This article is about Inspection and technical design requirement of UPS/DC Battery Room, Equipment Installation for commercial buildings, plants and refinery projects.
UPS/DC Battery Room, Equipment Material Inspection
| QC Before Installation – Battery room Equipment shall conform to all applicable requirements, standards, and specifications prior to release to be used as part of work. |
| Incoming Battery room Equipment shall be visually inspected for damage / defects occurred during transportation and conformance to all applicable requirements. |
| Battery room Equipment shall be new and unused. |
| Battery room Equipment shall be in accordance with the approved project-specific design drawings, diagrams, schedules, lists, databases, and associated design documents. |
| Check that the Contractor or it’s third party inspector performed the quality activities at the supplier and sub-supplier locations as required by the inspection level assigned for the materials and equipment identified in Inspection Requirements. |
UPS/DC Battery Room, Equipment Installation Technical Requirements
| Battery room walls and floor shall be made of concrete construction. |
| Battery rooms shall be provided with enclosed and gasketed (i.e., vapor tight) corrosion resistant lighting fixtures as specified in SAES-P-123. Battery room lighting shall be installed to provide a minimum level of illumination of 30-ft candles (300 lux). Emergency lighting with compatible illumination level shall be installed to operate in the event of loss of mains power supply. |
| Battery room doors shall open outward, away from the room, to the outside of the building, and be fitted with door closers and anti-panic (quick-release, quick-opening) hardware. No hasp, padlock, or other device shall be installed which will hinder operation of the emergency door opening devices. |
| Doors between battery rooms and other rooms shall not be permitted. |
| Portable water facilities shall be provided for rinsing spilled electrolyte in the battery room. Raw water shall not be used (as it is rich of minerals and dissolved solids that may react with the electrolyte). The amount of water supply shall be determined based on a risk assessment of the worst-case scenario where the largest battery or electrolyte container gets spilled. |
| Provisions for neutralizing the battery electrolyte (acid or alkali) and caustic spillage shall be included in the battery room design. |
| Floor drains shall comply with SAES-S-060. |
| Emergency eyewash facilities shall be provided as required by SAES-B-069. Exception: Sealed valve-regulated batteries do not require eyewash facilities. |
| Battery room floor shall be covered with an electrolyte (acid or alkali) resistant, durable, antistatic and slip-resistant surface overall, to a height 100 mm on each wall. Where batteries are mounted against a wall, the wall behind and at each end of the battery shall be coated to a distance of 500 mm around the battery with an electrolyte resistant paint or tiles. |
| A dry chemical fire extinguisher shall be installed on the outside of the battery room. |
| Cabinets or racks shall be provided in the battery room for storing maintenance tools and safety equipment. These cabinets and racks shall be acid or alkaline resistant as applicable. |
| Battery rooms shall be vented to the outside air by forced ventilation to prevent accumulation of hydrogen and to maintain design temperature. The ventilation system is determined such that the hydrogen concentration shall be limited to less than 1% of the total air volume of the battery room. |
| Audible and visual alarm shall be installed outside the battery room entrance to annunciate a failure in ventilation for immediate action. |
| Ventilation requirements, at the design room temperature, shall be calculated in accordance with Attachment 1. The minimum ventilation shall be one complete air change every 3 hours. |
| Equipment with arching contacts shall be located in such a manner as to avoid those areas where hydorgen pockets could form. Electrical equipment shall not be located directly above the batteries and, as a rule, shall have a minimum horizontal separation of 1.5 meters from the nearest cell. Commentary Note: It is recommended that all electrical devices with arching contacts (such as lighting switches) be installed outside the battery room as practically as possible. |
| Temperature in the battery room shall be maintained at, but shall not exceed, 25°C. |
| Return air-conditioning ducts from battery rooms shall be prohibited. |
| False ceiling shall not be permitted in battery rooms and ceiling shall be finished to avoid trapped pockets of hydrogen. |
| Lighting fixtures shall be installed shall be installed at least 300 mm below the finished ceiling so that adequate free air space is allowed for hydrogen to disperse past the fixture. |
| Inlets of air-conditioning shall be no higher than the top of the battery cell and the outlets (exhaust) at the highest level in the room. Air inlets and outlets shall be located in such a manner to provide effective cross ventilation over the batteries. |
| Safety Equipment The following safety equipment shall be provided near stationary flooded batteries: a. Safety face shields and goggles b. Safety aprons c. Acid resistant rubber gloves d. Safety shoes e. Eye washing facilities (refer to SAES-B-069) f. Ample amount of neutralizing agent: – To neutralize lead acid battery: Mix 0.1kg bicarbonate of soda to one liter of water. – To neutralize nickel cadmium battery spillage: Mix 50grams boric acid solution to one liter of water. – Or use other suitable neutralizing agent recommended by the manufacturer for acid electrolyte spillage or the manufacturer of alkaline electrolyte spillage, whichever applicable. |
| Safety Signs The following safety signs shall be permanently posted on battery room entrance at a visible location in Arabic and English languages:: a. Sign: “DANGER CAUSTIC/ACID” b. Sign: “DANGER CAUSTIC/ALKALINE” c. Sign: “DANGER NO SMOKING” d. Sign: “EYE PROTECTION REQUIRED IN THIS AREA” |
| Working space of at least 1 meter shall be provided in front of each battery rack or enclosure. |
| Alarm to indicate the battery room high temperature shall be annunciated to the main control room or to an area where operators are normally present. |
| Accessories shall be provided for the Battery Type in accordance with Saudi Aramco Material Specifications. |
International Codes & Standards for UPS/DC Battery Room, Equipment Installation
| 3. SAES-P-103 UPS and DC Systems |
| 4. 17-SAMSS-511 Stationary Storage Batteries. |