This article is for installation of vented lead acid batteries, battery racks and battery chargers in dedicated battery rooms for main substations, and installation of batteries in electrical equipment rooms. It does not cover maintenance-free or computer room type batteries and battery cabinets. Main keywords for this article are Battery Racks and Battery Charger Installation, Battery Assembly, Battery Charger Installation, Initial Charging of Battery, Installation of Vented Lead Acid.
References
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
484 Recommended Practice for Installation Design and Installation of Vented Lead Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
70 National Electrical Code
Definitions
For the purpose of understanding this standard, the following definitions apply.
Electrolyte. A sulfuric-acid solution in which the plates of a battery are suspended.
Float Voltage. The voltage applied to a battery to maintain it in a fully charged condition during normal operation.
Vented Battery. A battery in which the products of electrolysis and evaporation are allowed to escape freely to the atmosphere. These batteries are also referred to as ‘flooded cell’ batteries.
Battery Racks and Battery Charger Installation
Safety Precautions
- Unauthorized personnel shall be excluded from the battery room.
- There shall be no smoking or open flames in the immediate vicinity of the battery room.
- Tools and foreign objects shall not be placed on top of the battery.
- There shall be unobstructed egress from the battery room.
- Battery area shall be ventilated during charging.
- Metal objects, for example rings and watches, shall not be worn while working on batteries.
- Excessive tilting and spillage of electrolyte shall be avoided.
- See IEEE 484,for a list of protective equipment that shall be available for the work.
- Grounding connection to battery racks shall be provided from the building grounding system.
Battery Racks Storage
- Batteries shall be stored in a clean, level, dry and cool location. They shall be protected from excessively hot or cold temperatures.
- Batteries can be stored for a relatively short time without charging. Manufacturer’s recommendation for charging during storage shall be followed.
- If stored under the proper conditions, a period of 3 months shall be allowable between charging.
- If charging is required during storage, manufacturer shall be consulted for proper procedure to be followed. The same safety precautions shall be followed as in the permanent installation, to avoid explosion hazard and other possible injury to personnel. A detailed record shall be maintained of charging activities during storage.
Battery Assembly
- Rack shall be assembled in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Care shall be taken to avoid damage to the protective coating.
- Cells shall be positioned on rack and mounted in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Care shall be exercised to avoid damage to cells in lifting operation.
- Shipping plugs shall be removed, and if shipped dry, battery shall be filled with electrolyte in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Flame arrestor vent caps shall be installed.
- Posts and connecting hardware areas shall be cleaned with a nonmetallic brush, to remove corrosion, dirt and acid. A thin film of manufacturer-approved anti-corrosion compound shall be applied to the cleaned areas.
- Intercell connections shall be made using hardware supplied with the battery. When more than one intercell connector per post is required, intercell connectors shall be mounted on opposite sides.
- Bolts shall be torqued in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations. A second wrench shall be used for counter torque.
- Cell covers and containers shall be cleaned. For dust, a water-moistened wiper shall be used. For electrolyte spillage, a bicarbonate of soda solution shall be used to moisten the wiper. Oil based cleaners or strong alkaline cleaning agents which may damage the containers or covers shall not be used.
- Battery voltage shall be checked, to ensure that individual cells are connected correctly. The voltage shall be the voltage of one cell multiplied by the total number of cells. If the measurement is less, connections shall be rechecked for proper polarity. Cell numbers shall be applied starting with ‘one’ at the positive terminal and continuing in sequence for all cells.
- Intercell connection resistance shall be recorded. Measurements and the method of measurement shall be recorded, to allow the same procedure to be used in the future.
- Any connection that has a reading of 10 percent or 5 µΩ (which ever is higher) greater than the average of all readings shall be reworked.
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Battery Charger Installation
- Charger shall be unpacked and inspected for damage.
- Charger shall be mounted and located as on project drawings.
- Internal connections shall be checked to make certain that no wires have worked loose during transit.
- Insulation resistance test shall be performed on ac input wiring and dc output power wiring. Installation manual instructions shall be followed, to prevent damage to solid state components.
- Grounding connection to the charger enclosure shall be provided from the grid grounding system.
- Field connections shall be made to charger for ac input power, dc output and remote alarm and monitoring circuits. Wiring shall be worked in accordance with drawings.
- With dc output breaker open, energize charger and begin check out.
- Perform functional checkout of charger in accordance with installation manual.
- Check and calibrate meters and alarm settings.
- Verify operation in ‘float’ and ‘equalize’ modes.
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Initial Charging of Battery
- After completion of initial checkout of battery and charger, charger output breaker shall be closed to connect dc output of charger to battery.
- Prior to applying charge, the open circuit voltage of all cells, the electrolyte temperature, and specific gravity of every tenth cell shall be recorded. The cell with the lowest specific gravity shall be selected as the pilot cell for the freshening charge.
- All cells shall be inspected to make certain the electrolyte level is above the top of the plates. If necessary, electrolyte shall be added to cover the top of the plates.
The freshening charge shall be applied in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If the freshening charge voltage exceeds the system voltage limit, freshening charge shall be performed off line from the dc system. - Battery voltage, individual cell voltages, electrolyte temperature of every tenth cell and the specific gravity and temperature of the pilot cell shall be recorded twice per day during the freshening charge.
- Additionally, for nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries, the batteries shall be fully discharged (through a load bank) and then recharged.
- On conclusion of the freshening charge, charger shall be placed in float charge operation.
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Data Collection
After 72 h on float charge, all individual cell voltages and electrolyte temperature, specific gravities and levels shall be recorded.
Any cell with readings outside the manufacturer’s acceptable range shall either be replaced or have corrective action taken in accordance with the manufacturer’s manual.
Water or electrolyte shall be used accordance with the installation manual to adjust electrolyte levels to the recommended level. New electrolyte levels shall be recorded.
All data taken during the course of installation and at commissioning shall be kept for future reference.
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