Lead-Acid Batteries for Telecommunications and UPS Applications

VALVE-REGULATED LEAD-ACID BATTERIES FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND UPS APPLICATIONS 

Lead acid batteries have been used for more than 130 years in many different applications including automotive and various traction duties and also telecommunication systems and uninterruptible power supphes (UPS). The last two groups constitute the major part of the so-called stationary battery sector, and the lead-acid battery has proved to be a very reliable system for these appUcations. 

This chapter provides an overview of stationary battery applications and presents the different battery types that are currently used, focusing especially on valve-regulated designs. Batteries with capacities of up to about 200 Ah usually have flat positive plates for higher capacities, tubular designs are also used. 

Lead-acid batteries were first used in stationary, stand-by applications more than 130 years ago [1]. For a long period of time, only flooded lead-acid batteries were used. Nowadays, UPS and telecommunications applications use valve-regulated batteries. Large, utility-scale applications such as load levelling continue to use flooded batteries, but it seems that, increasingly, valve-regulated batteries are chosen even for these applications. 

During stand-by service, the battery should be maintained in a completely charged state by applying a float voltage that is slightly higher than the battery open-circuit 

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Refs. [i] Crompton TR (2000) Battery reference book, 3rd edn. Newnes, Oxford, pp 32/3-32/7, 51/43, 62/3-62/4 [ii] Wagner R (2004) Valve regulated lead-acid batteries for telecommunications and UPS applications. In Rand DAJ, Moseley PT, Garche /, Parker CD (eds) Valve-regulated lead-acid batteries. Elsevier, Amsterdam [iii] Broussely M (2003) Lithium-ion for EV, HEV and other industrial applications. In Nazri GA, Pistoia G (eds) Lithium batteries science and technology. Kluwer, Amsterdam, pp 671-675... 

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