Alternative Power Supply for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

Motivo Engineering will design an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) using Zinc-Manganese Dioxide (Zn-MnO2) batteries for naval usage and commercial marine markets. This UPS will demonstrate a significant improvement over lead-acid battery UPS systems currently used by the Navy because its Zn-MnO2 batteries have higher capacity, equivalent cost, lower self-discharge rates, and extended lifetimes compared to lead-acid batteries. They are also significantly safer and can be easily disposed of, while lead-acid batteries have corrosive components and more extensive requirements for disposal. The UPS will include a battery management system (BMS) that provides an early-warning system predictive of faults to minimize required maintenance. The BMS will also actively balance cells to maximize capacity and health of the batteries, reducing cost over the lifetime of the system.