Welcome

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Seminar On Standby Batteries

2003, Exide Industries Limited. All rights reeserved.

Selection Of Batteries For Generating

Station And Substation

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Application :
Unit Battery
Substation Battery
PLCC
24/26v C & I Battery
UPS Battery
Battery for VHF set

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9, 2015
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Battery Is Considered To Be The

HEARTOf The Power Plant
Battery provides the ultimate and final DC backup for operating emergency equipments which
power the turbo generators (viz. emergency oil
pumps etc.)
DC power for operation of all switchgear,
protection relays, indicating lamps and facia
Power for emergency lighting within the
generating station building
Uninterrupted power for controlling C & I
equipment and associated ups systems
Power for vital communication equipment (plcc),
essential for resynchronising the unit with the grid
or for reviving the grid in the case of a major grid
failure

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What If The Battery Fails In An

Emergency ?

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Unit Battery
The emergency oil pump will not operate which
could lead to seizure of the rotor bearings
Loss of hundred of crores of rupees towards
repairing the rotor and generation revenue loss
while the unit is out of commission
Switchgear associated with generator may not trip
which could lead to generating transformer
damage
Failure of instrumentation and control
Total darkness in the powerhouse

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What If The Battery Fails In An

Emergency ?

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Substation
Switchgear and relays will not operate causing
extensive damage to transformers and power lines

PLCC
Extremely difficult to resynchronise the unit with the
grid
Major setback in the process of reviving the grid in
the event of a regional grid failure
If the battery fails while the unit is in operation, it
may become essential to shutdown

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The Single Most Important Feature Of

Batteries For Power Sector Application Is

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Reliability
Reliable standby power source
Deliver power as and when called for
Full capacity at any point of time in service life
Predictability

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What Is A Battery ?

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A battery is an array of similar electrical

storage cells

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What Is an Electrical Storage Cell ?

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An electrical storage cell consists of two dissimilar

electrodes immersed in an electrolyte.
It stores electrical energy in form of chemical
energy.
When the circuit is made between its positive &
negative electrodes, there is a chemical reaction
in the cell and it delivers electricity Direct
Current (D.C) through the circuit.

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Family Tree Of Electrical Storage Cells

Primary Cell
Litihium
Oxide

Ammonium
Chloride

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Secondary Cell
Silver
Oxide

Alkaline
Cells
Ni Cad

Lead Acid
Cells
NiFe
SLI or
Industrial
Automotive

Standby

VRLA Fiat Pasted Tubular Plant

Motive Power

Traction
Lighting

Train
Starter

Diesel

EMU

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What Is A Lead Acid Battery ?

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Basic electrochemical reaction participants :

_

LEAD DIOXIDE

SOFT LEAD

H2S04 - ELECTROLYTE

Positive Electrode

PbO2

Negative Electrode

Pb

Electrolyte

H2SO4

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How Does A Lead Acid Battery Work ?

Charged
+ve

-ve

Pbo2 +

Pb

Lead
Spongy
Peroxide Lead

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Discharged
electrolyte
+ 2H2SO4
Dilute
SulphurAcid

+ve

-ve

PbSO4 + PbSO4 + 2H2O

Lead
Lead
Sulphate Sulphate

Water

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Types Of Plates

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A. Positive

Plant Type :

Cast out of 99.99% pure Lead

has a fine lamaellar structure

Flat Pasted Type

Grid holds the active material and

carries the current

Tubular Type :

Red lead (Pb3O4) and Grey

oxide (PbO) mixture is filled
in tubes and spine of leadalloy runs through the centre of
entire tube length. Tube retails
the active material firmly and
spine carries the current

B. Negative

Flat pasted type always

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Flat Pasted Plate - Morphology

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THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE IS IN

THE FORM OF A WIRE-MESH LIKE
GRID CAST OF A SUITABLE LEAD
ALLOY

THE ACTIVE MATERIAL IS PASTED

ON THE GRID STRUCTURE FROM
OUTSIDE

A CHEMICAL BONDING HOLDS THE

ACTIVE MATERIAL IN PLACE
THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE LIFE

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Features Of Automotive Flat Plate

