Tripping batteries

8.1.1 Importance
The operation of monitoring devices like relays and the tripping mechanisms of breakers
require independent power source, which does not vary with the main source being
monitored. Batteries provide this power and hence they form an important role in
protection circuits.
The relay/circuit breaker combination depends entirely on the tripping battery for
successful operation. Without this, relays and breakers will not operate, becoming ‘solid’,
making their capital investment very useless and the performance of the whole network
unacceptable.
It is therefore necessary to ensure that batteries and chargers are regularly inspected and
maintained at the highest possible level of efficiency at all times to enable correct
operation of relays at the correct time.
8.1.2 How a battery works?
A battery is an assembly of cells. Whether it is used to make a call using mobile phone or
to trip a circuit breaker, every cell has three things in common – positive and negative
electrodes and an electrolyte. Whereas some of the dry cell batteries drain out their
energy and are to be discarded, a stationary or storage battery used in the switchgear
protection has the capability to be recharged.
There are two types of batteries used in an electrical control system:
1. Lead acid type
2. Nickel cadmium type.
Both the above types can be classified further into flooded type and sealed maintenance
free type. The flooded cell construction basically refer to the electrodes of the cell in the
electrolyte medium, which can be topped up with distilled water as the electrolyte gets
diluted due to charging and discharging cycles.
The batteries also discharge hydrogen during these cycles and it is very necessary to
restrict this discharge to less than 4% by volume to air, to avoid the surroundings
in lead acid cells have resulted in the
manufacture of sealed maintenance free or valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries.
becoming hazardous. The higher discharge of H
Here the H
2
2
discharge is restricted to be below the hazardous limit.

Nickel cadmium batteries are comparatively costlier though they are considered morereliable with lesser
maintenance and lesser environmental issues that go with lead acidtypes. In addition, the hydrogen
discharge in a nickel cadmium cell is comparatively less.Hence, for conventional switchgear protection
applications, sealed nickel cadmiumbatteries are not required. As such, the sealed nickel cadmium cells
are only used for
small battery cells used in modern electronic gadgets.
The rechargeable lead acid cells as used in switchgear/relay applications are generally of
the Plante type and has an electrical voltage of 2 V. The cell contains a pure lead (Pb)
positive plate, a lead oxide (PbO
) negative plate, and an electrolyte of dilute sulphuric acid.The nickel cadmium cell has an electrical
voltage of 1.2 V containing nickel compound (+)
2
and cadmium compound () plates with potassium hydroxide solution as the electrolyte.
The following table briefly gives the advantages and disadvantages of nickel cadmium
batteries over lead acid type, the most common types being used for protectionapplication (see Table 8.1).
Advantages Disadvantages
er mechanical strength
maintenance
life
Space and weight low
Low H2 discharge and no spill over issues
Table 8.1
Nickel cadmium vs lead acid cells
Lower cell voltage (1.2 vs 2.0)
More expensive
Higher current consumption for charging
Not recommended at higher ambient temperatures
Higher distilled water consumption
Discharging and recharging
When a load is connected, across plate terminals of a charged cell an electrical current
flows and the lead and lead oxide start to change into lead sulphate. A similarphenomenon occurs with
nickel cadmium cell. The result is the dilution and weakening ofthe electrolyte. It is thus possible to
measure the state of the battery’s charge bymeasuring the electrolyte’s specific gravity with a hydrometer.
The cell is recharged by injecting a direct current in the opposite direction using anothersource to restore
its plates and electrolyte to their original state.
Application guide (see Table 8.2)
Plante Flat Plate Tubular
Substations *
Telephone exchanges *
Mobile telephone exchanges *
Emergency lighting * *
Alarms * *
Computer emergency * * *
Engine starting * *
Oil rings * *
Table 8.2
al Power Systems Protection
The positive plate is cast from pure lead in a form which gives it a surface twelve times
its apparent area. The negative plate is of the pasted grid type made by forcing lead oxide
paste into a cast lead alloy grid.
The positive and negative plates are interleaved and insulated from each other to
prevent short circuits, and are mounted in transparent plastic containers to allow visual
checking of the acid level and general condition.
Because of the high initial cost of Plante cells, specially designed flat plate cells have
been developed to provide a cheaper but shorter-lived alternative source of standby
power. Although this is the basis of the modern car battery, it is totally unsuitable for
switch-tripping duty because it has been designed to give a high current for a short time
as when starting a car engine. Cells with tubular positive plates are also available but
these are normally used to power electric trucks, etc., where daily recharging is needed
i.e. frequent charge/discharge cycles.
8.1.5 Voltage and capacity
The nominal voltage is 2 V per lead acid cell, i.e. a 110 V battery will have 55 cells. On
discharge, the recommended final voltage at which the discharge should be terminated
depends on the discharge rate. This is shown in discharge curves, as shown in Figure 8.2
(e.g. the final voltage for the 3 h rate of discharge is 1.8 V).
2.0
1.9
1.8
Electrolyte temp 15 C
012345678910
1.7
Figure 8.2
Typical battery discharge curves
8.1.6 Capacity
Hours
The capacity that can be provided by a cell varies with the discharge rate as indicated in
the capacity curves shown above. The capacity of a battery is defined in terms of amperehour
(AH) related
to
5 h or
10 h duty.
It
refers
to
the
capacity
of the
battery
to supply
a

