Adroit Market Research - Industry Insights

The perfect lithium chemistry for using UPS batteries for data centers is lithium iron phosphate. On comparing the other chemistries of lithium battery, lithium iron phosphate are offering the mixture of performance, safety, cost-effectiveness and longevity.

Extended Life Expectancy and Life Cycle

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are having the life expectancy of almost 15 years in the applications of UPS and lasts for complete 12-15 year of UPS system. It is fully eliminating the high cost of substituting the lead acid batteries every 3-4 years. However, the fully-charged LFP batteries are putting in storage with little change to the total life expectancy of the charge of

The perfect lithium chemistry for using UPS batteries for data centers is lithium iron phosphate. On comparing the other chemistries of lithium battery, lithium iron phosphate are offering the mixture of performance, safety, cost-effectiveness and longevity.

Extended Life Expectancy and Life Cycle

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are having the life expectancy of almost 15 years in the applications of UPS and lasts for complete 12-15 year of UPS system. It is fully eliminating the high cost of substituting the lead acid batteries every 3-4 years. However, the fully-charged LFP batteries are putting in storage with little change to the total life expectancy of the charge of battery.

Moreover, LFP batteries are having the life cycle of around 3,000 discharges, that is almost 20 times the normal cycle life of the lead acid batteries and lengthier than the chemistries of other lithium battery, that are offering around 600 and 2100 discharges.

As lithium iron phosphate batteries are having faster discharge rates, meaning that they are probable of providing huge amount of power in short time. This is critical in the applications of UPS. Through the data center power outage, UPS batteries are effectively and rapidly offer the large amounts of power to UPS for keeping the facility in a succession whereas 10-12 second involuntary switchover to the auxiliary power. Thus, batteries cannot deliver fast enough, where UPS can fail and power as facility will shut down.

However, LFP battery is proficient of 2-minute discharge rate, which means that the discharge of entire capacity can be done in almost 2 minutes. The 10-12 second period of changeover will not drain the power capacity of battery, however, while this period, LFP battery are quickly delivering the essential power of high voltage that is necessary for UPS. As well, LFP battery is offering almost 1000 discharges in one minute over the life expectancy, meaning that it is more dependable in offering power at high discharge rates.

However, chemistries of other lithium battery is having the limited discharge rates because of the cell construction and chemical makeup resulting in the need for extra strings of battery. This proves that large number if batteries are required to provide appropriate power to UPS for keeping it operative during the period of changeover. Thus, in several cases, on using LFP batteries is providing TCO savings over lithium iron phosphate battery systems, on requiring few LFP batteries for accomplishing the same performance.

Accessibility of Similar Power

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are having low voltage than the chemistries of other lithium battery. But the 3.3V voltage is analogous to the chemistries of other lithium on the basis of availability of power.

However, in the applications of data center, strings of batteries are associated together to accomplish the essential voltage. For instance, UPS is requiring around 13V of power while riding through times. On using the lithium battery with the chemistry of high voltage i.e. lithium cobalt oxide needing the string for minimum four batteries to accomplish the 13V voltage.

However, on using lithium iron phosphate batteries, the essential voltage can be still accomplished by using strings of four batteries. Although, lithium iron phosphate is giving the similar power availability by utilizing the same amount of batteries.

Security

Lithium iron phosphate is the stable chemistry making it safer for using cathode rather than the chemistries of other lithium battery. Lithium iron phosphate is providing the substantial less chance of thermal escaping, and the condition take place when chemical reaction in the battery cell is increasing their ability to diffuse heat, subsequent in explosion. However, thermal escaping may be produced by extra charging, inner fault, hot environment or physical damage to battery.

Lithium iron phosphate battery is having the thermal escaping temperature of almost 519°F, is higher than the chemistries of other lithium battery. LFP batteries are delivering quick discharge and recharge while producing little heat. However, it needs cooling or less ventilation and endure high temperature lacking decomposing. On getting exposed to air because of accident, the chemistry of lithium iron phosphate battery will not respond with oxygen and will not cause the fire or explosion.

Lithium iron phosphate battery is stable as it is not containing cobalt and is chemically unstable element. However, chemistries in lithium manganese cobalt and lithium cobalt oxide batteries breaking down at less temperature and eliminates the hazardous energy. Cobalt-based lithium batteries are producing heat in the working of normal battery surging the threat of thermal escaping. Thus, there is absence of efficient fire retardant in contrast to cobalt fire and is the only option to let the fire burn out itself. If the fire occur with LFP battery, it can be turned off by the normal water sprinkler system.

Even though, Battery Management System in LFP batteries are enabling to observe inner temperature of battery. This provides the full control of discharging and charging, safeguarding from overheating and overcharging, and inhibiting the insecure temperatures in the lithium-ion cells. In addition, lithium-ion phosphate batteries are having robust design of battery and packaging of cell, produced to meet the terms of national safety standards.

Durable Accessibility

As cobalt is used in the lithium batteries for various products, supply for usage in the UPS batteries. However, in coming future, UPS batteries with the chemistries of lithium cobalt is not ready and present from suppliers if facility needs them. Thus, the chemistry obtained in lithium iron phosphate batteries are made from mutual elements, proving that LFP batteries are accessible for delivery when required.

Conclusion

In some years, lithium-ion batteries can interchange various lead acid batteries in data centers. However, the important producers of power infrastructure are developing the platform of UPS on the basis of lithium batteries. Even, owners of important data centers and providers of colocation are transferring the UPSs of lead-acid battery to the systems of lithium-ion battery.

Smaller footprint and low weight of lithium systems, companies switching over to lithium-ion batteries as the backup power source are capable of reorganizing or redesigning the data centers, preserving more floor space for the cash producing infrastructure of IT. Conventional and big data centers are easier and affordable to build, and the modular data centers are easy to utilize, design and carry to the destination.

However, companies are capable of re-investing the cost savings accomplished from li-ion systems in enlargement of new products and new technologies.

In addition, colocation providers and UPS producers, utilizes lithium batteries and offer the benefit to market in enticing consumers housing the facility with clean, reliable backup energy.