Grid
Active Material

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: (Current Collector) cast into a lattice

structure
: Pasted on to the lattice

Suited For :
High current discharge
Short backup time (Shallow) discharge
Non-cyclic application

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Tubular Plate

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LUG

TUBE

BOTTOM BAR
CONSTRUCTION OF TUBULAR
POSITIVE PLATE

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Cross-Section Of Tubular Plate

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RESIN SHEATH

SPINE

ACTIVE MATERIAL

TUBE

SPINE (LEAD ALLOY)

ACTIVE MATERIAL
(LEAD OXIDE)
TUBE
RESIN CURED
(TERYLENE GAUNTLET)

BOTTOM BAR

SECTION YY

SECTION XX

CONSTRUCTION OF TUBULAR POSITIVE PLATE (contd.)

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Tubular Positive Structure

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THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE IS IN

THE FORM OF CAST ROD
ELECTRODES CALLED SPINES
JOINED AT THE TOP BY A BUS BAR
INDIVIDUAL SPINES ENGULFED IN
A MICROPOROUS PLURITUBULAR
GAUNTLET
ANNULAR SPACE BETWEEN SPINE
AND GAUNTLET FILLED WITH
ACTIVE MATERIAL (PbO2). BOTTOM
OF THE GAUNTLET SEALED WITH
A PLASTIC PLUG CALLED BOTTOM
BAR

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Plante Positives Unique Structure

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PLANTE HAS THE MOST UNIQUE

STRUCTURE AMONGST ALL THE
VARIATIONS OF POSITIVE PLATES
CAST OF 99.99% PURE LEAD WITH
NO ALLOYING ELEMENT.
LAMELLAR GRID CONSTRUCTION
ENHANCES SURFACE AREA
LARGELY;
EFFECTIVE SURFACE AREA 12 TIMES
THAT OF GEOMETRIC SURFACE
AREA
NO EXTERNAL ADDITION OF ACTIVE
MATERIAL. GRID SURFACE
CONVERTED TO PbO2 THROUGH
CONTROLLED CORROSION
REACTION DURING PLATE
PROCESSING

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Plante Positive Plate

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Plante Negative Plate

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SAN Container

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Plante .. Salient Features

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Excellent Discharge Profile

Very Low Maintenance
Fast Recharge and Possibility Of High Rate Of
Charging
No Loss In Capacity Throughout its Life Span
Long Life expectancy Of 15-20 Years In Float
Application
Transparent Container : Easy Visual Monitoring

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Plante Low Maintenance

Low Topping Requirement Achieved Through

Antimony Free Ultra Pure Lead
Very low equilibrium float current
Very low water loss Low Topping Requirement
Achieved Through
No Leachable Impurity
No poisoning of negative
Negligible rise in equilibrium float current during
entire service life
Huge pool of electrolyte
Excellent thermal management
Makes up for lost water
TOPPING UP ONCE IN 12 18 MONTHS

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Plante - No Loss In Capacity

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Continuous regeneration of active material

Total Lead-di-oxide content fairly constant
throughout the life span indicating a constant
capacity output
Lowering of internal resistance due to thinning
Of parent material may expect higher capacity
Appreciation as the cell ages
Thus consideration of life factor in capacity
Not necessary as accepted by IEEE 485 : 1997

25

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Plante Long Life

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Very thick positive enough

Cushion against corrossion
Low susceptibility to overcharge due to very low
equilibrium float current of the order of 1mA/AH
Under normal float condition
Low float current and high purity of lead
Lowers the corrossion rate
Life expectancy of around 15 years plus

26

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Plante Easy Monitoring

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Limited

Transparent SAN (STYRENE ACRYLO NITRILE)

Container easy visual monitoring of cell inside
Any odd behaviour can be monitored and corrected
much before it shows up as a failure mode
Easy cleaning of cells from unavoidable sludge
deposition to avoid short circuit and related
troubles

Reliability - Reiterated

27

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Exide Plant Range

Exide Industries
Limited

PLANT RANGE COMES IN 2V

CONFIGURATION ONLY

YAMP SERIES

16 Ah 64 Ah

YKP SERIES

75 Ah 400 Ah

YHP SERIES

535 Ah 2250 Ah

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Plant Cells

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Maintenance

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Topping up
Charging
Checking and cleaning of terminals
In a lead acid battery, charging & cleaning /
checking of terminals cannot be avoided

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Maintenance

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TOPPING UP

WATER LOSS

ELECTROLYSIS

EVAPORATION

DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL
TO ANTIMONY CONTENT IN
THE PLATE

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Low Maintenance

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How Is It Achieved ?
Low antimony alloy.
Less Electrolysis - low water loss
Microporous vent plug
Bigger Container with more electrolyte / high acid
head room

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Microporous Ceramic Vent Plug

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Ceramic Dome

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What Is VRLA ?

