144vdc charging [RE-wrenches]

[Christopher Freitas --- OutBack Power]

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Hugh wrote:
> This 144V thing sounds like a 120 volt nominal battery.  If so then 
> you can go to Exceltech.  120 VDC makes a lot of sense for high 
> power systems and I wonder why it is so rarely seen.

This one being discussed happens to be a "real" 144 vdc battery - 
actually three 48 vdc batteries in series.  The end of charge voltage 
will be up around 170 vdc - too high for a 120 vdc inverter I think.  

The big issue in the US with the high voltage battery systems is mostly 
due to our safety standards - OSHA etc. considers them to be "hazardous" 
locations requiring safety training, restricted access and additional 
safeguards - so its generally thought of as not worth it.  Also the 
issues of long series connected batteries getting inbalanced is another 
issue.  Even the TELCOM guys here in the US have moved mostly back to 48 
vdc systems these days.  

You can argue that any battery is hazardous - but I prefer working on 
batteries which won't bite you if you brush a terminal post.  I have 
seen guys with nasty scars from combined chemical/electrical burns from 
just touching the electrolyte on the top of a cell of a 120 vdc battery. 
No thanks.   

I just got back from doing some training in Australia and 120 vdc is 
pretty common there for larger systems.  A lot has to do with the lack 
of large individual 2 vdc cells there (800 AH or so seems to be the 
largest typically used) and the transport / installation issues of these 
large batteries in the "outback".  They almost never parallel batteries 
there - a bit different thinking...   

Christopher Freitas
OutBack Power Systems, Inc.
cfreitas @ outbackpower.com  
www.outbackpower.com
Arlington WA USA
Tel 360 435 6030  

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