Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems
Specifying an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for a controlled office environment is straightforward. Specifying one for a Class I, Division 2 location on an offshore platform or a dust-heavy mining operation is a different challenge entirely.
Cordyne provides industrial-grade UPS systems for environments where standard catalog solutions fall short, backed by in-house engineering, manufacturing, and integration from our Houston facility.
Why Your Operation Needs a UPS System
Utility power is inherently unpredictable. Voltage sags, surges, transients, and full outages are not a matter of if, but when, and in sectors like oil and gas, mining, and heavy industrial manufacturing, the stakes are too high to leave power quality to chance.
A solid-state uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is fundamentally different from an emergency generator or transfer switch. While generators take time to start and offer no protection from power conditioning issues, a UPS provides instantaneous backup power through batteries or electromechanical systems. That means your critical loads stay energized without interruption, giving your team time to respond or allowing processes to continue running seamlessly.
For facility managers and electrical engineers responsible for mission-critical infrastructure, a properly specified UPS system isn't optional. It's the baseline for operational continuity and equipment protection.
How Double Conversion Online UPS Technology Works
For industrial and hazardous environments, a double conversion online UPS is the preferred topology for protecting sensitive and mission-critical equipment. Unlike standby or line-interactive designs, a double conversion system continuously converts incoming AC power to DC and back to AC. Your connected loads receive clean, consistent power at all times, completely isolated from the irregularities of the incoming utility feed.
This architecture is an excellent choice for environments with poor or unpredictable power quality.
Key advantages include:
- Zero transfer time. There's no switchover delay when utility power fails. Your equipment runs continuously on conditioned power, so an outage on the input side is invisible to your loads.
- Full power conditioning. Voltage sags, surges, harmonic distortion, and frequency variations are corrected in real time before reaching your equipment.
- Generator compatibility. Double conversion UPS systems handle the voltage and frequency fluctuations common with generator power, making them ideal for facilities that rely on backup generation.
- Scalable redundancy. Multiple UPS units can be paralleled for added capacity or N+1 redundancy, ensuring uptime even during scheduled maintenance or a single-unit fault.
Eaton UPS Systems
Cordyne offers a full line of Eaton uninterruptible power supply systems, including the Eaton 9355 series. The 9355 is a true double conversion, three-phase UPS available in 10 kVA and 20 kVA configurations, with field-upgradeable options to 15 kVA and 30 kVA, respectively. It features one of the smallest footprints of any comparable UPS in its class.
Eaton's Powerware® Hot Sync® technology allows up to four 9355 UPS towers to be paralleled wirelessly, enabling redundancy or increased capacity without the need for a centralized control module. For data centers, control rooms, and process-critical environments, this provides a flexible and reliable path to high-availability power protection.
As a value-added Eaton supplier, Cordyne helps you select, configure, and integrate the right UPS into your facility's broader power architecture.
Custom Constructed UPS Systems
When off-the-shelf solutions can't meet your site's requirements, Cordyne's engineering team designs and builds custom-engineered UPS systems tailored to your specific application.
Our custom UPS capabilities include:
- Hazardous location power backup: UPS systems for Class I, Division 1 and Division 2 hazardous locations, meeting the stringent requirements of oil and gas, petrochemical, and mining operations.
- NEMA 4X UPS enclosures: Corrosion-resistant stainless steel or fiberglass enclosures rated for washdown, outdoor, and chemically aggressive environments.
- Main/emergency power bypass integration: Systems with bypass options that allow full integration of primary and alternate power sources.
- Tailored voltage and capacity configurations: UPS systems tailored to match your exact voltage, phase, and kVA requirements rather than forcing your design around a standard catalog offering.
As a UL 508A and UL 698A certified panel shop, we build and test every custom system in-house at our Houston facility, ensuring quality control from engineering through final assembly.
Industries We Serve
Cordyne proudly provides uninterruptible power supply systems to support critical operations across the world's most demanding industries. Our experience spans oil and gas production and refining, offshore platforms, mining and aggregate processing, municipal wastewater treatment, commercial construction, and Department of Defense applications.
Whether you're protecting a control room or keeping instrumentation online at a remote wellsite, we understand the environmental and regulatory challenges your UPS system needs to withstand.
Partner with Cordyne for Your Next UPS Project
If you're specifying an industrial-grade UPS for a new installation or upgrading an existing system, Cordyne's team is ready to help. From standard Eaton configurations to fully custom hazardous location power backup solutions, we'll work with you to identify the right system for your application.
Contact us at 1-800-324-1484 or request a quote to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions About Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems
What's the difference between a commercial UPS and an industrial-grade UPS?
Commercial UPS systems are for climate-controlled environments like office buildings and data centers, where loads are consistent and conditions are predictable. Industrial-grade UPS systems are built to withstand harsher environments, including wider operating temperature ranges, exposure to airborne contaminants, and localized power pollution from heavy equipment such as motors, pumps, and welders running on the same electrical system. Industrial UPS units also tend to use more robust static switch designs and deeper fault tolerance to avoid the kind of nuisance bypass transfers that plague commercial units in plant environments.
How do I size a UPS for my facility?
Sizing an industrial UPS starts with understanding your total load in volt-amperes (VA) or kilowatts (kW), but that number alone isn't enough. You'll also need to account for inrush current from equipment like motors and variable-speed drives, which can draw significantly more power at startup than during normal operation. A common best practice is to select a UPS rated at least 1.2 times your calculated load to allow headroom for growth and transient demands. Cordyne's engineering team can review your electrical one-line diagrams and load profiles to help you determine the right capacity and configuration for your application.
Can a UPS work alongside a backup generator?
Yes, and in most industrial facilities, they're designed to work together. The UPS provides instantaneous power protection during the gap between a utility outage and generator startup, which can take anywhere from a few seconds to over a minute, depending on the system. Once the generator is online, the UPS continues to condition the incoming power, which is important because generator output often includes voltage and frequency fluctuations that can affect sensitive equipment. A double conversion online UPS is especially suited for this role, since it continuously regenerates clean output regardless of the quality of the input source.
Cordyne Motor Starter Selector
To help find the motor starter with your exact requirements, we have created a Motor Starter Selector Tool in which you are able to input your requirements and be matched with the appropriate motor starter.