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Valve regulated lead acid battery known to

common users as
Sealed maintenance free battery
Operates with a safety for escape of gasses
unavoidably generated during operation

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SMF VRLA Batteries

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No free electrolyte. Electrolyte is kept absorbed in glass

mat separators
Insufficient buoyancy for oxygen gas to travel upward by
negative gravitation
Oxygen travels horizontally & reaches negative plate to
react with metallic lead

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Venting Arrangement Of A VRLA Battery

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Why VRLA ?

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Sealed ! Can be kept in any orientation

No topping up required ever
A zero emission product
Battery comes charged
Compact

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The Sealed Maintenance Free VRLA

Battery

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INHERENT
ADVANTAGES

Battery is delivered ready to use

No topping-up required ever
Zero emission under normal charging conditions
Compact
Low foot-print
Easy to handle

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Vulnerabilities

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High temperature
Deep discharge
Cycling
Charge sensitive
Recovery from over discharge
Thermal Runaway and Dry out
Unpredictability

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Selection Criteria Of A Battery

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Primary Factors

Current load
Backup time
Minimum voltage requirements of the system
The lowest excepted operating temperature

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Selection Criteria Of A Battery

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Secondary Factors

Expected frequency of discharge

Depth of discharge
Ambient temperature
Method of charging, constraint if any
Limitation on space
Maintenance limitation
Floor loading

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Technical Comparsion
Nominal

Voltage

Tubular

2V

VRLA

2V

Plant

2V

Ni-Cd

1.2V, 183 cells of Ni-Cd are required for a 220V

system where 110 cells of Lead Acid are

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used
Sensitivity to overcharge & undercharge
Tubular

Quite Sensitive

VRLA

Very Sensitive

Plant

Quite Sensitive

Ni-Cd

Moderately Sensitive

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Technical Comparison

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RECHARGE
Tubular

Capable of quick recharge by boost

charging upto 2.7vpc and 0.14 C10
Amps recharge current

VRLA

Quick recharge limited to fast charging

upto 2.4vpc and 15-20% of limit current

Plant

Very fast recharge by boost charging

upto 2.7vpc and 0.25 C10 Amps
recharge current

Ni-Cd

Capable of very fast recharge,

however charge retention is relatively
poor

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Technical Comparison

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SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HIGH TEMPERATURE

NDP Tubular

Satisfactory operations upto

48/500C electrolytic temperature

VRLA

Prolonged operation at high

ambient temperature curtail battery
life severely.

Plant

Satisfactory operations upto

48/500C electrolytic temperature

Ni-Cd

Satisfactory operations upto

48/500C electrolytic temperature

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Technical Comparison

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Discharge At Float Operations

Tubular

Satisfactory

VRLA

Best

Plant

Satisfactory

Ni-Cd

Ni-Cd does not give full

capacity when discharged after
remaining on float for a long
time. In order to obtain the
desired capacity,the capacity of
the battery needs to be
increased by 35%

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Technical Comparison

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MONITORING STATE OF CHARGE

Tubular

Can be done by measuring electrolyte

specific gravity

VRLA

Cannot be determined externally, acts as

a black box

Plant

Other than measuring electrolytic specific

gravity, battery condition can be
monitored visually through the transparent
containers

NI-CD

Cannot be determined externally, acts as

a black box

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Technical Comparison

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AGEING
Tubular

Degrades gradually during service life &

falls to about 80% in 8-10 years. 25%
capacity has to be increased to
compensate for ageing

VRLA

Degrades gradually during service life &

falls to about 80% in 10-15 years. 25%
capacity has to be increased to
compensate for ageing

