How to Perform Battery

Discharge Testing

Daniel Carreno
Applications Engineer, TSG
Moderator

qMichael Fleischer
qDigital Marketing Specialist
 Q&A

qSend us your questions and comments during the presentation

Today’s Presenter and Panelists

qPresenter
qDaniel Carreno
qApplications Engineer

qPanelists
qVolney Naranjo
qSenior Applications Engineer
How to Perform Battery
Discharge Testing

Daniel Carreno
Applications Engineer, TSG
Agenda

Basic Concepts

Standards

IEEE Recommendations

Running a Test

Results and Report Review

Tools

6
 Basic Concepts

7
 Introduction
• Batteries
• Energy storage device that dies naturally
• Life expectancy is seriously affected by
operating conditions
• Critical component of the electrical system
• Require periodic maintenance to achieve the
life expectancy
• Several maintenance testing methods to
determine battery conditions
• Float current
tdworld.com: Do You Know Where Your Batteries Are?

• Ohmic testing
• Load Test

8
 Introduction
• Load testing is the only proven
method to determine
• Capacity of the battery
• True State of Health (SOH)
• Remaining life

• Load testing is a time and resource

demanding test
• Proper understanding of procedures
• Adequate tools

https://www.radiology.ca/article/how-does-exercise-stress-test-work
• This presentation applies mainly to
VLA, VRLA, Ni-Cd and focuses on
IEEE procedures

9
 Capacity
• Quantity of electricity or energy a battery can deliver
• Usually expressed in ampere-hours
• Depends on the amount of active material
• As active material ages, the capacity reduces
• Maintenance and operation affects the capacity

100% Capacity 80% 50%

Capacity Capacity

Lost
Lost Capacity
capacity
10
 Capacity
• Nominal Capacity
• Quantity used to identify the capacity of a battery in the nameplate
• Typically corresponds to 8- or 10-hour rates
• This is not the only rate to consider on a battery
• Rated Capacity

11
 Capacity
• Rated capacity
• Quantity of electricity, declared by the manufacturer, which a battery can
deliver under specified conditions
• End voltage, reference temperature (20 or 25 C), specific duration (minutes or hours)
• End voltage equated approx. to 80% depth of discharge (DoD)

12
State of Charge
• It does not indicate the capacity
• Determined by the charging current, or float voltage, float
current and specific gravity (pending plate material)
• Battery has to be fully charged for proper capacity test
• Directly related to Open Circuit Voltage

Fully Discharged
Charged

Partially
Discharged

13
Capacity Vs State of Charge

100% 100% 90% 90% 80%

Capacity Capacity Capacity Capacity Capacity
Fully
Fully Fully Charged
Charged Partially
Charged Discharged
Discharged

Lost Lost Lost

capacity capacity Capacity

14
Battery Maintenance
Standards
 Standards
• IEEE 450 – Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing & Replacement of
Vented Lead Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications

• IEEE 1106 - Recommended Practice for Installation Maintenance, Testing, and

Replacement of Vented Nickel-Cadmium Batteries for Stationary Applications

• IEEE 1188 - Recommended Practice for Maintenance, Testing and Replacement of

Valve Regulated Lead-Acid Batteries for Stationary Applications

• IEEE 1184 - IEEE Guide for Batteries for Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) Systems

• NERC PRC-005-6 – Protection system maintenance requirements (VLA, VRLA, NiCd)

• IEC 60896-11: Vented Lead Acid - General Requirements and methods of tests

• IEC 60896-21: Valve regulated Lead Acid - Methods of test

16
Standards

https://us.megger.com/support/technical-library/academic-papers/standard-battery-testing-requirements-summary

17
IEEE Standards
• Safety
• Maintenance
• Inspections
• Corrective actions
• Type of Load Tests
• Schedule
• Procedures for Load Tests
• Battery replacement criteria
• Recycling and disposal
• Spill containment
• Annexes

18
Type of Tests: @ Factory or
Upon
Installation

Specific
constant
Baseline for
discharge
trending
rate &
duration

Acceptance
Test

Acceptance
Measures
based on the
Time- %C, ³ 90% of
rated
Adjusted
Capacity
Method

Capacity may
rise after use

19
 Type of Tests: Measures the
%C,

To reflect
maintenance, Constant
do not current or
prepare the power
battery

Performance
Test

For trending: Similar in

Prepare the duration to
battery duty cycle

https://www.radiology.ca/article/how-does-exercise-stress-test-work
Test
periodically.
Every 25% of
Life

20
 Type of Tests: Ability to
meet a
specific
application
If fails:
review Ability to
sizing, meet the
maintain & duty cycle
equalize

Service Test
Discharge As found, no
rate as preparation,
close as no
practical to temperature
IEEE485 duty cycle correction
At discretion
in between
performance
tests
21
Type of Tests: Constant
current
modified to
include duty
cycle
Aging factor
needed to Tests ability
calculate to meet the
minimum test duty cycle
duration
Modified
Performance
Test (MPT)
Three types
of MPT Measures
described in %C, uses
IEEE450 T correction
(Annex I)
Initial
conditions
same as
Service test

22
 Testing Schedule

Acceptance test Performance/Modified Performance/Service Tests

Percentage of estimated lifetime

0% 25% 50% 75% 85%

Production
At delivery: After 85% or at
Discharge test a 10% drop of
After each 25% of passed estimated lifetime:
Impedance test capacity:
Perform capacity test
(baseline) Perform tests
annually

