ABB DPA UPScale ST 80 kW frame, Series 2

Manufacturer: ABB

ABB's small modular UPS frame taking four 20 kW modules, the mature DPA platform most likely to feed a spares market

This model is part of SecondWatt’s ups system research catalogue. Specifications and price observations are included where supported by sources. Equipment availability and commercial terms require confirmation.

ABB DPA UPScale ST 80 dossier: 20 kW modules in an 80 kW frame, 60 kW N+1, 96% efficiency, used module pricing, inspection checklist and end-of-life signals.

Why it matters

This is the clearest small-frame example of the category's cabinet-versus-battery rule. ST 40 and ST 60 frames accept internal 7 and 9 Ah battery blocks sitting in a warm cabinet, so on any used ST 40 or ST 60 the internal string should be assumed scrap and the unit priced cabinet-only. ST 80 and above take external batteries only, so the separation is already clean at the nameplate.

Who buys it

Owners of the installed DPA UPScale fleet buying replacement or spare 20 kW modules, and IEC-market facilities in the 20 to 200 kW band still specifying the platform new. Independent service firms are the natural buyers of module stock as ABB's own channel tightens, since a constrained new-module supply is exactly what pushes value into the used module.

Role in the data center

Edge and small data hall UPS, computer room modular UPS, and a spares platform for the installed base in the 20 to 200 kW band. In an ST 80 or larger frame it sits between the distribution board and the critical bus with an external battery string, so cabinet and battery price separately at the nameplate.

Key specifications

Technical summary

Module ratings: 10 kW or 20 kW at unity output power factor. ST 80 frame: 80 kW, 1-4 modules, 60 kW maximum N+1. ST 80 physical: 550 x 1135 x 775 mm; 169-257 kg without batteries. Family frames: ST 40, ST 60, ST 80, ST 120, ST 200. Max system: 200 kW and 10 modules per frame; 20 modules across 4 frames. Input/output: 220/380, 230/400, 240/415 V AC; input PF at or above 0.99. Efficiency: up to 96% double conversion; 98% or better in eco mode. Output THD: below 1.5% on linear load. Battery: external only on ST 80 and above; internal blocks on ST 40 and ST 60. Standards: IEC/EN 62040-1, 62040-2, 62040-3; CE; ISO 9001:2015.

Major variations

Five frame sizes on the same 10 kW and 20 kW modules: ST 40 and ST 60 at 550 x 1135 x 775 mm and 550 x 1975 x 775 mm with internal 7 or 9 Ah battery blocks, and ST 80, ST 120 and ST 200 with external batteries only. The ST 80 takes one to four 20 kW modules and is rated 60 kW maximum in N+1. The current catalogue SKU is the S2 revision, order code 4NWP101580R22AA, rather than the original series, and the rack-integrated DPA UPScale RI is the sibling platform. A frame accepts up to 10 modules and a system up to 20 modules across four frames.

Configurations and options

ST 80 is a frame rating, not a module size, and that is the specification error most likely to appear on a used listing. The frame takes one to four 20 kW modules and is rated 60 kW maximum in N+1, so a quoted ST 80 may hold 20, 40, 60 or 80 kW of installed capacity. Family frames run ST 40, ST 60, ST 80, ST 120 and ST 200 on 10 kW or 20 kW modules, with ST 40 and ST 60 accepting internal 7 or 9 Ah battery blocks and ST 80 and above external only. The current catalogue item is the S2 revision, frame order code 4NWP101580R22AA, and the rack-integrated DPA UPScale RI is the sibling build. Module supply is the constraint on lead time: ABB India lists the 20 kW module, part 00-9383, as out of stock and not for retail sale.

Compatibility and dependencies

Input and output are both 220/380, 230/400 or 240/415 V at 50 or 60 Hz selectable, with input power factor at or above 0.99 and output distortion below 1.5% on linear load. On an ST 80 the battery plant is external only, so the cabinet and the battery separate cleanly on price and the buyer owes a string, a rack or cabinet and a DC breaker alongside the frame. ABB's ST literature documents no battery chemistry beyond VRLA for this family as of September 2026, so a lithium retrofit needs written confirmation rather than a read-across from the DPA 250 S4. The frame is 550 x 1135 x 775 mm at 169-257 kg without batteries, modules are hot-swappable from the front, and a system parallels to 10 modules per frame and 20 modules across four frames.

