[RE-wrenches] Hot Trojan Batteries

Fri Apr 13 06:40:57 PDT 2012

I've seen batteries get very hot from deficit 
charging, where batteries are cycled rapidly and never fully charged.

At 10:15 PM 4/12/2012, you wrote:
>I have seen very hot batteries infact batteries 
>that melted.  and caught fire.  the problem was 
>that the string was several strings in parallel, 
>and one of the strings had thermal 
>runaway.  during charge one battery got hot, and 
>it has lower voltage and gets more current. then 
>it get hotter because of the more curent. soon 
>it is so hot the other batteries start to discharge through the hot battery.
>
>A similar event will occur when one battery in a 
>string of batteries develops a bad cell, and the 
>othe batteries in parallel strings will force 
>current backwards through the cell.  and thermal 
>runaway occcurs in the hot battery.
>
>From: Jason Szumlanski <jason at fafcosolar.com>
>To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
>Sent: Monday, April 2, 2012 11:53 AM
>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Hot Trojan Batteries
>
>There must be some confusion here about the 
>charging rate. C/20 refers to capacity divided 
>by 20, so in the case of a 325aH battery 
>(capacity @ the 20 hour discharge rate) weâ€™re 
>talking about charging at a 16.25 amp rate. 
>Iâ€™m sure John is not referring to a maximum 
>rate of 10-15% of 16.25 amps, but 10-15% of the 325aH capacity.
>
>Jason Szumlanski
>Fafco Solar
>
>
>From: 
><mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org>re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of John DeBoever
>Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 12:14 PM
>To: <mailto:allsolar at scswifi.net>allsolar at scswifi.net; RE-wrenches
>Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Hot Trojan Batteries
>
>Jeremy, Wrenches,
>
>165Â°F is definitely too high and you should 
>stop immediately any charge to avoid further 
>major problems. I recommend you contact our 
>Trojan Tech Support for help at 
>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/Tech_Support.html?tab=0#TabbedPanels1#top 
>
>
>Below are few perspectives to help the diagnostic:
>
>o   System issues:
>Ã¼  Check Charger setting: the C/20 rate 
>mentioned is definitely too high and will damage 
>the battery. The maximum recommended current 
>rate is 10-15% of C/20 for a deep-cycle flooded 
>lead acid battery. Other C/rates are possible 
>but are application specific and not typical.
>Ã¼  Check Voltage settings: these are provided 
>on Trojan datasheets, see here: 
>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/literature.html
>Ã¼  Check Temperature compensation: -0.028VPC 
>for every 10Â°F above 77Â°F (add 0.028 VPC for 
>every 10Â°F below 77Â°F or subtract 0.020VPC for 
>every 10Â°F above 77Â°F. See here: 
>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/PDF/Signature_Trojan_ProductLineSheet.pdf
>Ã¼  Check Voltage sensor status and connection. 
>Dedicated wiring is recommended
>Ã¼  Check temperature sensor. It shall be well 
>positioned, typically in the middle of the battery bank at the warmest point.
>Ã¼  Check if air circulation between the battery units.
>Ã¼  Check if adequate air ventilation of the battery room.
>
>o   Battery issues:
>Ã¼  C/20 charging rate is too high (see above)
>Ã¼  How old are the batteries? Ageing batteries 
>will face micro-shorts that will decrease the 
>battery turnaround efficiency over time that 
>translates in higher temperature generation. 
>Typically the battery temperature range is about 
>20oF above ambient temperature, and typical min 
>and max limit are -4Â°F to 113Â°F.
>See here: 
><http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/PDF/Signature_Trojan_ProductLineSheet.pdf>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/PDF/Signature_Trojan_ProductLineSheet.pdf 
>
>165Â°F is way too high and will damage the units
>Ã¼  Maybe you are facing one or more shorted 
>units: check the voltage and it will quickly 
>indicate if a unit is shorted.  Shorted units 
>will generate heat and will jeopardize the 
>charging of other units. Remove shorted units 
>and consult tech support your charger supplier 
>if possible to reconfigure of your battery bank 
>with fewer units, configured at a lower battery 
>bank voltage, using same voltage settings 
>recommended by Trojan Battery 
>Company.  Typically 1 to 3 units less would be 
>acceptable, depending the charger manufacturer settings.
>Ã¼  Maybe you are facing sulfated batteries, 
>resulting from low charging, thus resulting in 
>lower overall turnaround efficiency. This will 
>heat some healthier units of the battery bank, 
>accelerating corrosion damages. The max 
>temperature acceptable being 113Â°F, please 
>consult Trojan Tech Support: 
><http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/Tech_Support.html?tab=0#TabbedPanels1#top>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/Tech_Support.html?tab=0#TabbedPanels1#top
>Ã¼  Please deal directly off-Wrenches list, with 
>Trojan Tech Support for better fine tune 
>resolution: 
><http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/Tech_Support.html?tab=0#TabbedPanels1#top>http://www.trojanbatteryre.com/Tech_Support/Tech_Support.html?tab=0#TabbedPanels1#top
>
>I hope this help,
>
>John
>John F. DeBoever
>Global Technical Director – Renewable Energy
>Trojan Battery Company
>
>12380 Clark Street
>Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
>Tel: +1-562-236-3000 Ext. 3139
>Cell: +1-845-514-7600 – NY office time zone: USA EST (GMT-5)<
>Skype: john.f.deboever
>Fax: +1-562-236-3239
><mailto:jdeboever at trojanbattery.com>jdeboever at trojanbattery.com
>www.trojanbattery.com
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: 
><mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org>re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org 
>[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] 
>On Behalf Of <mailto:allsolar at scswifi.net>allsolar at scswifi.net
>Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2012 7:20 PM
>To: 
><mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>Subject: [RE-wrenches] Hot Trojan Batteries
>
>Wrenches,
>Can anyone explain why an L16 bank would be at 
>165F at rest.  Over a C20 charge rate, but I 
>have a feeling there might be an internal short
>
>Jeremy
>All Solar
>Sent via BlackBerry. Sorry for typos and shorthand!
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Drake Chamberlin
ATHENS ELECTRIC LLC
OH License 44810
CO license 3773
NABCEP Certified PV
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