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Contents
1 Introduction
o 1.1 Why do the calculation?
o 1.2 When to do the calculation?
2 Calculation Methodology
o 2.1 Step 1: Collect the battery loads
o 2.2 Step 2: Construct the Load Profile
o 2.3 Step 3: Select Battery Type
o 2.4 Step 4: Number of Cells in Series
o 2.5 Step 5: Determine Battery Capacity
3 Worked Example
o 3.1 Step 1 and 2: Collect Battery Loads and Construct Load Profile
o 3.2 Step 3: Select Battery Type
o 3.3 Step 4: Number of Cells in Series
o 3.4 Step 5: Determine Battery Capacity
4 Computer Software
5 What Next?
Introduction
1
Autonomy time(s)
Calculation Methodology
2
The calculation is based on a mixture of normal industry practice and technical standards IEEE
Std 485 (1997, R2003) "Recommended Practice for Sizing Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary
Applications" and IEEE Std 1115 (2000, R2005) "Recommended Practice for Sizing NickelCadmium Batteries for Stationary Applications". The calculation is based on the ampere-hour
method for sizing battery capacity (rather than sizing by positive plates).
The focus of this calculation is on standard lead-acid or nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, so
please consult specific supplier information for other types of batteries (e.g. lithium-ion, nickelmetal hydride, etc). Note also that the design of the battery charger is beyond the scope of this
calculation.
There are five main steps in this calculation:
1) Collect the loads that the battery needs to support
2) Construct a load profile and calculate the design energy (VAh)
3) Select the battery type and determine the characteristics of the cell
4) Select the number of battery cells to be connected in series
5) Calculate the required Ampere-hour (Ah) capacity of the battery.
Ambient temperature
Charging characteristics
Maintenance requirements
Ventilation requirements
Next, find the characteristics of the battery cells, typically from supplier data sheets. The
characteristics that should be collected include:
Cell temperature
Battery manufacturers will often quote battery Ah capacities based on a number of different
EODVs. For lead-acid batteries, the selection of an EODV is largely based on an EODV that
prevents damage of the cell through over-discharge (from over-expansion of the cell plates).
Typically, 1.75V to 1.8V per cell is used when discharging over longer than 1 hour. For short
discharge durations (i.e. <15 minutes), lower EODVs of around 1.67V per cell may be used
without damaging the cell.
Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) don't suffer from damaged cells due to over-discharge. Typical EODVs
for Ni-Cd batteries are 1.0V to 1.14V per cell.
Rated Voltage
Lead-Acid
Ni-Cd
12V
9-10
24V
12
18-20
48V
24
36-40
125V
60
92-100
250V
120
184-200
However, the number of cells in a battery can also be calculated to more accurately match the
tolerances of the load. The number of battery cells required to be connected in series must fall
between the two following limits:
(1)
(2)
where
The limits are based on the minimum and maximum voltage tolerances of the load. As a
maximum, the battery at float voltage (or boost voltage if applicable) needs to be within the
maximum voltage range of the load. Likewise as a minimum, the battery at its end of discharge
voltage must be within the minimum voltage range of the load. The cell charging voltage
depends on the type of charge cycle that is being used, e.g. float, boost, equalizing, etc, and the
maximum value should be chosen.
Select the number of cells in between these two limits (more or less arbitrary, though somewhere
in the middle of the min/max values would be most appropriate).
The minimum battery capacity required to accommodate the design load over the specified
autonomy time can be calculated as follows:
where
Table 1. Temperature correction factors for vented lead-acid cells (from IEEE 485)
Select a battery Ah capacity that exceeds the minimum capacity calculated above. The battery
discharge rate (C rating) should also be specified, approximately the duration of discharge (e.g.
for 8 hours of discharge, use the C8 rate). The selected battery specification is therefore the Ah
capacity and the discharge rate (e.g. 500Ah C10).
6
The performance of a lead-acid battery is relatively stable but drops markedly at latter
stages of life. The "knee point" of its life vs performance curve is approximately when
the battery can deliver 80% of its rated capacity. After this point, the battery has reached
the end of its useful life and should be replaced. Therefore, to ensure that battery can
meet capacity throughout its useful life, an ageing factor of 1.25 should be applied (i.e.
1 / 0.8). There are some exceptions, check with the manufacturer.
For Ni-Cd batteries, the principles are similar to lead-acid cells. Please consult the battery
manufacturer for suitable ageing factors, but generally, applying a factor of 1.25 is
standard. For applications with high temperatures and/or frequent deep discharges, a
higher factor of 1.43 may be used. For more shallower discharges, a lower factor of 1.11
can be used.
Capacity rating factor accounts for voltage depressions during battery discharge.
Lead-acid batteries experience a voltage dip during the early stages of discharge
followed by some recovery. Ni-Cds may have lower voltages on discharge due to
prolonged float charging (constant voltage). Both of these effects should be
accounted for by the capacity rating factor - please see the manufacturer's
recommendations. For Ni-Cd cells, IEEE 1115 Annex C suggests that for float
charging applications, Kt = rated capacity in Ah / discharge current in Amps (for
specified discharge time and EODV).
Worked Example
cells
The minimum number of cells in series is:
8
cells
The selected number of cells in series is 62 cells.
Ah
Computer Software
Some battery manufacturers (such as Alcad) also provide software programs to size batteries
using basic input data such as load profiles, autonomies, etc. The software will size the batteries
and will often also provide details regarding different battery rack (or enclosure) dimensions.
What Next?
Using the results of the battery sizing calculation, the approximate dimensions of the batteries
can be estimated based on typical vendor information. This will assist in determining the size,
number and dimensions of the battery racks or cabinets required, which can then be used as input
into the equipment / room layouts. Preliminary budget pricing can also be estimated based on the
calculation results.
Category: Calculations
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