Differenttypesofbatteryusedforauxiliarypowersupplyin

substationsandpowerplants

Different types of battery used for auxiliary power supply in substations and power plants

Inindustrialorsubstationapplicationsmainlythreetypesofbatteriesareusednamely:
1. Vented/FloodedLeadAcidbatteries
2. Sealedmaintenancefreebatteries/ValveRegulatedLeadAcid
3. NickelCadmium(Nicd)batteries
ForUPSapplicationsbatteriesarethemostpopularandhencearewidelyused.Hence,inthis
detailing,mainlyemphasizehasbeenputonthesetypeofbatteries.

Vented/FloodedLeadAcidBatteries
Therearetwotypesforventedorfloodedleadacidbatteries

namelytubularandPlante.Thedifferencebetweenthetwois
theconstruction.Fortubularbatterynormallifeis810years.
ThePlantebatteryisbothmechanicallyandelectricallymore
durable.ThenormallifeforPlantebatteriesis1520years.
Becausethistypeofbatterygeneratescorrosivefumeswhen
chargingandbecausethesulfuricacidelectrolytedoes
evaporatetosomeextent,thesebatteriesmustbeusedina
specialroom,whichiswellventilatedtotheoutsideandkept
awayfromdelicateelectronicequipments.
Itneedsseparateroom/rackswithacidprooftilesfor
installation.Becauseofevaporation,itneedsregular
maintenancetocheckspecificgravity,toaddwaterandacid.

Vented / Flooded Lead Acid Batteries

Thesebatteriescanwithstandhightemperature,voltage,and
deepdischargewithminimumdamagetoitself.Anotice
shouldbeexhibitedinthebatteryroomprohibitingsmoking
anduseofnakedflames.Thesebatteriescannotbe
transportedinchargedconditionandthereforeneedcharging

atsite.
Typicalinitialchargingofthebatterywilltakeabout55to90hours.Nominalcellvoltageis
2V/cell.Thechargerforthisbatteryshouldbeabletoprovidethefirstchargeat2.6to2.7V/cell.

Tubular Type Lead acid battery

ThesetypesofbatteriesaretypicallyusedforUPSSystemsofveryhighratedcapacity,typically
engagedforplantapplication,whereinmaintenanceandspaceisnotreallyanissue.

SealedMaintenanceFreebatteries(SMF)

SealedMaintenanceFreebatteries(SMF)
ThesearealsoknownasValveRegulatedLeadAcid
(VRLA)batteries.Thesebatteriesarethemostpopularfor
usagewithUPSsystemsforcomputerorcommercial
application.Beingsealed,thesebatteriesdonotemitany
fumesandhencecanbeverywellinstallednexttoelectronic
equipment.Thesebatteriesalsocanbehousedinaclose
enclosureifnecessary.Thesebatteriesarealsomaintenance
freeandavoidanyhasslesofcheckingspecificgravity,adding
wateroracid,etc.
VRLA/SMF type Lead acid battery

Thesebatterieshavearelativelylesserlifeofapprox.35years.Thelifeexpectancytypically
dependsonthenumberofcharge/dischargecycleexperiencedbythebatteriesandtheambient
temperatureinwhichthebatteriesareused.Thesebatteriesareprimarilythemostpopularfor
commercialapplicationsduetoInstallandforgetapproach.

ThePerformanceandservicelifeofthesebatteriescanbemaximizedby
observingthefollowingguidelines:

1. PermissibleoperatingtemperaturerangeofSMFbatteriesis15degCto50degC,but
usingwithinanoperatingrange5Cto35Cwillextendservicelife.Below15degC,thebattery
changesitschemicalcompositionandcannotholdacharge.Youwillenjoylongerservicelife,if
batteriesareoperatedinambienttemperaturerangeof20degCto25degC(68Fto77F).At
lowertemperaturetheyhavelongerlifeandlowercapacitywhileathighertemperaturetheyhave
highercapacityandlowerlife.

2. Agoodruleofthumbwhendeterminingbatteryservicelifeinrelationtotemperatureisthat
forevery8.3degC(15F)averageannualtemperatureabove25degC(77F),thelifeofthe
batteryisreducedby50%.Thereforewarrantyofthebatteryshouldbeideallyreducedto50%for
every8.3degC(15F)increaseinoperatingtemperatureabove25degC(77F).

