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Battery Sizing
Scope

• Battery selection criteria

• Electrochemistry
• Comparison of Lead Acid vs Nickel Cadmium
• Battery Sizing – Understanding load profiles
Where and how you can save money
The Basics – Build a Load Profile

• WHERE TO BEGIN
When will the battery discharge
• LOADS TO CONSIDER
Continuous
Non-Continuous
Momentary
• WHAT HAPPENS FIRST
Followed by?
For how long?
• MARGINS
Design
Aging
Effects of temperature
Fluff
NORMAL OPERATION
AC Available
No Faults

2 amps for
indicating lights,
relays etc. 4.160KV

~ Switchgear
12 AMP TRIP
30 mA to float CURRENT
6 AMP charge battery
CHARGER
Basics

Charger goes to
current limit, puts
out 6 amps MAX.
~ 4.160KV
Switchgear
0 mA to float Remaining 6
6 AMP charge battery amps comes
CHARGER from battery. 12 AMP TRIP
CURRENT

Load requirements exceed maximum charger output

ABNORMAL CONDITION
Charger Output Limited
Breaker Operating

1 amps max
coming from
charger.
~ 4.160KV
Switchgear
0 mA going to Remaining 11
the battery
6 AMP amps comes
CHARGER from battery. 12 AMP TRIP
CURRENT

Charger output is limited in some way.

ABNORMAL CONDITION
AC Failure
Charger Output @ Zero

No current
available from
charger
~ 4.160KV
Switchgear
Full load comes
6 AMP from battery.
12 AMP TRIP
CHARGER
CURRENT

Charger output is lost completely, due to rectifier or

AC failure.
Continuous Loads

• Loads that are energized for the duration

of the duty cycle
• Are normally supplied by the charger
• Can have a big effect on battery capacity
• Examples
Continuously operating motors / pumps
Relay coils
Indicating lights
Non-Continuous Loads

• Energized for only a portion of the duty

cycle
• Can be turned on or off automatically or
by operator action
• Special considerations:
If inception is known, but end is not, run to end of duty cycle
If end is known, and inception is not, consider the load from the
beginning of the duty cycle.
• Examples
Emergency lighting
Lube oil pumps
Communication
Momentary Loads

• Very short in duration, can be fraction of a

second

• Lead Acid - IEEE 485

Even though the load may last for only a few cycles, you must
treat it as lasting one full minute
• Nickel Cadmium - IEEE 1115
Even though the load may last for only a few cycles, you must
treat it as lasting one full second
• Examples
Switchgear operation
Engine starting
Field flashing
 Dealing with Multiple
Momentary Loads

• Discrete Sequence Known

Load is maximum current at any instant

• Sequence Unknown
Load is sum of all loads in that period
Usually a greater demand on battery
 Dealing with Multiple
Momentary Loads

IEEE States:
• If a discrete sequence can be established,
the load for the period shall be assumed to
be the maximum current at any instant
Example:
Duration
1 Trip - 3 breakers 45 amps 0.5 sec
2 Trip - 5 breakers 75 amps 1 sec
3 Trip - 4 breakers 60 amps 1 sec

Since we can determine the sequence, the load for the period
would be 75 amps for one minute (for lead acid)
Nicad can be broken into 3 distinct loads, or, 75A for 3 seconds
Dealing with Multiple
Momentary Loads

• IEEE States:
If a discrete sequence cannot be established, the load for the period
shall be assumed to be the sum of all the loads occurring within that
period

Example:
Duration
Trip - 3 breakers 45 amps 0.5 sec
Trip - 5 breakers 75 amps 1 sec
Trip - 4 breakers 60 amps 1 sec

Since we cannot determine the sequence, you must treat

the load as occurring all at once
180A for 1 minute - Lead
180A for 1 second - Ni-Cd
The Duty Cycle

M o m e n ta r y lo a d
1 m in - L e a d A c id
1 s e c - N ic k e l C a d m iu m

N o n C o n tin u o u s L o a d

C o n t in u o u s L o a d
Sizing Margins or
Making Batteries Bigger

• Aging Factor
25% Recommended

• Applicable to:
• All types of flooded lead acid
• VRLA
• Nickel Cadmium

• Exception is Plante`
Sizing Margins or
Making Batteries Bigger

• Low Temperature Correction

For operation below rated temperature

• High Temperature
Improves performance slightly
Not normally used in sizing calc’s.
Design margin for maximum life
Sizing Margins or
Making Batteries Bigger

• Design Margin
Normally considered for future equipment or load growth
Allows for operation at lower than expected temperature
Can cover for less than adequate maintenance

• Almost every sizing has one!

Sizing Margins or
Making Batteries Bigger

• If the calculation requires a 220 Ah

battery, and the next cell size up is 250 Ah
--

• The 30 Ah difference is a 13% margin,

“designed” in

• An additional margin of 10% might not be

required
Knowledge is not
only Power

It’s Money

• Develop load profile using worst case

• Try to determine sequences
Not knowing requires conservatism
Conservatism can increase required capacity
Increased capacity - More $

• Closely review various sizing factors

Low temperature increases battery size
Aging factors are good ideas - ensure long reliable life
Evaluate design margins, especially after sizing a battery
Have we lost anyone
So far we’ve covered...

