Using Battery Discharge Testing
Battery Discharge Testing is one of two methods used for testing batteries. Increasingly business and industry are becoming more and more reliant on back up battery systems to ensure continuity of their activities.
This dependency is leading to a greater reliance on reliability of these batteries. As the cost of replacing batteries and the cost of business losses when they fail rises, it is seen as being far more cost effective to maintain batteries through installation of instrumentation and software systems to monitor and manage the lifecycle of cells.
One example is that in telecommunications telephone exchanges there are strings of Cell/Monobloc batteries in series. Data loggers, such as Manatronics DLM-09 Series, log the Battery Discharge Curve Logging for Battery Discharge/Charge testing. This enables better management of the battery lifecycle.
Another method of some use for understanding the lifecycle of the battery is impedance testing which can be carried out whilst the power is on line. However, as the real purpose of batteries is to provide real power over some time if the mains power fails, full discharge is the only true way to test these power sources. Thus, impedance testing can never be a substitute for a full Load Bank test.
When Battery Discharge Testing is performed, it tests the battery under normal and peak loading conditions. It will show what will actually happen to the battery in these load situations.
Some industries which can benefit from quality Battery Discharge Testing equipment include
- Telecommunications,
- Hospitals,
- Mining,
- Utility providers, and
- Industrial Manufacturing amongst others.
Manatronics maintain a stable of constant current, cost effective, robust, quality assured equipment which manages battery life cycles through Battery Discharge Testing. These include the following ranges;
- BD Series- tailored specifically for one battery voltage. Some of the BD models are tailored specifically for one Battery Voltage, e.g. 48V systems. While other BD models are tailored to cater for two or more Battery Voltages, e.g. 48V and 24V and 12V systems. These are used as a Load tester.
- EL Series- The EL Series models are DC Electronic Loads designed for Rectifier testing and may be used for two or more Rectifier output Voltages, e.g. 48V and 24V and 12V systems.
- EL08 Series- for high Voltages we have the EL08 Series. This Series is housed in the same size case as the EL12. ThisSeries is nominally rated at 8.2kW and caters for Voltages from 200V up to 500V, and the
- PT04 Series- the PT04 Loadbank Series is a smaller version of the EL12. ThisSeries is nominally rated at 4.9kW and caters for Voltages up to 500V.