BATTERIES Latest nickel cadmium batteries prove a direct replacement Faced by intense pressure to control costs, operators of electrical plants and commercial buildings are under pressure to control costs and support process continuity. One recent breakthrough in battery technology from Alcad is allowing them to do both, reports UKPN. Icke cadmium battery slutons provide botrrelabiy, longer le ardower etme costs han lead caters. However untl recently anyone upgrading ther battory ftom lead.acd to rckol cadmium has had to upgrade tei battery charger to. “Thats because lead-acid batteries can be fully enarges in a narow votlage window. However nickel cadmium batieres have Fequies chargers to del vera oat charge {alowed by afigherlevelboos charge a ‘bring the battery upto fll capacity “To cots, the chargers need tobe fited with dropping diodes, which control the Vollage level and allow the charger ta delver altwo separate vliages. Low pressure ‘Termial pias beneath terminal eversin ine wth (tty with Peet Pate group busbar Polroplene cellcontiner, Polproplene Rbrous ‘Thishas hela back some operator from accessing the benefits of nickel cadmium batory technology “The latst breed of nickel cadmim batters are considered tobe a dropn replacement forleac-acia versions ‘leads resoaren team nas recently ireduced some major design uporados to ‘is welhesablshed Vantox maintenance-free Pickel cagmium battery solutons. Engineers have made improvements to the design and chemist of his latest brood of batory ‘AS aresul,tisnow possible to chargea nickel cadmium battery to uileapacty with 2 Single level of charge volage of 1.38 Viel ~ the same volage nindow used to charge lead-acid battery systems. "Nickel cadmium batteries also have the technical edge compared with lead acid. Unlike lead-acid technology, nickel cadmium battery solutions do not experience sudden death where the internal structure of a lead-acid battery breaks down.” ‘The results that operators of ndustal ‘Stes can upgrade battoros and save their ‘operating budgets “The most advanced operator loday make procurementand investment decisions bated on Total Cot of Ownership (TCO). ‘Thisisthe sum ofall othe costs associated witha battery instalation over ts Io. includes the inital purchase cost engineorng and design, logistics and ‘livery, installation and commissioning, I ‘also inclu reguar Inspection, mante- ‘nance and testing, equomentfakre and owntime as wel as the logistics to range Teplacement and disposal ef me-sarved ‘eres. n unary, all aspects of CAPEX and (OPEX Whi lead-aci bateres neod tobe replaced evry 6-7 yoars and nocd regular tasting and mainienance, cad nekel cadmium batey soluions need ile or no maintenance overa etme of20 years or “Tholead-ocd bateres wilneedta be laced saveral mes during that perio, ‘meaning that an operator can make ‘ignifeant savings over the years by choosing nickel bates, ‘another we reasons mean that nickel ca rium batteries alsa ave the teennical edge ‘Compared with leac-acd “The sts thelrhigh elbilty. This thanks to he fact at uke lead-acid {schnology, nickel cadmium bate solutions donot experience sudden death “Ths desorbes the phenomenon when the clecvochomialreactons cause the intemal Sucre ofa lead-acid ater fo break dow land suddenly collapse, causing the battery 0 fallatany time and withoxt warning. "The second reason that nickel cadmium baey electrochemistry ts capable ‘of operating a higher rmperatures than Toad ac ‘Vartex nickel cadmium battery solutons have been found to prove afespan of ‘more than 20 years at 25°C. Abatany's ‘perating temperature mpacts the speed of ‘he electrochemical reactions and can impact the duraton of ts operating Ife. By choosing abattorychomisty that can withstand ong tem exposure fo higher trsperatures oper- sors can reduos the cost of maintenance and asset replacement. 2 (NAJUNE 2020 UK POWER NEWS