Applicable standards

** Many users perform an *** Impedance tests done e.g. IEEE 450 IEEE 1188 IEEE 1106
* Procedures etc depend on many additional test just before the once a year can be used to flooded lead-acid sealed lead-acid nickel-cadmium
factors, e.g. typ of battery and applicable end of the warranty time of the trigger a capacity test when the
standard. See comments for details battery bank result indicates an issue

23
Capacity Calculation Methods

Time Adjusted

𝑡!
𝐶= ×100
𝑡" ×𝐾#

𝑡! : actual time of test, 𝑡" : rated time

to mínimum voltaje, 𝐾# : correction
factor for temp. before start

Acceptance, Performance &

Modified Performance

Tests ³1 Hr

24
Capacity Calculation Methods

Rate Adjusted

𝑋! ×𝐾$
𝐶= ×100
𝑋%

𝑋! : actual rate used for test, 𝑋" : published

rating for time to minimum voltaje, 𝐾# :
correction factor for temp. before start

Acceptance & Performance

Tests

Tests £1 Hr

25
 Before the Test

26
 Initial Conditions

1. Equalize 2. Check battery 3. Record floating 4. Record

connections conditions electrolyte
conditions
• Follow • Terminals and • Float current • Temperature
manufacturer strap • Float voltage of 10% or
recommendations resistances of each cell more of the
• Return to float for cells
minimum of 72 • Establish
hours average
• Exceptions temperature
• VRLA
• Service test

27
 Initial Conditions

5. Battery float 6. Precautions to 7. Disconnect 8. Battery ready

voltage avoid disturbances charger for testing

• Voltage at the • Isolate from • Follow proper • Battery

terminals of other batteries procedure for unavailable
the battery or from critical charger • During and
loads shutdown and after test
• Connect back disconnection
up system

28
Discharge Rate
• Acceptance &
Performance Tests
• Manufacturer tables
• Service Test
• Duty cycle

• Modified Performance Test

• Duty cycle
• Manufacturer tables
IEEE Std. 485
• Results Trending
• Same test rate for the for the
life of the battery

29
 Running a Test

30
Procedure
• The battery needs
preparation and maintenance
prior to the test
• Battery is unavailable during
and after the test
• The following is required for
testing
• Discharge table
• Load bank
• Backup plan

31
Running a test
• Preparation and logistics • Short duration/high rate
• Current cable length • Bigger load bank, cables and
terminals for connections
• Room temperature
• Heat ventilation or longer cables
• Cell by-pass

• Availability • Long duration/low rate

• Conflicts with availability of the
• Load totally off-line system
• Load supplied from the charger • Smaller load bank
with risk of outage
• Higher man-hours
• Temporary battery backup

32
Test Connections

33
Test Connections

34
Test Connections

35
Temporary Battery Backup

36
Temporary Battery Backup

37
Temporary Battery Backup

38
During the Test
• Only one pause, no longer
than 6 minutes
• Measure cell voltages
preferably throughout the test
or at least 3 times during the
test:
• Start
• Middle
• End
• Avoid room temperature
increase

39
When to Stop the Test
• Discharge until voltage • Stopping the test at
decreases to the minimum completion of the time or
average voltage per cell capacity does not fully test the
• # of cells X Min. V/cell battery
• 60 X 1.75 = 105V
• Discharging to lower voltages
may damage the cells

40
Analysis & Replacement Criteria

• If at 85% of service life , delivers • Degradation:

100% capacity or greater of the • Capacity drop>10% from previous
manufacturer’s rated capacity, performance test
and has shown no signs of • Below 90% of the manufacturer’s
degradation: rating
• performance testing at two-year • Replacement: at 80% Capacity
intervals instead of 1-year
intervals
• Until the battery shows signs of
degradation

41
 Results and Report Review

42
Report Review
• Well documented report
• Site information
• Battery information
• Installation date
• Battery temperature
• Capacity calculation method
• Temperature correction
• Voltage plot
• Float and open circuit voltages
• Individual cell voltages
• Pause duration

43
Discharge Results

44
Test Pauses

45
Individual Cell Voltage (ICV)

• Not all cells discharge equally • Continuous measurement of

• The deeper they discharge, the
each cell
faster the voltage will drop • Helps to identify if a reduced
• Some cells will discharge capacity is due to a few cells or
beyond the individual end of a general battery issue
discharge voltage before the
overall voltage reaches end of
discharge level
• Can lead to polarity reversal
(Lead Acid)

46
Individual Cell Voltage

47
Summary
• Battery load testing is the only
proven method to accurately
measure the capacity and
determine the SOH
• Resource/Time demanding
• Involves careful preparation and
logistics
48
• Test is detailed in IEEE Std.
450, IEEE Std. 1188, IEEE
Std.1106
• A great amount of information is
logged during the test,
especially if individual cell
voltages are recorded
• Analysis of the test goes beyond
the % percentage capacity
 Testing Tools

49
Torkel900
• Dynamic discharge
technology – Full power at all
voltages
• Battery voltage 7.5 V to 500
• Power 15 kW (max)
• Load patterns
• Constant current
• 0.1 to 220 A*
• Constant power
• 10 W to 15 KW
• Constant resistance
• 300mW to 3 kW

50
Multiple configurations

51
Multiple configurations

52
Extra Loads

53
Battery Voltage Monitoring (BVM)
• Automatic battery cell voltage
measurements during
capacity tests
• “Daisy-chain” design allows
expandability up to 2x120
cells
• Voltage ranges 0 – 20 V DC
• Battery string voltage 300 V
DC (max per loop)

54
Battery Voltage Monitoring (BVM)

55
Battery Voltage Monitoring (BVM)

56
Battery Voltage Monitoring (BVM)

57
Questions?

58