November 10, 2003

Thanks to S&C’s PureWave UPS, August Blackout Has Little Impact on Semiconductor Production.

The August 2003 blackout affected much of the northeastern U.S. and Canada, but manufacturing went on as usual at a large New Jersey semiconductor manufacturer. Seeking to ensure optimum power quality for their critical processes, the facility installed a 2500-kVA / 2000-kW S&C PureWave UPS™ System in June 2002.

The semiconductor facility was hit by a variety of voltage disturbances starting around 4:10 p.m. on August 14. The PureWave UPS System protected their production equipment five times during the initial collapse of the power distribution system, with operations ranging from 0.25 to 42 seconds. There was no loss of production.

S&C’s PureWave UPS System, available in ratings to 20 MVA, delivers whole-facility protection from utility power source problems for critical power users in data processing, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and other continuous-process industries. The PureWave UPS System can be installed indoors or out.

A wide range of power quality solutions are available from S&C’s Power Quality Products Division. These products include the PureWave UPS System, PureWave DSTATCOM® Distributed Static Compensator, and PureWave AVC® Adaptive VAR Compensator.