CAB Special Batteries have over 30 years experience of providing Quality Batteries to the Emergency Lighting Industry
The heart of any emergency lighting is the emergency power source, for the majority of lighting products this is a self contained battery pack of Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) or Nickel metal hydride types Ni-MH).
Both battery types can provide excellent service for this application and have similar technical parameters these being:
To consider the operating temperature range, or correctly the operating battery case temperature range. This is generally stated as being 0°C – 50°C, at the lower temperatures, charge retention is reduced and may not fully recharge within the 24 hrs required by legislation. However it is possible to maintain battery operating temperatures within the range at lower ambient temperatures through luminaire design.
Emergency lighting batteries should have a 3 hour minimum operating time.Emergency lighting batteries have to be replaced after four years.
The emergency lighting batteries have to be replaced when the prescribed emergency lighting operating time can no longer be achieved. The emergency lighting batteries are specified for a life of four years of operation at maximum casing temperature. As in most cases the ambient temperature is not constantly at the maximum level a longer life can be assumed.
The most difficult parameter to achieve is the maximum battery case temperature, this is critical in achieving the 4 year life as exceeding this value will reduce the capacity / life. So how can this temperature be identified ?
The maximum case temperature is identified either by a battery declaration or by tested results.
Battery Declarations are provided to Lighting OEM`s and are based on the charge & discharge rates of the control gear and the tested case temperatures.
Tested results are those provided by test laboratories to IEC 61951 or to ICEL 1010.
It should be noted that the only company to have a range of cells that currently meet the requirements of ICEL 1010 is SAFT. CAB has been a SAFT U.K. distributor for over 10 years. ARTS Energy is licensed by SAFT.
If you are looking for a product that stands head and shoulders above its competitors you need look no further than CAB Special Batteries Ltd.
It is very important to undertake thermal testing in accordance with BS EN 60598-2-22 not only to ensure the battery is likely to be reliable and to obtain the 4 year life but also to provide technical data for CE marking requirements. It should be noted that temperatures in excess of 70°C in operation or in storage are most likely to cause leakage of electrolyte.
The battery needs to be matched to the control gear to ensure the types and values of the charge and discharge are suitable to ensure the 4 year life, it is common for the control gear to be specific to either Ni-Cd or Ni-MH battery types as to use Ni-MH battery types on control gear specified for Ni-Cd batteries is likely to be detrimental to the life of the battery.
The Luminaire will have a rated duration normally stated in minutes, with 180 minutes being the most common, so at the point of being four years old the luminaire is to provide 180 minutes of emergency operation. To achieve this, the battery must be a quality product, must be compatible with the control gear (which must also be matched to the light source), to be operating within the temperature range and in particular not to have the battery case at higher temperatures than its maximum. It is understood that after 4 years the battery capacity may be reduced and is unable to achieve the rated duration. Routine testing of the luminaire in accordance with BS EN 50172 will identify when the battery has lost capacity to the stage that it will not provide the rated duration and battery replacement is required.
A major consideration is the dimensions of control gear and battery packs as Luminaires have a trend to get smaller there is less available space for the extra equipment, so the selection of a battery pack on size is often made. To assist most batteries can be produced in a linear stick format or a side by side arrangement or a combination. However restricted locations can present other difficulties, as smaller luminaires or enclosures can have higher operating temperatures. To resolve this it may be considered that the smaller sized Ni-MH batteries could be the solution.
Don’t hesitate to phone us on 01752 696000 or email sales@cabspecialbatteries.co.uk for a quick response to your queries.
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Under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations 2009, CAB Special Batteries Ltd are a ‘Producer’ of ‘Industrial’ batteries and as such, are obliged to...
CAB SPECIAL BATTERIES is proud to announce that they have been appointed as the GP Batteries uk and European “SUPER VALUE ADDED RE-SELLER”
Where safety is involved there should be no compromise. Cells used for this important application should be of the highest quality and performance.
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