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

Inindustrialorsubstationapplicationsmainlythreetypesofbatteriesareused
namely:
1.Vented/FloodedLeadAcidbatteries
2.Sealedmaintenancefreebatteries/ValveRegulatedLeadAcid
3.NickelCadmium(Nicd)batteries
ForUPSapplicationsbatteriesarethemostpopularandhencearewidelyused.
Hence,inthisdetailing,mainlyemphasizehasbeenputonthesetypeofbatteries.

Vented/FloodedLeadAcidBatteries
Therearetwotypesforventedorfloodedleadacid
batteriesnamelytubularandPlante.Thedifference
betweenthetwoistheconstruction.Fortubularbatterynormallifeis810years.The
Plantebatteryisbothmechanicallyandelectricallymoredurable.Thenormallifefor
Plantebatteriesis1520years.Becausethistypeofbatterygeneratescorrosivefumes
whenchargingandbecausethesulfuricacidelectrolytedoesevaporatetosome

Vented / Flooded LeadAcid Batteries

extent,thesebatteriesmustbeusedinaspecialroom,whichiswellventilatedtothe
outsideandkeptawayfromdelicateelectronicequipments.
Itneedsseparateroom/rackswithacidprooftilesforinstallation.Becauseof
evaporation,itneedsregularmaintenancetocheckspecificgravity,toaddwaterand
acid.Thesebatteriescanwithstandhightemperature,voltage,anddeepdischargewith
minimumdamagetoitself.Anoticeshouldbeexhibitedinthebatteryroomprohibiting
smokinganduseofnakedflames.Thesebatteriescannotbetransportedincharged
conditionandthereforeneedchargingatsite.
Typicalinitialchargingofthebatterywilltakeabout55to90hours.Nominalcell
voltageis2V/cell.Thechargerforthisbatteryshouldbeabletoprovidethefirstcharge
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at2.6to2.7V/cell.
Tubular Type Lead acid battery

ThesetypesofbatteriesaretypicallyusedforUPSSystemsofveryhighrated
capacity,typicallyengagedforplantapplication,whereinmaintenanceandspaceisnot
reallyanissue.

SealedMaintenanceFreebatteries(SMF)
VRLA/SMF type Lead acid battery

ThesearealsoknownasValveRegulatedLeadAcid

(VRLA)batteries.Thesebatteriesarethemostpopular
forusagewithUPSsystemsforcomputerorcommercialapplication.Beingsealed,
thesebatteriesdonotemitanyfumesandhencecanbeverywellinstallednextto
electronicequipment.Thesebatteriesalsocanbehousedinacloseenclosureif
necessary.Thesebatteriesarealsomaintenancefreeandavoidanyhasslesof
checkingspecificgravity,addingwateroracid,etc.
Thesebatterieshavearelativelylesserlifeofapprox.35years.Thelifeexpectancy
typicallydependsonthenumberofcharge/dischargecycleexperiencedbythe
batteriesandtheambienttemperatureinwhichthebatteriesareused.Thesebatteries
areprimarilythemostpopularforcommercialapplicationsduetoInstallandforget
approach.

ThePerformanceandservicelifeofthesebatteriescanbemaximizedby
observingthefollowingguidelines:

