Data Center UPS Batteries: The

Final Frontier for Preventing

Downtime

Sean A. Blaylock
Director –Business Development
Sta ndards
IEEE 450 - Vented Lead-
IEEE 1187 - VRLA
Acid Maintenance &
Installation
Testingn

IEEE 484 - Vented Lead- IEEE 1188 - VRLA

Acid Battery Installation Maintenance & Testing

IEEE 485 - Vented Lead- IEEE 1189 - VRLA Battery

Acid Battery Sizing Selection

IEEE 535 - Nuclear Battery IEEE 1375 - Battery

Qualification Protection

IEEE 1106 - Ni-Cd

IEEE 1491 - Battery
Installation,
Monitoring
Maintenance & Testing

IEEE 1115 - Ni-Cd Battery

Sizing

IEEE 1184 - UPS Batteries

Technology

Lead Acid Battery Basics

Flooded and Valve

Regulated Lead Acid
(VRLA) technology
 Primary Components of Lead‐Acid Batteries

• Positive Grid/Plate/Alloy
• Negative Grid/Plate/Alloy
• Electrolyte/Sulfuric Acid
• Separator
• Terminal Posts / Busbar Straps
• Plastic Container & Cover
 Stationary Flooded Batteries rated in 
Watts Per Cell  (WPC) or Amp‐Hours (AH)
 Recycling
97% of Battery Lead can
be Reclaimed
Compare to other
materials:

- Aluminum Cans: 55%

- Newspapers: 45%
- Glass Bottles: 26%
- Tires: 26%
Technology

Lead Acid Battery Basics

Flooded and Valve

Regulated Lead Acid
(VRLA) technology
Small VRLA
Technology
Small VRLA
Technology
Lar ge VRLA
Technology
Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

Positive Grid: Lead Calcium-Tin-Silver

Negative Grid: Lead Calcium

Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

Orange Colored: Positive

Grey Colored: Negative

Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

Plates are stacked and

separated by Absorbant
Glass Mat (AGM) material.
Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

Each plate lug is welded to a

lead “strap” – one strap for the
positives and one for the
negatives.
Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

Jar and Cover are welded

and post seal made using
industry leading HSPS
technology.
Large VRLA 2 Volt Design

CELL MODULE SYSTEM

 VRLA vs. Flooded

VRLA FLOODED
 VRLA Flooded

Reduced Footprint/ High Installation requires rack

Density

Modular stacking design Acid spill containment

for flexibility and ease of system required
installation

Does not require special Requires special

ventilation ventilation
 VRLA Flooded

Requires no watering Water must be added to cells

to maintain correct electrolyte
level and specific gravity

Internal reaction that limits Hydrogen vented to

hydrogen evolution to neglible
atmosphere
amounts

Increased sensitivity to Water/Electrolyte acts as a

temperature & charge voltage
large heat sink and can be
replaced if lost by
overcharging or temperature
variance
 Sealed vs. Flooded 20 Year Life Cycle Cost

125 Vdc 1000 Ah / 115 kW UPS Battery

$45 41.0
$40 Flooded
$35 VRLA
28.4
Cost ($000's)

$30 26.0
24.3
$25
$20
$15
$10 4.5
$5 1.8
$0
Purchase Install Maintain
per IEEE Standards
 Stationary Battery Selection – Battery Type

• Select Battery Type based on matrix of application

factors:
• Foot Print/Floor Loading
• Maintenance
• Initial Cost
• Full Cost of Ownership
• Discharge/Recharge Capability (Cycles)
• Reliability
• Anticipated Design Life
• Environment (Temperature/HVAC
requirements)
 Lead Acid Stationary Battery
Comparison
Large VRLA 2V Small VRLA Flooded Wet
Monobloc Cell
Footprint Better Best Good
Reliability Better Good Best
Initial Cost Good Best Better
Design Life Better Good Best
Temperature Better Good Best
Cycles Best Good Better-Calcium
Best-Antimony
Maintenance Better Best Good
HVAC/Special Better Best Good
Containment
Factors Limiting Life of
Lead-Acid Batteries
Life Limiting Factors
• Voltage !
• Temperature!
• or
• Temperature!
• Voltage!
 Temperature Effects
• Effects Both Battery Performance and Life
• Lead-Acid Battery Performs Best At 25oC (77oF)
• Higher Temperature Increases Capacity, But
SHORTENS LIFE
• Lower Temperature Reduces Capacity, But
Has Negligible Effect On Life
• Effect On Life (vs Capacity) Is Much More Critical
• Specify Temperature Compensation Option
 Temperature Effects On Life
• Based on Arrhenius  Death Acceleration
Relationship 12
Factor
{(T‐25)/10}
2 10
8
• Doubles for Each 10ºC 
6
Rise Above 25ºC
4
• Acceleration Rises 
2
Severely Above 30ºC
0
• Negligible Reduction  0 15 30 45 60
Below 25ºC Temperature (C)
e.g. Battery with 10 year “design life” at 25C will only
have 5 year design life at 35C
 Charge Voltage and Battery Life
• Float Voltage Is Set To 
Maintain Capacity and 
Minimize Grid Corrosion Corrosion Rate
• Overcharging Increases 
2.0
Positive Grid Corrosion and 
Reduces Life 1.5