Pricing and availability

Trend: rising Lead time, used or refurbished: 2-6 weeks for modules through international sellers. Warranty, used: 1-year typical from refurbishment dealers.

Lifecycle and maintenance

Modular frames outlive their modules: cabinet, bus and static bypass run 15 years or more while the hot-swap power modules carry the fans and DC capacitors that wear, so the question is module hours and module count rather than cabinet age. A 1,500 kW ABB DPA system holds 30 module-level fan and capacitor sets. Eaton rates DC bus capacitors at 7 years of continuous duty and up to 10 in favourable conditions, and Vertiv field data gives 6 years for capacitors and 5-6 years or 40,000-50,000 hours for fans. Batteries turn over far faster, at 3-5 years for sealed VRLA and 12-15 for flooded cells, and spent lead-acid leaves as regulated waste through compliant recycling rather than resale. Eaton's 93PM service life extension program rebuilds the power train inside the existing shell in about 24 hours and resets another 10 years.

Thermal and emissions profile

UPS systems produce no combustion emissions, so the regulatory profile is battery handling, efficiency reporting and fire code. VRLA cells are regulated lead-acid waste at end of life and route through compliant recycling rather than resale, which is why asset recovery firms treat cabinet and cells as two separate economies. ENERGY STAR version 2.0 sets the efficiency benchmark, requiring VFI units above 10,000 W to meet 0.0058 x ln(P) + 0.886 and every AC-output unit to hold at least 90% power factor at full load, measured as a load-weighted average at 25, 50, 75 and 100% load. Efficiency is itself the emissions lever, since each point of double-conversion loss is continuous waste heat the cooling plant has to reject.

Common failure points

• Power module population — A frame sold on nameplate ships with fewer modules than the rating implies
• Module fans and capacitors — Consumables sit inside each module, so wear scales with module count not cabinet count
• Battery strings — VRLA capacity fades below 80% of nameplate and takes the ride-through with it
• Missing filler plates — Open slots break the cooling path and signal careless handling
• Live Swap entitlement — A frame without the Live Swap label must be bypassed for any module work
• Controls obsolescence — Controller and display boards reach end of life ahead of the power train

Inspection checklist

Module count: count populated slots against the frame rating; Eaton lists a 4 kVA 9PXM power module at 4,377 USD. Filler plates: Schneider's manual requires a module or filler plate in every slot on a 50 kW module bay. Module consumables: fans and capacitors live inside each module; a 1,500 kW DPA system carries 30 such sets. Live Swap label: verify the physical label; a Galaxy VS or VL without it must be bypassed, at 200 mm standoff. Module part numbers: confirm interchange; Schneider GVPM50KD is 50 kW at 400/480 V and 25 kW at 208 V. Battery age: sealed VRLA turns over at 3-5 years per Eaton lifecycle guidance; assume a full string past that. Battery capacity: reject any string below 80% of nameplate capacity under IEEE 1188 practice. Battery impedance: treat ohmic readings more than 20% above the commissioning baseline as an investigation trigger under IEEE 1188 field practice, then confirm against the battery manufacturer limit for the chemistry before condemning a cell.

Procurement channels

Module supply appears on eBay through international sellers; complete frames do not. ABB's own channel handles service parts, and the ABB India shop shows the 20 kW module, part 00-9383, as out of stock and not for retail sale. No North American refurbishment dealer stocks the platform: Gruber Power Services names APC, Eaton, Liebert, MGE, Best Power, Tripp Lite and Xtreme on its refurbished brand list and no ABB.

Regional notes

An IEC 400 V product absent from ABB Electrification's US catalogue. The North American equivalents are DPA 60 UL at 20-60 kW and DPA 120 UL at 20-600 kW, both 208 V and both different products with their own listings. No UL 1778 listing is published for the ST family, so a North American offer under this designation should be read as a grey import or a mislabeled DPA UL frame.