1. PermissibleoperatingtemperaturerangeofSMFbatteriesis15degCto50deg
C,butusingwithinanoperatingrange5Cto35Cwillextendservicelife.Below15
degC,thebatterychangesitschemicalcompositionandcannotholdacharge.Youwill
enjoylongerservicelife,ifbatteriesareoperatedinambienttemperaturerangeof20
degCto25degC(68Fto77F).Atlowertemperaturetheyhavelongerlifeandlower
capacitywhileathighertemperaturetheyhavehighercapacityandlowerlife.
2. Agoodruleofthumbwhendeterminingbatteryservicelifeinrelationto
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temperatureisthatforevery8.3degC(15F)averageannualtemperatureabove25
degC(77F),thelifeofthebatteryisreducedby50%.Thereforewarrantyofthe
batteryshouldbeideallyreducedto50%forevery8.3degC(15F)increasein
operatingtemperatureabove25degC(77F).
3. SMFbatteriesaredesignedtohaveafloatvoltageof2.3V/cell.Thismeansthat
a12Vbattery(with6internalcells)hasafloatvoltageof13.8Volts.Mostofthe
batterymanufacturersrecommendfloatvoltageof2.252.3voltspercell.Whenthere
aremorecells(generally>120)inseries,tocompensateforhighertemperatures,float
voltageshouldbedecreasedbyapprox.3mVpercellperdegCabove25degC.It
shouldbeincreasedbythesameamountwhenoperatedatatemperaturelessthan25
degCtoavoidundercharge.TheCutoffvoltageis1.67V/cellforhighrateofdischarge
(
4. ItisrecommendedthatSMFbatteriesshouldnotbeleftintotallydischargedstate
morethan72hrs.Thebatteriesmaygetpartiallyorfullydamageddueto
SULPHATIONifchargingdoesnotstartwithin72Hrsfromtotallydischargedstate.
Sulphationistheformationofleadsulphateonnegativeplateswhichactsasan
insulatorandhasadetrimentaleffectonchargeacceptance.
5. Innormalfloat/equalizeuse(2.25to2.35V/cell),gasgeneratedinsidebatteryis
recombinedintonegativeplates,andreturntowatercontentoftheelectrolyte.Thus
electricalcapacityisnotlostbecauseofthisrecombination.Thereisnoneedtoadd
externalwater,butduethecorrosionoftheelectrodesbatterywilleventuallylose
capacity.
6. Atambienttemperatureof3040degC,theshelflifeofbatteriesis56months
only.Afresheningchargemustbegiventothebatteriesevery6months,ifneededto
bestoredforlongerperiods.Batteriesshouldbekeptindry,coolplace.Atambient
temperatureof20degC(68F),theselfdischargerateis34%(approx.)ofrated
capacitypermonth.Theselfdischargeratevarieswithambienttemperature.
7. SMFbatteriesareequippedwithasafe,lowpressureventingsystem,which
operatesat7psito10psi(canvaryslightlyfrommanufacturertomanufacturer),
automaticallyreleasingexcessgasintheeventthatgaspressurerisestoalevelabove
thenormalrateensuringnoexcessivebuildupofgasinthebatteries.Resealingis
automaticoncethepressureisreturnedtonormal.
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8. Cycliclifeofthebatterydependsonambientoperatingtemperature,thedischarge
rate,thedepthofdischarge,andthemannerinwhichthebatteryisrecharged.The
mostimportantfactoristhedepthofdischarge.Atagivendischargerateandtime,the
shallowerthedepthofdischarge,thelongeristhecycliclife.
9. Failuremodeattheendoflifeincludes:
1.Capacitydecrease
2.Internalshortcircuit
3.Damagetocontainer/lid
4.Terminalcorrosion
5.Reducedopencircuitvoltage.
10. TheIEEEdefinesB(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbatteryasbeingthepoint
whenitcannolongersupply80percentofitsratedcapacityinamperehours(AH).
TherelationshipbetweenAHcapacityandruntimetimeisnotlinear,a20%reduction
incapacityresultsinamuchgreaterreductioninruntime.Whenbatteryreaches80%
ofitsratedcapacity,theagingprocessacceleratesandthebatteryshouldbereplaced.
SomeUPS/BatterymanufacturersdefineB(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbattery
whenbatterycapacityreaches5060%ofitsratedcapacity.
11. Mixeduseofbatterieswithdifferentcapacities,differentmakesshouldbeavoided
asitwillcauseacceleratedagingofthewholestring.
12. Iftwoormorebatterygroupsaretobeused,connectedinparallel,theymustbe
connectedtotheUPSthroughlengthsofwires,cablesorbusbarsthathavethesame
looplineresistanceaseachother.Thismakessurethateachparallelbankofbatteries
presentsthesameimpedancetotheUPSasanyotheroftheparallelbanksthereby
ensuringcorrectequalizationofthesourcetoallowformaximumenergytransfertothe
UPSload.
13. ThenormallifeSMFbatterywillsupportapprox.200charge/discharge
cyclesat25degC(77F)and100%depthofdischarge.
14. ThetermB(Bendofusefullife)foraUPSbatteryreferstothefactthatthese
batteriesdonotrequirefluid.Butpreventivemaintenancelikecheckingforcracksand
deformationofthecontainer&lid,electrolyteleakage/spillstighteningoftheconnection
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etc,particularlyforhigherAHcapacitybatteriesshouldbedonetopreventany
damage.

