Battery

Method of charging:-The temperature of electrolyte should not be allowed to increase beyond

1) Constant current charging (1/10 of capacity)

Three stage charging in modern automatic charger:-

1) Bulk charging- Starting after recharge, high current & voltage up to gassing voltage.
Approx 80% state of charge.
2) Absorption charging-Holds battery voltage constant, reduce amount of current, bank is
fully charge after this process.
3) Float charging-Design to keep the battery in a full state of charge, enters after first two
charging.
 Deep cycle batteries: - SOC+DOD=100% charge, depth of discharge & state of charge.
 Charge the battery according to manufacturer (charging cycle & temperature).
Temperature compensation is also provided by manufacturer.
 Cold batteries reduce capacity due to slow down due to slow chemical reaction.
  Hot batteries deliver greater AH because boost chemical reaction but battery life
reduced due to electrolyte temperature accelerates corrosion of the grid &
deterioration of separator’s.
 Try to design small DOD because it gives greater number of cycles.
 Does not reduce voltage more than 80% because it harms the battery & premature
failure of bank.
 Number of cycle Vs DOD. Smaller DOD—Greater the number of cycle
From Manufacturer data
400AH*50% DOD per cycle*3200cycle=640KAH
400AH*80% DOD per cycle*2100cycle=672KAH but drawn AH is reduced according to
ambient temperature in design calculation.
 Try to design <1% voltage drop in DC system between battery bank to charger & it must
be less than 3%.
 Try to make two strings because during maintenance or problem the other string will
serve the utility.
 Avoid making more than two strings in parallel because it is difficult to keep the parallel
conductor resistance equal. The individual string has the tendency to charge & discharge
at different rates causing imbalance in the bank & reduce overall life of battery.
 Batteries should not be kept under continuous Boost Charge. Batteries shall be on float
charge only. After sufficient discharge of the Battery (as indicated by the Voltage and
specific gravity of the Cell, Battery shall be kept under Boost charge for the required
number of hours only to get the normal voltage and specific gravity.
 After installation of the battery, if each cell voltage and specific gravity is not uniform
and varying then equalizing charge shall be made by adjustment of electrolyte, i.e.
addition or removal of electrolyte and/or distilled water is made until the specific
gravities are uniform. This adjustment may be repeated after some cycles of operation
i.e., after 30 or 45 days.
 Test for Battery capacity & discharge.
 Measurement of temperature of battery & connector during discharge test.
 Testing of DC earth leakage protection.
 Determining Battery Capacity:- % capacity at 25°C (77°F) = (Ta /Ts) x 100
Ta is actual time of test to specified terminal voltage, Ts is rated time to specified
terminal voltage.

Nickel cadmium battery:-

 Testing of battery:- Put the charger in boost mode for 8hrs, then discharge the battery
by a discharging resistor panel with rate of 0.2C₅. While discharging if any battery found
less than 1V then the battery is faulty & need to be replaced. Discharge it until 1V*no. of
batteries. Boost charge & test the batteries once in every six months.
 Charging current should be within 0.1-0.2C₅ limit.
  For 1.2V cell the Float charge – 1.4 to 1.42 & boost charge – 1.55 to 1.67.
 In nickel cadmium battery electrolyte density is not affected by state of charge of
battery & nearly about1.19. Electrolyte use is B-22 at the time of commissioning & B-5 is
used when density falls. Use only DM water top up because at high temperature, heavy
use & boost charging water evaporates from electrolyte.

Lead Acid Battery:-

 +ve plate Pbo₂(lead paroxide), when fully charged appears dark brown. –Ve plate
Pb(porous spongy lead) when fully charged appears gray color.
 Electrolyte is H₂SO₄ containing 8 parts of water & 3 parts of acid. When battery is fully
charged it contains 1/3 parts of acid & 2/3 parts of water.
 Try to avoid filling impure water, under discharge more than 24 hrs, under charging &
never allow discharge beyond 1.8V.
 Give trickle charge when battery is not in use.
 If cell temperature is different from 27°c correction to gravity to be applied is +/-0.0007
for every degree variation above or below 27°C respectively.
 When maximum voltage difference between cells reaches 0.05V the battery should be
replaced.
 Put the charger in boost mode for 12hrs, and then discharge the battery by a
discharging resistor panel with rate of 0.1C₁₀. While discharging if any battery found less
than 1.75V for 2V battery & 10.75 for 12V battery then the battery is faulty & need to be
replaced. Discharge it until 1.8V*no. of batteries for 2V & 11V*no. of batteries for 12V
battery. Boost charge & test the batteries once in every six months.
 For 2V cell the Float charge – 2.25V & boost charge – 2.3V.
 For 12V cell the Float charge – 13.25V & boost charge – 13.8V.