Plant
Ni-Cd

Plant capacity does not drop rather

increases in service life
Capacity remains almost constant during
service life

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Technical Comparison

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RELIABILITY
Tubular

Quite reliable

VRLA

Generally reliable however prone to

unexpected malfunctioning

Plant

Most reliable in float operations

Ni-Cd

Reliable during routine duty cycles

however prone to unexpected
malfunctioning during
emergency requirement

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Technical Comparison

Internal Resistance
NDP Tubular Highest
VRLA
Lowest
Plant
30-40%lower than
equivalent HDP
Tubular Cells
Ni-Cd
Low

Life Expectancy

15
10
5

TUBULAR

VRL
VRLA

Plante

Ni-Cd

Internal
Resistance

Life Expectancy
Tubular
10-12 years
VRLA
8-10 years
Plant
15-20 years
HDP Tubular 10-12 years
Ni-Cd
15-20 years

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TUBULAR

50
VRLA

Plante

Ni-Cd

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Technical Comparison

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Topping Up Requirement
Tubular Topping up upto 3-4 times in a year
VRLA No topping up required

Plant Topping up once in 12-18 months

Ni-Cd

Topping up once a year. Existing

electrolyte needs to be changed every
7-8 years

Auto- Fill Systems Removes The Need Of

Topping Up
4

3
N o . o f tim e s / y e a r

Routine maintenance is
required for all categories
of batteries

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Myths Of VRLA Batteries

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Myth 1 VRLA batteries require no maintenance

Reality
As per the Clause No. 5.7 of IEEE 1189-1996
By the very nature of the designs of VRLA cells,
specific gravity readings and water additions are
not practical. Consequently, the batteries are often
referred to as maintenance free. However, this is
true only with respect to the electrolyte. Otherwise,
VRLA battery maintenance is similar to that require
for flooded batteries.
There exists an IEEE standard (IEEE 1188-1996)
which is dedicated for maintenance and testing of
VRLA batteries

52

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Myths Of VRLA Batteries

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Myth 2 VRLA batteries can be used in tropical

climate at high temperatures without any adverse
effects
Reality
As per Clause No. B.3 of annexure B of IEEE
1188-1996
As a general rule, continuous prolonged use at
elevated temperatures will reduce the batteries life
by approximately one-half for every 80C above 250
C that VRLA Batteries operate. This effect can be
mitigated to some extent by the use of temperature
compensated charges. Operation at elevated
temperatures can also lead to thermal runaway.

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Myths Of VRLA Batteries

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Myth 3 VRLA batteries do not have the same

failure mechanisms as flooded
Reality
As per Clause No. 5.3 of IEEE 1189-1996
The familiar failure mechanisms of positive plate
corrosion and growth, active material failure, post
seal leakage and container / cover seal leakage
associated with vented cells are also present in
VRLA cells. However, in VRLA cell the effects of
leakage at the post and / or container cover seals
are more significant than in vented cells.
VRLA cells are susceptible to two failure modes
that are normally not associated with vented cells.
These are dryout and thermal runaway

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Why Then VRLA ?

Exide Industries
Limited

Telecommunications & UPS applications product

attributes secondary requirement
Small Foot Print
No Emissions
No Maintenance

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Power Stations

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Product Attributes Required

Reliability
Deliver power as and when called for and full
capacity at any point of time in service life

Predictability

Health
Impending Failure
Expected Time Of Replacement
Time Tested
Life

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Application
Our Recommendation

Exide Industries
Limited

NDP TUBULAR

VRLA

Ideal for frequent

Charge /
discharge
cycling duties

For relatively
Short time backup
with moderate
depth of discharge
Plant
PLANTE

Ideal for meeting duty

cycle in float operation
HDP TUBULAR

NI-CD

Ideal for frequent

charge/discharge
cycling duties

Can be used in high

rate of discharge in
abusive conditions

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The Trade-Off

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Limited

There is no lead acid battery with the best

product attributes in all the categories of
attributes
A trade-off has to be made for each
application segment considering the
requirements of that segments
Best battery for
power application PLANTE

Best battery for

Telecom application
- VRLA

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9, 2015
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JUNE 200

June 2003

Thank You
2003, Exide Industries Limited. All rights reeserved.