3. SMFbatteriesaredesignedtohaveafloatvoltageof2.3V/cell.Thismeansthata12V
battery(with6internalcells)hasafloatvoltageof13.8Volts.Mostofthebatterymanufacturers
recommendfloatvoltageof2.252.3voltspercell.Whentherearemorecells(generally>120)
inseries,tocompensateforhighertemperatures,floatvoltageshouldbedecreasedbyapprox.3
mVpercellperdegCabove25degC.Itshouldbeincreasedbythesameamountwhen
operatedatatemperaturelessthan25degCtoavoidundercharge.TheCutoffvoltageis1.67
V/cellforhighrateofdischarge(

4. ItisrecommendedthatSMFbatteriesshouldnotbeleftintotallydischargedstatemore
than72hrs.ThebatteriesmaygetpartiallyorfullydamagedduetoSULPHATIONifcharging
doesnotstartwithin72Hrsfromtotallydischargedstate.Sulphationistheformationoflead
sulphateonnegativeplateswhichactsasaninsulatorandhasadetrimentaleffectoncharge
acceptance.

5. Innormalfloat/equalizeuse(2.25to2.35V/cell),gasgeneratedinsidebatteryis
recombinedintonegativeplates,andreturntowatercontentoftheelectrolyte.Thuselectrical
capacityisnotlostbecauseofthisrecombination.Thereisnoneedtoaddexternalwater,but
duethecorrosionoftheelectrodesbatterywilleventuallylosecapacity.

6. Atambienttemperatureof3040degC,theshelflifeofbatteriesis56monthsonly.A
fresheningchargemustbegiventothebatteriesevery6months,ifneededtobestoredfor
longerperiods.Batteriesshouldbekeptindry,coolplace.Atambienttemperatureof20degC
(68F),theselfdischargerateis34%(approx.)ofratedcapacitypermonth.Theselfdischarge
ratevarieswithambienttemperature.

7. SMFbatteriesareequippedwithasafe,lowpressureventingsystem,whichoperatesat7
psito10psi(canvaryslightlyfrommanufacturertomanufacturer),automaticallyreleasingexcess
gasintheeventthatgaspressurerisestoalevelabovethenormalrateensuringnoexcessive
buildupofgasinthebatteries.Resealingisautomaticoncethepressureisreturnedtonormal.

8. Cycliclifeofthebatterydependsonambientoperatingtemperature,thedischargerate,the
depthofdischarge,andthemannerinwhichthebatteryisrecharged.Themostimportantfactor
isthedepthofdischarge.Atagivendischargerateandtime,theshallowerthedepthof
discharge,thelongeristhecycliclife.

9. Failuremodeattheendoflifeincludes:
1. Capacitydecrease
2. Internalshortcircuit
3. Damagetocontainer/lid
4. Terminalcorrosion
5. Reducedopencircuitvoltage.

10. TheIEEEdefinesB(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbatteryasbeingthepointwhenitcan
nolongersupply80percentofitsratedcapacityinamperehours(AH).Therelationshipbetween
AHcapacityandruntimetimeisnotlinear,a20%reductionincapacityresultsinamuchgreater
reductioninruntime.Whenbatteryreaches80%ofitsratedcapacity,theagingprocess
acceleratesandthebatteryshouldbereplaced.SomeUPS/BatterymanufacturersdefineB
(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbatterywhenbatterycapacityreaches5060%ofitsratedcapacity.

11. Mixeduseofbatterieswithdifferentcapacities,differentmakesshouldbeavoidedasitwill
causeacceleratedagingofthewholestring.

12. Iftwoormorebatterygroupsaretobeused,connectedinparallel,theymustbe
connectedtotheUPSthroughlengthsofwires,cablesorbusbarsthathavethesameloopline
resistanceaseachother.Thismakessurethateachparallelbankofbatteriespresentsthesame
impedancetotheUPSasanyotheroftheparallelbankstherebyensuringcorrectequalizationof
thesourcetoallowformaximumenergytransfertotheUPSload.

