®

Battery Monitoring Fundamentals & Experience

®

Battery Monitoring IntroductionBattery Monitoring Introduction

BTECH developed the first stationary battery monitor based on trend analysis in 1991, based on research begun in the 1980s Leading Indicator: Impedance Rise

Technology has proven itself in the past 15 years First challenge met: proving the method of

continuous battery monitoring Action Plan: Weak cells are identified and replaced

before battery system performance is affected

®

Market ExperienceMarket Experience

Customers That Embraced Battery Monitoring Have: Virtually eliminated their battery failure risk Ensured performance of their critical power systems Reduced battery maintenance costs

Remote Monitoring Of Hundreds Of Battery Systems Has Demonstrated: Many previously undocumented battery conditions Proof that a need for change is required in the way critical battery

systems are managed

The End-user Base Is Largely Unaware That A Proven Solution For Their Battery Problems Exists

®

Why Critical System Batteries Should Be Why Critical System Batteries Should Be MonitoredMonitored

Mission Critical Systems Require The Benefits Of On-line Battery Monitoring Systems

Best possible reliability and practices demanded Systems cannot always be taken of-line for

maintenance Extensive annual or periodic tests are expensive and

interrupt business operations Budget constraints often limit or eliminate battery

maintenance Personnel changes

®

Why Critical System Batteries Should Be Monitored Why Critical System Batteries Should Be Monitored

Up To 85% Of All UPS Failures Are Battery Related UPS Monitoring Systems can’t detect failures proactively Failures occur between service intervals Inconsistent and often compromised maintenance

Lack of customer awareness and/or expertise

Battery Failure Can Happen In 2 Weeks Failure can occur at any time in the battery life cycle Successful discharges or discharge tests can speed failure A quarterly check cannot assure the battery system will perform

®

Why Critical System Batteries Should Be Why Critical System Batteries Should Be MonitoredMonitored

5+% Of New Batteries Fail Within The Warranty Period Significant impact to critical system reliability

Installing new batteries does not reduce risk of failure Users need a method to find the bad ones in time

A warranty is not the same as a performance guarantee

Changes Happening In The Battery Industry China as main supplier of lead and batteries

Many new battery types have entered the market with little or no track record

Manufacturers are under pressure to reduce cost The quality of batteries in the market has suffered

®

Improve the Way Batteries are ManagedImprove the Way Batteries are Managed

Move From Battery Maintenance to 24x7 Move From Battery Maintenance to 24x7 Battery ManagementBattery Management

Battery MaintenanceBattery checking and

assurance occurs only 4 days of the year -- as

quarterly battery service is

performed

Battery ManagementBattery assurance

occurs 24 X 7

®

Example Battery Failures

Found At

Customer Sites

Example Battery Failures

Found At

Customer Sites

®

Float Voltages vs. Unit Number

Example #1 - 2 Strings of 40-12V VRLAs

Float Voltages Show System Is OK

®

Impedance vs. Unit Number

The Unit Impedances Show Another Story

Example #1 - 2 Strings of 40-12V VRLAs

Green: Initial Read (Baseline)

Red: Maintenance Limit (+20%)

Purple: Critical Limit (+30)

®

Voltage vs. Time: Voltage Looks OK

Each Yellow Point = One Week

Example #2 – Unit #6

®

Impedance vs. Time: Impedance Rises 120%

Green: Initial Read (Baseline)

Red: Maintenance Limit (+20%)

Purple: Critical Limit (+30)

Example #2 – Unit #6

®

Voltage vs. Time: Voltage Drops 10%

Unit 50 Impedance: 5.06 Milli-ohms (180.07% of String Initial Measurement) [2.81 Milli-ohms]

Example #3 - Unit 13

®

Impedance vs. Time: 120% in Two Weeks

Failure Within 2 Weeks

Example #3 - Unit 13

®

Voltage vs. Time: 10% Voltage Drop within 2 Weeks

Example #4 – Wet Cell Unit 213

®

Impedance vs. Time: No Change Recorded

Customer Replaced the Unit

Example #4 - Wet Cell Unit 213

®

Impedance vs. Time: Effects of Re-Torquing

Example #5 - Unit 67

Customer

Notified

Service Provider Retorqu

es

Battery Finally Replace

d

®

Voltage vs. Time: Note That Voltages Have Barely Changed

Example #5 - Unit 67

®

Voltage vs. Time: Detecting Thermal Runaway

Example #6 - Unit 42

®

Temperature vs. Time: Detecting Thermal Runaway

Example #6 - Unit 42

Temperature Sensor Mounted in Cabinet

®

System Voltage vs. Time: No Changes

Example #6 - Unit 42

®

Impedance vs. Unit Number

Example #7 - Unit Impedances

Notice the 5 Units With High Impedance

®

Voltage vs. Unit Number During Discharge

Example #7 - Unit Voltages

These 5 Units Have the Lowest Voltage After Discharge

®

Benefits of Battery MonitoringBenefits of Battery Monitoring

Critical system battery performance is assured Detection of major battery problems with enough time to

respond Reliability of backup power is increased Risk and revenue lost due to downtime are virtually eliminated

