Paralleling Battery Banks [RE-wrenches]

[Kurt Albershardt]

<x-flowed>

--On Sunday, December 31, 2006 8:02 AM +0000 Hugh Piggott <hugh at scoraigwind.co.uk> wrote:
>
> At 8:50 am -0800 30/12/06, Kurt Albershardt wrote:
>
>> If possible, put a suitably rated fuse on each battery bank (ideally
>> as close to the battery as possible) to protect the battery cables.
>> This will prevent a short in one battery pack from taking down they
>> system and/or damaging the other battery bank.  If you use pull out
>> fuse holders, it will also facilitate battery maintenance.
>
>
> Take care that pulling a fuse will not leave the charging sources connected to the inverter and controls without any battery.  I would use a separate fuse(s) for any charging sources, so that this is not possible.  A wind or hydro turbine that shares a fuse with the inverter can be a source of dangerously high voltage if the fuse is pulled.  Charge controllers may or may not be able to deal with the turbine output in the absence of batteries.  I am not sure about PV but I would imagine that 
the same problem would arise to a lesser extent (lower open circuit voltage).

Good point about the wind sources.  Typical MPPT solar charge controllers are (mostly) constant voltage devices and will be OK with the change.



> I guess if you put a separate inverter fuse on each battery string, then you need multiple fuses for the charging sources as well.

Yes, every source (or group of sources) should also have a fuse or breaker connecting it to the main system busbar.  When all breakers and/or fuses are opened and/or removed, the busbar should be isolated, connected to nothing.






.


- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://lists.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/read

List rules & how to change your email address: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquette.php

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com
--^----------------------------------------------------------------
This email was sent to: michael.welch at homepower.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Qcs.bz9JC9.bWljaGFl
Or send an email to: RE-wrenches-unsubscribe at topica.com

For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit:
http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER
--^----------------------------------------------------------------






</x-flowed>