our uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. While most data centers rely on the traditional battery operated uninterruptible power supply systems, the Vault’s UPS uses flywheel technology, an alternative that poses no environmental hazards and the smallest carbon footprint available.

Active Power Flywheel

How does it work, you ask? The flywheel motor uses electric current from the utility grid, which then powers and spins the flywheel rotor in a near-frictionless magnetic bearing (sounds kind of magical, huh?). The addition of a vacuum within the chamber reduces the drag on the flywheel even more, which allows the flywheel to spin constantly and maintain an active supply of kinetic energy.  Each of our two UPS units contains three flywheels, each weighing about 700lbs and spinning at about 7,000 rotations per minute.

Once this energy supply is called upon, the UPS generator converts the kinetic energy into electricity, which is then transferred to the load and supplied to the field coil to maintain power consistency during any outages or power threats. This provides ample enough power for the duration required for the Vault backup generators to kick in.

Additionally, because the Vault uses CAT’s Active Power CleanSource® Flywheel Technology, our UPS is up to 98% energy efficient and is non-toxic to the environment – both of which are important to the Vault’s mission of being a LEED gold certified, green data center. The flywheel technology is easy to install, extremely reliable and requires little maintenance. Other advantages include the ability to remotely monitor from various locations, have continuous voltage regulation, an unlimited discharge cycle and have no additional HVAC requirements.

The advanced technology and tiniest of footprints allows the Vault to have a secure, predictable power system that will guarantee the ride-through of any outages and allow for the proper transfer of power to a generator – ensuring your data and operations are kept up and running.