Battery management and maintenance costs can be reduced significantly Customer experience: Battery service life can be increased up

to 100% when weak cells are replaced in time Reduction of manual maintenance

®

TM

The Product

BTECH’s Fifth Generation Battery Monitoring System

®

Control Module

Voltage Module Current Module

Real Time Monitoring• Cell Impedance • Ambient & Pilot

Temperature

• String & System Current

(Float/Charge/Discharge)

• Cell & System Voltage (Float/Discharge)

TM

Modular System Components

®

Unmanned Communications: 48V VRLA Stack

S5 VRLA Stack Installation TM

®

3-Phase UPS: 40-12v (480V) VRLAs

TM

S5 VRLA Cabinet Installation

®

TM

Measurement of key battery performance parameters for trend analysis (failure prediction & prevention)

Unit Impedance - Impedance is the leading indicator of battery failure and finds bad batteries Plate cracking, warping, corrosion, post & strap corrosion and cell dry-out are easily

detectible Interconnect problems Initial measurements for each unit used for baselines

Unit Voltage – Can also be a leading indicator of failure Dendritic shorts Thermal runaway

Ambient & Pilot Cell Temperatures – Problem prevention Environmental conditions (placement of battery cabinets)

S5 Functions

®

Measurement of key battery performance parameters in real time for alarm conditions

(immediate problems)

Unit Voltage System Voltage

Float settings and system problems Discharge Events Temperature

Thermal runaway detection Air conditioning system problems

TM

S5 Functions

®

Full Data Logging and Analysis: Building the Database

Unit Impedance, Voltage and Temperatures Future problems found through data trending and

comparisons with initial readings Alarms based on predetermined set points

Factory voltage data Initial impedance data

Discharge Data Logging of voltages and string currents Eliminates need for data logger during discharge test Full discharge analysis capabilities after any event Warranty Reporting

TM

S5 Functions

®

Building or Facility Management System Integration Modbus over TCP/IP 6 User-configurable dry contact alarms 4 Additional alarm inputs System functions as a “Master” with the ability to initiate

communication to outside world

Transmitting Information and Alarms Remotely Ethernet (static or dynamic IP) Dial-up modem

Retrieving Information in the Battery Room RS232 and USB ports For battery service providers & real time discharge tests

TM

S5 Communications

®

TM

S5 System Software

BTECH’s Software Platform Serves as Your Central Monitoring Point for Multiple Systems and Locations

BTECH’s BVM Observer collects and distributes data and alarms automatically for up to 1000 systems Runs 24x7 on your network Data can be stored anywhere on your network or PC Provides e-mail and text message alarms

BTECH’s BVM Validation Manager provides full data trending, analysis and reporting Simple and easy to use graphing functions On-demand real-time interaction with the BVS

®

TM

The Leading Indicator of Failure BTECH’s Patented Impedance Method

Impedance includes the capacitive effect of the battery and provides a more accurate correlation with battery capacity…the reference measurement method

Pulsed DC Impedance at 215 Hz No sinusoidal charging/discharging No effect from AC ripple or downstream noise Multiple measurements made for data averaging and comprehensive

noise analysis No Discharge Below Open Circuit Voltage

Measurements do not place load on batteries and do not affect battery life

S5 Technology

® BTECH’s Impedance Method

BTECH Impedance Does Not Discharge Your Batteries

®

TM

Impedance vs. Resistance (i.e. “Voltage Response”) Voltage response results on battery systems on-line are affected by

the charger, line noise and battery type Requires repeated deep DC discharges to get results

“Fiber Optic” Modular Monitoring Systems Systems are powered by the batteries at all times Measurements remain dormant until called upon by PC based

master Weak load signal (1A) provides poor signal to noise ratio

Systems Using AC Ripple Or Line Voltage Measurement signal is always changing due to ripple, noise and

load, leading to inconsistent results Impossible to separate ripple effects from data

Comparison With Other Methods

®

TM

BTECH Impedance vs. Voltage Response

Effect of Testing on Batteries

®

S5 System Diagram

System ComponentsSystem Components

SCM 600 (Controller) -1 per UPS or Inverter System

VM-24 – Up to 24 VSLs and 4 Ts per unit

CM-2 – Current Monitor per string (up to 4)

CT – Current Transducer (Hall Effect Clamp)

VSL – Voltage Sense Lead LCL – Load Control Lead

TM

®

TM

Additional S5 System Features

Complete Isolation from the Battery String System is not powered by your batteries Completely invisible and passive to the battery

system, UPS/rectifier and load Factory Designed and Built Wiring Harnesses

Ensure system reliability Simple installation in 50% less time Designed to meet site requirements

BTECH’s Unique Safety Fuse System Allows easy battery replacement Reduces battery replacement costs by up to 50%

®

BTECH Corporate CapabilitiesBTECH Corporate Capabilities

Complete Turn Key Services: Complete Documentation and Submittals Engineering and Design Installation Services Commissioning, Start-up and Training

Field Service and Maintenance Contracts Technical Help Desk Support World Wide Service Network