load
current
over
a period,
until
it reaches
its
pre-defined
final
cell
voltage.
After
this

time,
the
cell
has
to
be
recharged
to
again
feed
a
load.
For example,
in
case
of
lead
acid

batteries, the acceptable final cell voltage could be as low as 1.70 V. But it is common to
define the capacity of the lead acid batteries for different cell voltages like 1.75, 1.80 and
1.85 V. Accordingly, the discharge curves of a battery vary showing comparatively
higher time to reach the lowest acceptable cell voltage. Table 8.3 gives the current that
can be drawn from a battery depending upon the 10 h rating

Time in hours 1
2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Capacity in % 60 73 80 84 88 91 93 96 98 100
Final cell
voltage
1.75 1.78 1.80 1.81 1.82 1.83 1.835 1.84 1.845 1.85
Current in % of
10 h rating
600 365 267 210 176 151 133 120 109 100
Table 8.3
Capacity variation of a lead acid cell with load current
The above table typically refers to a cell, which can supply 100% of its rated amperes
for 10 h at the end of which it reaches an end voltage of 1.85 V. The cell will reach 1.85
V if 100% rated current is continuously drawn for 10 h. Alternatively, if the current
drawn is 600% of its rating, the cell will reach 1.75 V at the end of 1 h itself. Hence,
while designing the capacity of the cell, proper margins should be taken into account
based on the nature of loads and the likely currents to be drawn over a cycle.
Capacity is also affected by ambient temperature. The lower the ambient temperature,
the capacity will be comparatively higher.
8.1.7 Battery charger
In a protection system, it is necessary that the control DC voltage shall remain constant
for as much time as possible, so that the system works without interruption. Hence, the
batteries are normally kept on charge continuously by a battery charger. The charger is a
rectifier, which produces a slightly higher voltage compared to the nominal cell voltage
of a battery. The main power source is derived from the normally available AC source,
which is rectified by the charger. Typical connection is as seen in Figure 8.3.
Figure 8.3
Charger/battery/load connection
Constant
voltage
charger
+
–
LoadBattery

Here the battery is a combination of multiple cells connected in series to get the
nominal DC tripping/control voltage required for the operation of relays and breakers and
could be from 24 to 220 V, depending on the loads and the capacity requirement.
8.1.8 Trickle charge
Trickle charging is a method of keeping the cells in a fully charged condition by passing a
small current through them. The correct trickle charge current is that which does not allow the
cell to discharge gas and does not allow the specific gravity to fall over a period. The cell
voltage will be approximately 2.25 V for lead acid cell and 1.35 V for nickel cadmium cell.
8.1.9 Float charge
Float charging is keeping the voltage applied to the battery at 2.25 V per lead acid cell or
1.35 V for nickel cadmium cell, i.e. maintaining a constant voltage across each cell. This method is
usually adopted in conjunction with supplying continuous and variable DC
loads from the charging equipment, as would typically happen for a substation battery.
The loads in a substation normally comprise of small continuous load consisting of pilot
lamps, relays, etc., and momentary short time loads of comparatively high values such as
those for circuit breaker tripping and closing operations, motor wound springs and so on.
Since the charger, battery and load are all connected in parallel as per Figure 8.3, the
continuous load is carried by the charger at normal floating voltage and the battery draws
its own maintenance current at the same time. Any load that exceeds the charger capacity
will lower its voltage slightly, to the point where the battery discharges to supply the
remainder. If there should be a complete power failure the battery will supply the entire
load for a period depending on the AH capacity and the load, until AC power is restored
and then automatically starts being recharged. Typical float currents will be in the range
of 30–50 mA per 100 AH of rated capacity, increasing to about 10 times towards the end
of the battery’s life.