Prospects for building a 48V DC power supply system based on MEAN WELL power supplies

In recent years, there has been a growing number of applications that require more and more energy. The demand for high power density can be found, for example, in cloud applications, which has led to the creation of large-scale data centers (data centers) capable of handling the most advanced applications such as big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Another important sector that is experiencing exponential growth in energy needs is the automotive industry and electric transport: vehicles increasingly require more and more electronic systems and devices, which contributes to the transition from the current 12V power supply system to a higher voltage power bus.

For a very long period of time, most applications were powered by a 12V DC bus. This voltage was chosen for several reasons: it is high enough to power devices, to operate small electric motors, as well as electromagnetic valves and relays. In addition, this voltage is low enough not to pose a danger to the human body, and represents a standard value for lead-acid batteries, which simplifies the creation of backup power systems.

The main limitation for low voltage is a decrease in efficiency as the load power increases, at which the power losses associated with wiring, connectors and printed circuit boards (due to the presence of conductor resistance) become significant, and are proportional to the square of the flowing current:

The power of losses in the conductor during current flow

If the supply voltage is changed from 12V to 48V DC, then the total current consumption on the power bus will decrease by a quarter, while the power loss will decrease by 16 times. That is, firstly, it is possible to use a smaller wire in the bus, and secondly, a larger number of consuming devices can be connected to the power bus. Therefore, whenever an application based on a 12V DC power bus needs more power, it is recommended to consider switching to a 48V bus. At the same time, the maximum power of the 12V power bus should not exceed 3.5 kW, and the 48V DC bus – the power can reach 15 or 20kW.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the latest generation of pulse converters make it possible to implement 48V power supply solutions with characteristics comparable or superior (in terms of efficiency, cost, size and weight) to the characteristics offered by the traditional 12V power bus architecture.

Among the powerful power supplies (from 1000W) for the 48V DC power bus of MEAN WELL, the following popular series can be distinguished – RSP, NSP, UHP and others. In general, the selection of power supplies from 1000W includes about 24 models, which allows you to choose the right series for almost any use, based on their distinctive features.

The most developed functionality is provided by power supply units of the RSP series (models on 1000, 1500, 1600, 2000, 2400, 3000W) – belong to programmable high–power power supplies, that is, they have developed functionality - adjustment (programming) of the output voltage over a wide range, a parallel connection function to increase the output power of Current Sharing and other useful functions. The RSP-1600-48 power supply also has a function for adjusting (programming) the output current over a wide range.

The appearance of the RSP-2000 series power supply unit

A budget analogue of the RSP series-1500/ 1600/ 2000/ 3000 The 48V models are NSP-1600-48 and NSP-3200-48, which have somewhat limited functionality, which allows them to be used where some parameters and functions of the RSP series are redundant. You can find out more about the differences in the news for the NSP-1600 series and the NSP-3200 series.

Appearance of the NSP-1600 series power supply unit

The power supplies of the UHP series are practically silent – there is no forced ventilation in the power supplies of these series, that is, cooling is carried out only due to natural air convection or with the help of an additional metal plate (radiator), which is attached to the bottom of the housing.

The appearance of the UHP-2500 series power supply unit

Separately, it is important to note a number of series of powerful RCP power supplies for placement in Rack racks (19" inch format). The power supplies of the RCP series are AC/DC converters in a case design designed for installation in a special chassis (basket) for installation in telecommunication racks of 19" format. Each RCP power supply has an output power from 1 to 2 kW (depending on the series), within one basket the maximum output power can be increased (Current Sharing function). Parallel connection of RCP power supplies in baskets up to 24kW is allowed, depending on the series. In more detail, the use of power supplies of the RCP series is presented in the news on the organization of Rack systems power supply.

An example of a Rack power supply system based on the RCP-1000

The fields of application of powerful power supplies with a 48V power bus are quite wide – powering server and telecommunications equipment in data centers and data centers; powering laboratory and laser installations; in industry – powering basic, test and measuring equipment, as well as many other applications.

For more detailed technical specifications, see the Specifications on the page of each product, and for questions related to the selection and use of MEAN WELL products, please contact the email address Meanwell@chipdip.ru .