Vertiv Liebert APM2 modular UPS, 10-600 kW

Vertiv's modular UPS with a silicon carbide hybrid converter, reaching 97.5% double conversion across 10-600 kW

Vertiv Liebert APM2 modular UPS, 10-600 kW is one of 22 UPS systems tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Vertiv Liebert APM2 dossier: 10-600 kW modular UPS with a silicon carbide converter, 97.5% efficiency, 100 kAIC rating, and a used-unit inspection checklist.

Why it matters

Vertiv claims mean time to repair under 30 minutes through hot-swap module replacement, and that is the number a used buyer should test rather than accept. Module-level serviceability is only real if modules are available, so on any secondary APM2 the question is module part availability and populated slot count, not cabinet condition. Vertiv publishes no MTBF or availability figure for the platform.

Who buys it

Data center and enterprise buyers who want capacity added in modules rather than by cabinet replacement, particularly where lithium configurations under 20 kWh keep the installation inside International Fire Code Chapter 12 limits. The 600 kVA integrated-bypass models carry a 100 kAIC short-circuit current rating, which matters where the upstream fault duty is high.

Role in the data center

Primary modular UPS from an edge room at 10 kW to a data hall at 600 kW, configured N+1 in-frame and paralleled up to four ways.

Key specifications

Technical summary

Ratings: 10-150 kVA/kW at 208 V; 20-600 kVA/kW at 480 or 415 V Output power factor: unity; input PF 0.99 at full load; input current THD below 3% Power modules: 15 kW (208 V, 10-60 kW frame), 30 kW, and 60 kW (480 V, 120-600 kW frames) Efficiency: up to 97.5% double conversion; 98.8% Dynamic Online; 99% ECO Topology: transformer-free three-level IGBT with a hybrid silicon carbide converter Parallel: up to 4 units for capacity or system redundancy Footprint: 78.7 in H x 23.6-39.4 in W x 40.5 in D; 208 V frame 328 kg without modules Power module (208 V, 10-60 kW): 440 x 510 x 87 mm at 26.4 kg Battery: modular hot-swap VRLA or lithium-ion internal, plus external cabinets; EnergyCore compatible Standards: UL 1778 5th ed.; CSA 22.2 No. 107.3; IEC 62040-2; UL 924; UL 9540; 100 kAIC SCCR at 600 kVA

Pricing and availability

Trend: up Warranty, used: 1-year typical from refurbishment dealers.

Lifecycle and maintenance

Modular UPS 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. That moves the maintenance question from cabinet age to module hours and module count, since a 1,500 kW ABB DPA system holds 30 module-level fan and capacitor sets. Eaton's 93PM service life extension program replaces power modules, DC capacitors, static switch, fans and the communications board inside the existing shell in about 24 hours, resetting another 10 years. Ask whether that program has been run before pricing any 10-year-old modular frame.

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 — ohmic readings above 20% of the commissioning baseline condemn the cell DC bus capacitors — Eaton rates 7 years of continuous duty and up to 10 under favorable conditions Cooling fans — Vertiv field data gives 5-6 years or 40,000-50,000 hours of operation before replacement Static bypass — transfer to bypass and back under load 3 times; verify each module's own bypass path where fitted Parallel kit — verify the parallel hardware and unit count; these frames commonly parallel 4 to 8 ways Firmware — verify the controller revision and card slots; Eaton's 11-point guidance makes firmware access a condition Lifecycle stage — confirm OEM support status; Mitsubishi's 4-stage lifecycle table is the only dated public one Rigging — verify path and lift plan; an ABB DPA 250 S4 frame runs 345-667 kg once populated with modules

Procurement channels

New units through Vertiv and its channel. No refurbishment dealer reached stocks the APM2; the closest adjacent inventory is the prior-generation Liebert APM at 15 to 90 kVA, stocked new by Gruber Power Services without a public price.