13. ThenormallifeSMFbatterywillsupportapprox.200charge/dischargecyclesat25deg
C(77F)and100%depthofdischarge.

14. ThetermB(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbatteryreferstothefactthatthesebatteries
donotrequirefluid.Butpreventivemaintenancelikecheckingforcracksanddeformationofthe
container&lid,electrolyteleakage/spillstighteningoftheconnectionetc,particularlyforhigherAH
capacitybatteriesshouldbedonetopreventanydamage.

NickelCadmiumBatteries(NiCd)
Nicdbatteriesdoemithydrogenandoxygengas,productsofelectrolysis,butthereareno
corrosivegasesasleadacidbatteries,sothesecanbeinstallednearelectronicequipment.Water
consumptionisrelativelylowandsothereforemaintenanceislow.Normalservicelifeis2025
years.Thesearemostexpensiveofthevarioustypesofbatteriespreviouslydiscussed.Initial
costmaybeapproximatelythreetimesthatofleadacidbatterydependingupontheirAH
capacity.
Thesebatteriesdonotexperiencethesevereshorteningoflifewhenoperatedatelevated
temperaturesandperformbetteratlowtemperaturesthandotheleadacidbatteries.Nominalcell
voltageis1.2V/cell.Thebatterychargersandinvertershavetobedesignedtooperatewithlow

endcellcutoffvoltagesandhigherrechargingvoltagesneededforsuchbatteries.
Thesebatteriesoccasionallydemandboostchargingandtypicallyfindtheirapplicationswherein
UPSssupportcriticalequipmentinhazardousenvironmentsuchaschemical,fertilizer,cement
industry.

Merits/demerits
Asspelledearlier,alltheabovediscussedtypesofbatterieshavetheirownmeritsanddemerits.
Letusnowlookatthemindividually.

A)Vented/floodedLeadacidbatteries
Merits
1. Mosteconomicalamongthreetypesofbatteries.
2. LifeishigherthanSMFbatteries.
3. Robustnotmuchsensitivetotemperature.

Demerits
1. Needsperiodicmaintenancetwiceamonth.
2. Emitscorrosivefumes.
3. Needsspecialbatteryroomwithacidprooftilling.
4. Cannotbetransportedinchargedcondition,initialchargingtakes55to90hours.
5. Needsspeciallytrainedpersonsforhandlingduehighlyhazardoussulphuricacid.

B)Sealedmaintenancefreebatteries/ValveRegulatedLeadAcid
Merits
1. Nomaintenanceasfaraswaterfilling,specificgravitychecketcisconcerned.
2. Canbeshippedinchargedconditionssoreadytouse.
3. Userfriendly.

Demerits
1. Leavingbatteriesindischargedstateforlongerlifewillreducelifesignificantlyorcan
damagethempermanently.
2. Verysensitivetotemperature
3. Servicelifelowestamongthethreetypes

4. Costlierthanflooded/ventedleadacidbattery

C)NickelCadmium(Nicd)batteries
Merits
1. Moderatemaintenance
2. Higherservicelife
3. lesssensitivetotemperature
4. Fumesnotcorrosivesocanbeinstallednearelectronicequipment

Demerits
1. Mostexpensiveamongthreetypes
2. Cannotbetransportedinchargedconditions.
3. Compatibilitywithrespecttochargerandinverterneededtobeconsidered.

SummaryofTechnoCommercialAnalysisbetweenNiCd&
LeadacidBatteries
No.

Description

NiCd

Leadacid

Remarks

Reliability
Criteria

Worstcasefailureiscell
shortcircuit.Resultis
reducedperformance.
Thebatterywillcontinue
tosupportthesystem.

Worstcasefailureiscell ThispointmakesNiCdto
opencircuit.Resultis
besuperiorintermsof
completelossofbattery, purpose
knownassudden
death,resultinginan
unpredictedsystem
failure.

Requirement
ofAir
Conditioning
&additional
costof
Electrical
Energy

Nil

Yes

AdditionalCostduetoAir
conditioningequipment
andrunningcostFor
VRLA

BatteryLife
20Years
asclaimedby
UK
manufacturers
(Industrial
Batteries)

57Years

ReplacingcostofVRLA
afterevery57yearswill
involvemanufacturing
costescalationduring
thatyear.Eg.at6thyear,
12thyearand18thyear.

