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Editorial.
Welcome
to issue 16 and a big thank you for continuing to subscribe to
our
publication, we appreciate your
support.
I would
also like to welcome those of you who have subscribed since issue
15
was
released and look forward to helping you solve your DC Supply
problems.
Please
feel free to visit our website and browse through previous issues.
The
main
index should help you find articles that interest
you.
Ok, on
with the content in this issue.
Inevitably, there comes a time when
batteries need to be replaced and our first
article
focuses on the safe handling of the old cells as well as the
replacements.
Any of
you who have worked on high dc voltage applications will be well
aware
of the
dangers associated with them. Connecting the batteries together has
a
number
of potential problems too which we examine in detail in article
2.
Happy
Reading!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Editor: Alan Fidler.
Alan is the owner and manager of
CBC Design, a leading battery management company
based in the UK. He has worked in the industry for
over Eighteen years and
has designed
charging equipment and battery monitors for some of the world
largest companies.
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_____________________________________________________________________
ARTICLE: Handling Batteries. Author:
Alan Fidler.
There comes a time when,
despite our best efforts, batteries have reached the end
of
their
useful life and need to be replaced.
The
first and most important step is to isolate the batteries from the
rest of the
installation either by removing a fuse or
by physically disconnecting the connections
on each
end of the battery string. Do not short out any of the terminals
though!
Next,
disconnect any links that join up one battery to the next in the
battery chain
until
each battery is isolated from its neighbour.
OK, so
all your old batteries are now completely isolated from the
installation and
from
each other and can be removed, one at a time. Use gloves and goggles
when
handling
the old cells and keep the battery upright at
all times unless is is a gel
type
sealed battery such as a Yuasa NP
type.
Remember, wet lead acid batteries sometimes
develop leaks or small quantities of
released
gas condense on the battery case. If you allow the battery to come
into
contact
with your clothes, the acid will destroy the material. Clearly then,
you do
not want
battery acid coming into contact with your skin or eyes either and
if it does,
use
plenty of water on the effected area and
seek immediate medical attention.
Do not
be fooled by the apparent weakness of battery acid. In reality, it
is quite
hazardous and must be handled
carefully.
Many
councils now provide refuse disposals where you can get rid of old
refrigerators,
oil,
batteries etc. Contact your local council office to find out where
you can safely
dispose
of your old cells so that you can get rid of them in an
environmentally
friendly
manner.
Before
installing your new cells, remove any dirt from the battery trays
and if necessary,
treat
them with a suitable preservative or paint finish before use.
Place
each battery on the trays in the required positions before
re-connecting any links
joining
a battery to its neighbour. Use petroleum jelly or Holts "No Crode"
on each
terminal
to prevent corrosion.
Clean
the each battery case to remove any dirt deposits that have come off
your gloves
before
re-connecting the battery pack to the loads. Re-fit any fuses that
you removed
when
uninstalling the old cells to complete the
procedure.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
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the
cells safely and completely.
Features:
Automatic discharge as required before
charging cycle commences!
3 stage
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Available with 110/120 or 220/230 Mains
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RFI
Suppression!
Designed for fixed recharge
applications!
Ideal
for Switch Tripping applications!
Can be used to recharge Lithium Ion
Cells!
Go to http://www.cbcdesign.co.uk/
and click the "New Products!"
link for more information.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
ARTICLE: High Voltage
Applications.
Perhaps I should start by
explaining what I mean by a high Voltage
Application!
In battery terms, high voltage would be
anything between 60VDC and 450VDC.
I have designed charging systems for many
application within this band, typically
110V systems but on one occasion, a 450VDC
system too.
The first and most obvious danger when
working on high voltage applications is
danger of electrocution. DC is the most
dangerous form of electrical power, even
more so that AC and it must be treated
accordingly. At 110VDC and above, skin
burns when it comes into contact with a
live cable and muscles lock up resulting
in
potentially lethal electric shocks.
If
you have the slightest doubt when attempting to install a high DC
voltage supply,
stop and seek immediate advice before
continuing, your life or somebody else's may
depend upon it!
I
will assume for the moment that you have already installed the loads
and power
supplies/charger supplies that will
maintain the batteries and connected
equipment.
The next stage then, is to install a
suitable means of protecting and isolating
the
battery pack.
Place your batteries on trays in the
required position and series connect each
battery
with the negative of battery 1 connected to
the positive of battery 2, the negative
of
battery 2 to the positive of battery 3 and
so on and so forth. The end result will
be
a
number of series connected batteries with positive on battery 1 and
negative on
the last battery
fitted.
Connect a fuse holder minus its
fuse in series with the positive supply to battery 1.
Connect the negative
terminal of the battery chain to
charger/power supply and load
negative.
Connect a suitable isolator between the
charger/psu/load positive and the fuse
holder
fitted in series with the positive terminal
of battery 1. Make sure the isolator is in the
OFF position before fitting the
fuse.
Double check all your connections to make
sure you have installed the batteries in
the following
manner:-
1.
Each battery series connected negative of one to positive
of it neighbour leaving
a
free positive terminal on the first battery (battery
positive) and a free negative terminal
on
the last battery (battery
negative).
2.
Make sure the charger/psu and load negatives are connected to
battery negative.
3 Make sure a fuse is
fitted between the isolator output and battery
positive.
4.
Make sure the charger/psu positive and load positive are connected
to the input
side of the
isolator.
Lastly, fit the fuse and move the isolator
to the ON position to complete the
installation.
You can of course use an appropriately
rated MCB instead of a separate isolator and
fuse
should you wish to. The important thing is
making sure you have some means of
isolating
the batteries from the rest of the
installation for installation and maintenance
purposes.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
CLASSIFIED ADS:
12 & 24V DC DIMMER
SWITCHES
*Adjust 12 or 24V lamps from a dim
glow to bright light with a CBC Dimmer
Assembly*
*Extends bulb life and reduces battery
power consumption*
*Works just like the dimmers in your
house*
*Easy to install with integral
connections*
*20 year industrial design
life*
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
READERS QUESTIONS.
Questions from Tracy
Warner!
1.
My sealed car battery case is cracked. What should I
do?
Replace the battery as soon as possible. A
cracked battery is dangerous.
2. What is "C"?
C
is a code for capacity. A battery marked as "charge at C/10" means
charge
at
1/10th of the capacity "C".
_________________________________________________________________________
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