UPS/DC Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell Material Checking & Design Requirements

This article is about material checking and technical design requirement of Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell for commercial buildings, plants and refinery projects.

UPS/DC Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell Material Checking & Design Requirements

Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell Material Checking

UPS/DC Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell Design Requirements

QC Before Installation- Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell shall conform to all applicable requirements, standards, and specifications prior to release to be used as part of work.
Incoming Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell shall be visually inspected for damage / defects occurred during transportation and conformance to all applicable requirements.
Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell shall be new and unused.
Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cell shall be in accordance with the Saudi Aramco-approved project-specific design drawings, diagrams, schedules, lists, databases, and associated design documents.
Check that the Contractor or it’s approved 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.
The design life of nickel cadmium batteries shall be at least 20 years. The cell shall be considered to have reached the end of its useful life when the ampere-hour capacity drops to 80% of the rated capacity at the 5-hour discharge rate for nickel-cadmium batteries 
The shelf life of nickel-cadmium batteries shall be minimum 2 years when stored at 35°C room temperature.  
The manufacturer shall provide a pro-rated warranty for 20 years from the date of commissioning, including full free replacement guarantee during the first  3 years of service, either as a cause of defective workmanship, or if the battery fails to deliver its rated capacity.

The battery shall have the following minimum cycle-life capability (2000 cycles) during its lifetime at the 1-hour discharge rate, at 25ºC. The cyclic performance is stated in terms of the number of full charge/discharge cycles that the cell can sustain during its useful life.

Cyclic performance to 80 % DOD of Ni Cad  Bettery

Ampere-hour capacity of the new cell shall be indicated by the manufacturer on Data Schedule-2. This data shall be provided for C5 for Ni-Cad battery at 25°C, to the final voltage (end-of-discharge voltage) between 1.0 VPC and 1.14 VPC for nickel-cadmium batteries.

Battery sizing and selection shall be based on the following minimum volts per cell 1.0 VPC for general applications and 1.14 VPC for PV applications.

Battery Cell End of Discharge Voltage
All connections shall be bolted to the cell posts. All cell-to-cell connections shall be made by insulated copper cables or plated copper bus bars using 316 stainless steel hardware.  Tier-to-tier connections shall be made by insulated copper cables with 316 stainless steel hardware. The cell-to-cell interconnecting hardware shall be sized to allow discharge current at the 30-minute rate with no more than 15 mV drop between adjacent cells.  The inter-cell connectors shall withstand the available short circuit current without damaging the unit. Covers for the inter-cell connecters and the terminals shall be supplied with the batteries.
All nuts, bolts, washers, and similar hardware shall be 316 stainless steel or nickel plated copper or equivalent.
Nickel-Cadmium Batteries: A battery with an alkaline electrolyte, a positive electrode containing nickel oxide and a negative elctrode of cadmium.
Nickel-cadmium cells shall be vented, pocket plate or fiber-structured positive and negative plates in accordance with the design and performance requirements of IEC 60623. Sintered plate cells are not permitted.
Flame-arrestor type vent plugs shall be provided to minimize the possibility of internal battery explosion caused by an external spark or battery room fire. The vent plug shall prevent any visible wetting of the cell lid when the cell is being overcharged at the equalizing voltage at 25°C ambient temperature.
Each cell shall have provisions for indicating the minimum and maximum electrolyte levels. For transparent and translucent containers, the minimum and maximum levels shall be permanently marked on each cell container. A level indicating gauge shall be provided on cell containers made of an opaque material.
Electrolyte level readjustment period, under float conditions, shall be at least one (1) year.
Covers for the inter-cell connecters and the terminals shall be supplied with the batteries.
Racks shall be constructed of welded or bolted structural steel frames with bolted steel runners and braces, and with provision for anchoring to the floor and grounding.
Battery rack shall consist of up to 2 steps, and each step shall have only one row for the ease in maintenance. The maximum height from the floor level to the top terminal of the upper battery shall be 1700 mm, which may allow up to 2 tiers rack.
All metallic rack components that are in contact with the battery shall be insulated by removable covers or the rack shall be plastic coated.
All metallic components of the rack, excluding hardware and grounding connectors, shall be coated with plastic or acid resistant baked powder epoxy of light gray or black color. Racks for nickel-cadmium batteries shall be coated with an alkali-resistant plastic coating of light gray or black color. Where applicable, Vendor shall supply sufficient quantity of field-applied coating for touching up scratches.
Indoors Mounting: Battery enclosures and cell supports shall be free-standing and made of fiberglass reinforced material or steel and conforming NEMA 250 Type 1, or IEC 60529 IP 21. The battery enclosures shall have suitable ventilation with provisions for anchoring to the floor and grounding.
Outdoors Mounting: Battery enclosures for outdoors mounting applications shall be completely weather-proof, dust-tight and rain-tight. Minimum enclosure protection class shall be NEMA 250 Type 4, or IEC 60529 IP65. The battery enclosures shall be made of fiberglass-reinforced material, with suitable ventilation and provisions for anchoring to the floor and grounding.
The following accessories shall be furnished with each new and complete battery system.
a. Thermometer for measuring cell electrolyte temperature
b. Hydrometer
c. Bottle or filling jar with pour spout for adding distilled water
d. Ample supply of NO-OX terminal grease
e. All required intercell and inter-row connectors with covers
f. Cell /battery module mechanical lifting device and slings for installation and removal of cells and modules weighing more than 34 kg (75 lb.)
Replacement cells shall be provided with terminal grease, cell connectors, and connection hardware. Covers for the inter-cell connecters and terminals shall be provided with the batteries.
The following information shall be permanently marked on each cell or multi-cell module:
a. Manufacturer’s name.
b. Manufacturer’s catalog number or type reference.
c. Capacity (as described in Section 7.5)
d. Electrolyte density (fully charged at 25°C) – not required for VRLA batteries.
e. Date of manufacture.
f. Electrolyte level markings (as described in Section 8.5).
Nickel-cadmium cells shall be shipped empty from electrolyte and electrically uncharged. The electrolyte shall be shipped in solid form or liquid form in a separate container
Individual cells shall be packed to provide protection against physical damage and moisture.
Shipping crates shall be marked with handling and storage instructions. Labels on the shipping crate shall state the storage conditions, date of shipment, and the date beyond which the product must not be stored.
Instruction Manuals, Each complete battery system shall be provided with instruction manual(s) including the following information as a minimum.  The required number of sets shall be as specified in the Purchase Order.
a. Factory testing is not required for flooded lead-acid and nickel-cadmium batteries.
b. Installation & commissioning instructions
c. Required purity of the topping-up water and the electrolyte
d. Operating instructions
e. Maintenance instructions and the required maintenance schedule
f. Testing instructions and the recommended frequency of tests
g. Clearly identified warnings shall be provided in the documentation for conditions where improper action by an operator would create a safety hazard or damage the battery and associated equipment.
If batteries are to be delivered to the Buyer in a fully charged condition, the Vendor shall recommend a method of maintaining the battery in charged condition until the battery is commissioned. Detailed instructions & required equipment shall be provided for dry charged batteries requiring on-site activation.

Check that the Vented Ni-Cad Wet Cells are supplied from the approved manufacturer as per Regulated Vendors List for Electrical Equipment. SAES-P-101 (29 Feb. 2004 Issue) SAES-P-101 (09 June 2007 Issue)

Flooded Electrolyte Stationary Storage Batteries - Nickel- Cadmium Stationary Storage Batteries
Nickel- Cadmium Stationary Storage Batteries

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