BatteryCost

Approximately3times
thanVRLA

Relative

NiCdcellshavea

LeadAcidhasalow

CostsInitial& higherinitialcostthan
LifeCycle
leadacidbutsuperior
lifetimeand
characteristics,givinga
lowerlifecyclecostin
manyapplications.

initialcostbuta
restrictedlifetime.In
manyapplicationsthey
canhaveapoorlife
cyclecost.

PhysicalSize NiCdcellsaregenerally IntermsofAh,Lead

largerthanVRLAcells. acid(VRLA)isthemost
compactbattery.

Water
Topping

OccasionallyRequired

NotRequired

SummaryofComparisonbetweentubularflooded(ordinary
Leadacid)batterywithSMFLeadAcidBattery
No.

TubularLeadAcidbattery

VRLABattery

TubularpositivePlates:
Thepositiveactivematerialisheldina
polyestertube.Thisdoesnotallowthe
materialstoshedduringcharge
dischargecyclingresultinginlong
cycliclifeminimum1200cyclesat80
%depthofdischarge.

Flatpastedpositiveplates:
Thepositiveactivematerialisapasteformpasted
overaleadalloygrid.Thisresultsinashortercyclic
lifecomparedtotubularconstruction.minimum500
cyclesat80%depthofdischarge

Electrolyte:Stationarybatteriesof
UPSandPowerplantbackupworks
onlowspecificgravity(1.200)
electrolyteandlargerinvolume.This
resultsinlesscorrosionofgridsand
longerlife.Thelargervolumekeeps
thebatterycomparativelycoolerwhich
alsoaddstolife.

Electrolyte:VRLAbatteriesworkonhighspecific
gravityelectrolyte(1.280to1.300)andlessvolume.
Thecellsgetheatedupduringchargingandhigh
ratedischargeswhichaffectstheservicelife.

Separators:Microporouspoly
ethyleneseparatorsareused.This
permitstheionmovementandpositive
tonegativeplateseparation.

Separators:Adsorptiveglassmatseparatorsare
usedinthesebatterieswithacloserspacing
betweenthepositiveandnegativeplates.Chances
ofcellshortingarethereforemore.

Chargingcompatibility:Tubular
stationaryleadacidbatteriescanbe
chargedwithconstantcurrentand
constantvoltagemode.Flooded
electrolytebatteriescanwithstand
moreabusesduringcharging.Water
lostinelectrolyteduringsuchabusive
overchargingcouldbeeasilymadeup
manuallybyperiodictopup.Lagging
cellscouldbebroughttonormallifeby
anextendedequalizingcharging
withoutsignificantlyaffectingtheother
cells.

Chargingcompatibility:VRLAbatteriesrequire
constantvoltagechargingwithaspecifiedlimitonly
specificallytoavoidovercharging.Ifbyanychance,
thechargingconditionsarealtered,thebatterywill
getheatedupwhichwilldeterioratethebatterylife.
Thoughthereisnoneedtotopupduetothe
recombinationprinciple,itisnotalways100%
efficient,sosomewaterlossduringuseisnot
avoidable.Thisresultsinafurtherincreasein
electrolytespecificgravityandlifereduction.
Equalizing(Extended)charginginVRLAbatteries
resultsinsomecellsgettingheatedupandlife
reduction.

Containers:WeusetransparentSAN Notapplicable:CannotmonitorElectrolyte
containers.Theelectrolytelevelis
easilyseenfortoppingupneedsand
easeofmaintenance.Low
maintenance.

Needfortemperaturecontrol:Dueto
thelargeelectrolytevolumethe
temperatureofthecellsgenerallydo
notriseabnormallyduringcharging.
NoneedforAirconditioning.

Needfortemperaturecontrol:Theclosepacking
arrangementandcompactnessofthestackinthe
cellassemblyrisesthetemperaturesharplyduring
charging.Duetothis,VRLAbatterymanufacturers
invariablyrecommendtheneedforairconditioned
environmentforthebatterycompartments.Thisadds
tothecostofmaintenance.