Project overview
As part of an ongoing service agreement with a large Australian industrial facility, R&D Technology carried out a routine inspection and identified that the existing UPS was obsolete, unsupported and at end-of-life. This presented a serious risk to operational continuity, where reliable backup power is essential.
To address this, we implemented a complete upgrade that improved reliability, safety and long-term performance.
- A modular UPS system for built-in redundancy
- A new battery cabinet and rack designed for safety
- A DFUN Battery Monitoring System (BMS) for real-time battery health insights
Challenges
The site needed more than just a replacement. They required a solution that would:Â
- Improve reliability and reduce downtime
- Minimise single points of failure
- Extend battery life and cut replacement costs
- Give visibility into battery health between service intervals
- Provide confidence that batteries would perform during an outage
- Reduce fire risk from overheating and thermal runaway
- Lower electric shock and arc flash risks when testing or replacing batteries
Our solution
We designed, supplied and installed a system that ticked all the boxes.Â
Modular UPS System
We installed a modular UPS with hot-swappable power modules. This means built-in redundancy and faster repairs, so the site can keep running even if a module needs attention.
Safer battery rack
The new battery rack included inter-shelf isolators, splitting 36-battery strings into Extra Low Voltage blocks. This significantly reduces electrical hazards during maintenance and battery replacement.Â
DFUN Battery Monitoring System
For battery health, we added the DFUN PBMS9000 with PBAT61 sensors across two strings of 36 x 105Ah batteries. We also included an optional Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for easy local monitoring.
Here’s what the system delivers:
- Real-time monitoring of cell voltage, temperature, internal impedance and ripple current
- Configurable alarms so issues can be fixed before they become critical
- Online passive cell balancing to keep cells at equal voltage and extend battery life
- Automatic discharge reports and five years of historical data stored locally
- Ring communication link and redundant power supplies for reliability
- Auto-addressing sensors to reduce installation time
In short, the system gives the site a stable, high-quality power supply, with full visibility and fault alerts. Turning battery maintenance from reactive to proactive.
The results
The upgrade delivered significant benefits including: Â
Better reliability:Â The modular UPS design reduced single points of failure and improved repair times.Â
Smarter maintenance:Â Real-time battery data enables proactive action and ensures only poor-condition batteries are replaced, reducing unnecessary costs and saving time.Â
Longer battery life: Online passive cell balancing adds 2–3 years to battery life.Â
Confidence in Backup Power:Â Live State of Charge (SOC) and State of Health (SOH) data ensure batteries will support the load during an outage.Â
Improved safety:Â Temperature monitoring reduces fire risk, and manual testing hazards are gone thanks to software and HMI visibility.Â
Detailed reporting:Â Automatic discharge reports and five years of data support predictive maintenance.Â
Safer work environment:Â Inter-shelf isolators keep voltages low and reduce arc flash potential.Â
Stable power supply: Ripple current and voltage monitoring ensure the UPS delivers clean, reliable power and prevents premature battery failure.Â
Reliable backup power starts with a strong UPS system. Upgrading to a modular UPS gave our client the redundancy and resilience they needed to keep operations running smoothly.Â
Adding DFUN Battery Monitoring took things further, giving real-time insights, predictive maintenance and longer battery life. Together, these upgrades reduce safety risks, cut downtime and give the team confidence that critical systems will stay online when it matters most.Â
Want to improve your power reliability? Contact our team today to see how we can help upgrade your UPS and battery monitoring systems.Â