• Undercharging can Lead to  1.0
Plate Sulfation and Loss of 
0.5
Capacity
• Specify Temperature  0.0
Compensation Option for  2.15 2.25 2.35 2.45

battery charger to help  Float/"On-circuit" Voltage

Volts Per Cell
maintain proper voltage in 
environ‐ ments with 
seasonal temperatures.
 Battery Storage / Handling / Installation

• Storage
–Keep batteries clean and dry
–Avoid storing batteries at very hot temperatures
–Boost charge batteries when in storage for extended 
periods (3 to 6 months)
• Handling
–Avoid damage to cell, terminals and container
• Installation
–Check electrical connections
–Check cell voltages and charger output
Example Of Improper Storage
 Stationary Battery Sizing
‹Gather five key pieces of information
Ð Load profile 
Ðlist/graph/table of loads battery must carry
ÐRun time: how long battery must operate during 
outage
Ð Minimum system voltage (End voltage)
Ð Maximum system voltage (Number of cells)
Ð Correction factors
Ð Battery type required
 Stationary Battery Sizing – Load Profile
‹Provide Load Profile ‐‐ graph or table showing 
the 
discharge current vs. time
100
Discharge Rate (amps)

25

1 30 479 480
Time (minutes)
NOTE: Each manufacturer publishes specific and detailed
performance curves/tables for each battery type.
Amp-Hours (Watts Per Cell) performance is NON-linear with time.
[e.g. battery delivering 50 amps at 4 hours (200 AH @ 4 hr rate) will
NOTdeliver 100 amps at 2 hours (200 AH @ 2 hr rate]
 Stationary Battery Sizing ‐‐ (End) Voltage
‹END Voltage ‐‐ Dependent on discharge duration and 
minimum voltage the load equipment can tolerate for normal 
operation.

‹ Examples
Ð 1.75 V.P.C: Long duration (1‐12 hours) 

Ð 1.67 V.P.C. Short duration (< 1 hour)

Ð 1.90 V.P.C. Super Long duration (> 12 hours)
v.p.c = volts per cell
 Stationary Battery Sizing – Number of cells
‹ Specify nominal, minimum, and maximum voltages of the load 
to be supported.

‹ Manufacturer will determine optimum amount of battery cells 
required to meet application by:
‐ dividing minimum system voltage by end voltage per cell 
(e.g. 105 Volts/1.75 Volts Per Cell = 60 cells) 
AND
‐ dividing maximum system voltage by charging voltage per 
cell 
(e.g. 141 Volts/2.35 Volts Per Cell = 60 cells) 

NOTE: Each manufacturer publishes specific and detailed

ranges for proper float (normal operating) and charging
voltages. There are different ranges for Flooded vs. Valve
Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) sealed batteries.
 Stationary Battery Sizing  – Correction Factors
‹Correction Factors
Ð Design Margin ‐‐ 1.10 to 1.20 typical
Compensation for future or “missed” loads
Ð Aging Factor ‐‐ 1.25 typical
Compensates for normal decrease in battery capacity 
over time (typically 80% of name plate rating at end of life)

Ð Temperature ‐‐ see next page
Compensation for decreased capacity at   
temperatures below 77 ºF/25°C
 Stationary Battery Sizing  – Correction Factors
‹ Temperature Correction Factors - Compensation for
decreased capacity at temperatures below 77 ºF/25°C
(per IEEE 485)
Temperature Correction Factor Temperature Correction Factor
25 ºF 1.520 68 ºF 1.056
30 ºF 1.430 69 ºF 1.048
35 ºF 1.350 70 ºF 1.040
40 ºF 1.300 71 ºF 1.034
45 ºF 1.250 72 ºF 1.029
50 ºF 1.190 73 ºF 1.023
55 ºF 1.150 74 ºF 1.017
60 ºF 1.100 75 ºF 1.011
65 ºF 1.080 76 ºF 1.006
66 ºF 1.072 77 ºF 1.000
67 ºF 1.064

Note: No need to correct for temperatures above 77F/25C

due to increased capacity performance at higher
temperatures
 UPS Battery Sizing
‹Obtain UPS Nameplate information
ÐObtain System End Voltage (typically 1.67 VPC or 1.75 VOLTS 
PER CELL)
ÐObtain battery back up (run time)  minutes
ÐObtain Number of cells
ÐObtain System Kilowatts (kW) = Kilowatt Battery (kWB) 
(PF)(kVA)
kWB =
Eff
ÐP.F. = Power Factor (estimate 0.85)
ÐEff. = Efficiency (estimate 0.90)
ÐkVA = Kilo volt‐amperes
(Always confirm these values with customer)
 Stationary Battery Sizing  – Battery Type

‹Select Battery Type based on matrix of application 
factors:
‹Foot Print/Floor Loading
‹Maintenance
‹Initial Cost
‹Full Cost of Ownership
‹Discharge/Recharge Capability (Cycles)
‹Reliability
‹Anticipated Design Life
‹Environment (Temperature/HVAC requirements)
Questions
Sean A. Blaylock
Director Business Development
3950 Sussex Ave
Aurora, IL 60504

sean.blaylock@exide.com
Ph 630 862 2242