NickelCadmiumBatteries(NiCd)
Nicdbatteriesdoemithydrogenandoxygengas,productsofelectrolysis,butthere
arenocorrosivegasesasleadacidbatteries,sothesecanbeinstallednearelectronic
equipment.Waterconsumptionisrelativelylowandsothereforemaintenanceislow.
Normalservicelifeis2025years.Thesearemostexpensiveofthevarioustypesof
batteriespreviouslydiscussed.Initialcostmaybeapproximatelythreetimesthatof
leadacidbatterydependingupontheirAHcapacity.
Thesebatteriesdonotexperiencethesevereshorteningoflifewhenoperatedat
elevatedtemperaturesandperformbetteratlowtemperaturesthandotheleadacid
batteries.Nominalcellvoltageis1.2V/cell.Thebatterychargersandinvertershaveto
bedesignedtooperatewithlowendcellcutoffvoltagesandhigherrechargingvoltages
neededforsuchbatteries.
Thesebatteriesoccasionallydemandboostchargingandtypicallyfindtheirapplications
whereinUPSssupportcriticalequipmentinhazardousenvironmentsuchaschemical,
fertilizer,cementindustry.

Merits/demerits
Asspelledearlier,alltheabovediscussedtypesofbatterieshavetheirownmeritsand
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demerits.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.Leavingbatteriesindischargedstateforlongerlifewillreducelifesignificantlyor
candamagethempermanently.
2.Verysensitivetotemperature
3.Servicelifelowestamongthethreetypes
4.Costlierthanflooded/ventedleadacidbattery

C)NickelCadmium(Nicd)batteries
Merits
1.Moderatemaintenance
2.Higherservicelife
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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

Relative
NiCdcellshaveahigher LeadAcidhasalow
CostsInitial& initialcostthanleadacid initialcostbuta
LifeCycle
butsuperiorlifetimeand restrictedlifetime.In
characteristics,givinga manyapplicationsthey
lowerlifecyclecostin
canhaveapoorlife
manyapplications.
cyclecost.

PhysicalSize NiCdcellsaregenerally IntermsofAh,Lead

largerthanVRLAcells.
acid(VRLA)isthemost
compactbattery.

Approximately3times
thanVRLA

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Water
Topping

OccasionallyRequired

NotRequired

SummaryofComparisonbetweentubularflooded(ordinary
Leadacid)batterywithSMFLeadAcidBattery
No.

TubularLeadAcidbattery

VRLABattery

TubularpositivePlates:
Thepositiveactivematerialisheldin
apolyestertube.Thisdoesnotallow
thematerialstoshedduringcharge
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:Due
tothelargeelectrolytevolumethe
temperatureofthecellsgenerallydo
notriseabnormallyduringcharging.

Needfortemperaturecontrol:Theclosepacking
arrangementandcompactnessofthestackinthe
cellassemblyrisesthetemperaturesharplyduring
charging.Duetothis,VRLAbatterymanufacturers

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NoneedforAirconditioning.

invariablyrecommendtheneedforairconditioned
environmentforthebatterycompartments.Thisadds
tothecostofmaintenance.

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