• Various discharge scenarios

Pick the worst case

• Various load types

Continuous
Non-Continuous
Momentary

• Sizing margins / factors

Temperature correction
Aging factor
Design margins
Sizing - What’s needed

• Load profile
Include all prudent margins

• Voltage
Maximum
Minimum

• Manufacturers data
Yes, you do need us

• Capacity rating - Kt factors

Amps per positive plate - Rt factors

• Battery type
Flooded lead acid
Nickel cadmium
VRLA
The load profile

15 BREAKERS
TRIP - 10A, 5 CYCLES Sim./Brkr
CLOSE - 7A, 5 CYCLES Seq./Brkr
SP. CHG - 4A, 6 SECONDS Seq./Brkr

TWO OPERATIONS,
Beginning and end of 8 hr duty cycle

2A CONTINUOUS LOAD

EMERGENCY LIGHTING LOAD

1200 Watts - 90 minutes
Starts at outage
The load profile

Trip 15 Breaker
1 min. - Lead Acid
1 sec. - Ni-Cd Trip Breakers at
End Of Cycle

150 A
Close & Spring
Trip Load
Charge Loads
1 min. - Lead Acid
92 sec. - Ni-Cd

?
7A

10A Lighting Load

2A

Continuous - 8 HR

90 minutes
Load profile defined

• Nickel Cadmium • Lead Acid

162A 1 second 162A 1 minute
19A 92 seconds 19A 1 minutes
12A 88.45 minutes 12A 88 minutes
2A 390 minutes 2A 389 minutes
152A 1 second 152A 1 minute
Voltage window

• Maximum and Minimum values

Determined by DC powered equipment

• Allow widest possible range

Uses maximum number of cells

• More cells = lower end of discharge

voltage
• More efficient capacity utilization
• Least expensive battery
Impact of voltage window

• IEEE 485 Example:

140V - 105V window
60 cells, to 1.75 VPC - 1,010.4 Ah req'd

• Wider voltage window

62 cells, to 1.69 VPC - 944 Ah req'd
3% increase cell qty, 7% capacity reduction

• Narrower voltage window

58 cells, to 1.81 VPC - 1,186 Ah req'd
3% decrease cell qty, 17% increase in capacity

• 100Ah High rate ni-cd cell

One minute rate To 1.14 VPC 243 amps
One minute to 1.05 VPC 406 amps
No. of cells calculation

Max. Volts - Determines number of cells that can be adequately

charged.
Equalize value is normally used as determining cell voltage

Ex 140V max
2.33VPC = 60 cells (lead acid)
or
140V max
1.46VPC = 96 cells (nickel cadmium)
End of discharge calculation

Min. Voltage - Lowest value system designed to operate at

Min. Volts
# of cells = End of discharge voltage / cell
Ex. 105 VDC
60 cells = 1.75 VPC Lead Acid

Ex. 105 VDC

96 cells = 1.09 VPC Nickel Cadmium
Sizing factors

• Kt factors
Based on performance per rated ampere hour
Kt factor = Rated ampere hours
Amps available for time t

• Rt factors
Based on performance per positive plate
Used primarily with lead acid cells
Rt factor = Amps available for time t per positive plate
Capacity rating factors

• Kt factors
Determined from tabular data

• Examples
160 Ah rated cell
8 hr discharge rate - 20 amperes
Kt = 160 Ah / 20 amps
8 Hr rate Kt = 8

• One minute discharge rate - 320 amperes

Kt = 160 Ah / 320 amps
One minute Kt = 0.5

• Kt factors are multipliers in IEEE

worksheets
Capacity rating factors

• Rt Factors
Found in plate performance curves
Not all manufacturers publish them
When not available, use Kt

• Rt factors are divisors in IEEE worksheets

Did you know this?

• Most lead acid model numbers indicate

number of plates per cell
3CC7 = Seven plates per cell
4JC11= Eleven plates per cell

• One more negative plate than positive

Seven plates = 4 Neg - 3 Pos
Eleven plates = 6 Neg - 5 Pos

• 50Ah / positive plate

150Ah cell from above example (3 pos x 50Ah)
250Ah cell for eleven plate cell (5 pos. x 50Ah)

• Positive plates are same for the range

More things you should know

• Ampere hour nomenclatures

Most nickel cadmium
Some VRLA

• Pos. plates are not identical thru range

• Wider or taller plate = higher capacity
• More plates per cell = higher capacity
Real life

• Create a duty cycle

• Periods
Amps__________ Duration_________
Amps__________ Duration_________
Amps__________ Duration_________
• Voltage window
Max__________ MIn__________
• Calculated No. of cells
Lead acid___ Nickel cadmium___
• Environment
High Temp_____ Lowest Temp_______
• Aging factor _______ (not for Plante')
• Design margins _______
 Summing up

• Battery Sizing is a science

• Building the load profile is an

art
• Electro-chemistries vary
greatly

• You have more control over

your battery selection than you
think
 www.alcad.com

Thank you for

your attention

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