Battery protection; Where do we stand

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/28.85479· OSTI ID:5282916

Nailen, R L ^[1]

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1. Electrical Engineering Div., Wisconsin Electric Power Co., Milwaukee, WI (US)

Growing emphasis on operating reliability is leading both utility and industrial/commercial power system operators to confront a long-neglected system protection issue: proper fault protection for large batteries. Full-load current from a large UPS battery may reach thousands of amperes, with fault currents 10-12 times as high. Battery destruction during a major fault can acid-contaminate an entire building, escalating damage far beyond battery cost or equipment downtime alone. Existing IEEE standards, the NEC, other published standards, and supplier literature offer little help in applying fuses (seldom marketed with specific dc current or voltage ratings) or circuit breakers to battery circuits. Often, no protective devices at all are provided because of a fear of their nuisance operation. Of special concern is the internal fault that may go undetected by devices at a battery's main terminals. This paper outlines some user experience, brings together existing recommendations, and perhaps stimulates development of useful standard practices.

• OSTI ID: 5282916
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Vol. 27:4; ISSN 0093-9994; ISSN ITIAC
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
200107* -- Fossil-Fueled Power Plants-- Off-Peak Energy Storage-- (1980-)
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
240100 -- Power Systems-- (1990-)
25 ENERGY STORAGE
252000 -- Energy Storage-- Health & Safety-- (1990-)
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
296000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Electric Power
CIRCUIT BREAKERS
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL FAULTS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT PROTECTION DEVICES
LOAD MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
OFF-PEAK ENERGY STORAGE
OPERATION
PLANNING
POWER SYSTEMS
PUBLIC UTILITIES
RELIABILITY
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
STORAGE