Battery Room requirements 2

[sunelec1975]

VRLA (Valve regulated lead acid) battery banks for UPS application requires seperate room as per Industry standard?Also for sealed Ni/Cd battery banks requires seperate room?The electrical utilities such as lighting,power sockets,exhaust fans to be installed in these rooms requires to meet hazardous area classification?Any relavent IEEE/IEC standard specifies these requirement?

 

[rbulsara]

Where have you looked?
Looked up NEC?
Talked to the vendors? Looked up any vendor's websites? Installation manuals?
Talked to some seniors?



Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[marks1080]

I think it depends on the standard and jurisdiction. Usually common sense will meet most jurdictional standards. Is this for a high voltage station or a distribution station? If a high voltage terminal station (in which I would expect redundant battery supplies) than it makes sense to have your batteries in a separate room. Further more the redundant batteries should be separated and if possibile situated as far from each other as possible. This would reflect 'industry' standard in my jurisdiction. For low voltage stations the standard isn't as strict.

 

[rbulsara]

Now that I have vented,

Google "IEEE standards for battery installation". It is always a good idea to do a little search and make some your own efforts to get some knowledge before posting to 800,000 people.



Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[j3n5]

If you are required to have the batteries in a separate room (by your NEC), you should definitely use as much precautions as you can (light switches outside the room, no sockets, explosion proof lights and air suction) no matter what the code says about those things.
The smaller the room (in respect to size of battery pack) the higher is the possibility of H2 concentration in air reaching explodable levels.
If you do not need to use a separate room for the battery-pack, consider placing them in a room where the H2 concentration can never reach dangerous levels (circulated air, consult your ventilation and fire safety engineers).

My advice is free of charge and of respective quality.

 

[TurbineGen]

Don't forget to carfeully read about fire suppression and ventilation (NEC 480.9). You'll need an exhaust system. make sure you exhaust to a SAFE location. The last thing you want is to exhaust hydrogen into an already hazardous atmoshpere.

Battery rooms are considered hazardous (classified). So you'll need provisions for class I div II at minimum. read over article 500-504.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
If it is broken, fix it. If it isn't broken, I'll soon fix that.

 

[dpc]

I don't believe there is an NEC requirement that batteries be in a separate room.

 

[rcw retired EE]

There are many VLRA batteries installed in computer rooms and other non-hazardous areas as UPS power supplies. The presence of the battery alone does not make the area classified.

The IEEE standard has some good information on the amount of hydrogen release during an overchaging condition. The same data can be found in battery supplier's O&M manuals. If the room's ventialtion is sufficient to prevent a build up of hydrogen gas, then the area can be non-classified.

But given the small cost of explosion proof lights, switches and receptacles, it is cheap insurance to use them in the battery room.

There are several other threads on this site discussing this. Try searching for battery or battery rooms.

 

[Kiribanda]

sunelec1975,

Normally we follow National Electric Safety Code (NESC).Section 18 of this code specifies that the batteries (flooded) should be in a seperate enclosure and further says that this protective enclosure can be a battery room with seperate continuous ventillation.It also specifies that the recepticles and switches should be outside of this room.Flame proof switching devices can be used if you really need to install them inside the room.

In case of VRLA this enclosure can be a mettalic cabinet.No ventilation required since no gas release.

IEEE 484 implies that the flooded batteries should be in a seperate room with proper ventillation and ficility for cleaning etc etc.

I have no idea about a relevant IEC standard for the installtion.

 

[Marmite]

This UK Health & Safety Executive publication is a useful reference which also refers to the relevant IEC standards.
Regards
Marmite

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg139.pdf

 

[avogel]

NFPA 70E requires ventilation systems, forced or natural, to prevent buildup of explosive mixtures in battery rooms. A determination must be made for each battery area as to whether sufficient ventilation is being provided.

Reference your battery manufacturer for the hydrogren gas evolved, it will be dependant on your charge voltage and the number of cells you have.

If you are in Europe, a good reference is EN 50272-2 Safety requirements for Secondary Batteries and Battery Installations

 

[alehman]

Your local jurisdiction will have to say. Requirements vary. If you're in the U.S., there a good chance you'll need to comply with the International Building Code, which has very specific requirements depending on the type of battery.

Alan
“The engineer's first problem in any design situation is to discover what the problem really is.” Unk.

 

[peebee]

IBC (actually IFC) requires hydrogen ventillation for VRLA batteries, this requirement is triggered at 50 gallons of electrolyte. I don't believe a separate room is required, but it may facilitate achieving the ventillation requirements.

 

[TheSafetyCentre]

I'm not aware of any IEEE regulations regarding UPS banks in the same room as the main application

http://www.thesafetycentre.co.uk/

 

[jghrist]

Normally we follow National Electric Safety Code (NESC).Section 18 of this code specifies that the batteries (flooded) should be in a seperate enclosure and further says that this protective enclosure can be a battery room with seperate continuous ventillation.

Section 14, ¶141 of NESC-2007 states:

Storage batteries shall be located within a protective enclosure or area accessible only to qualified persons. A protective enclosure can be a battery room, control building, or a case, cage, or fence that will protect the contained equipment an limit the likelihood of inadvertent contact with energized parts.

This doesn't require a separate room.

 

[IndianTechEngg1001]

Kindly refer to DOE handbook, Primer on lead acid storage batteries. Good guidelines.

http://artikel-software.com/file/Primer on Lead-Acid Storage Batteries.pdf

 

[vtb1]

What is the base to choose frequency and voltage?
Geographically, USA region has 60Hz, Asian country has 50Hz. In USA, 1-ph has 110V, 3-ph: 230V.
In India, 1-ph:230V, 3-Ph:440V,
In Germany: 3-ph:400V.

 

[Bilegan]

VRLA (Valve regulated lead acid) or sealed Ni/Cd battery banks normally release hygrogen gas during high rate charging mode of the UPS rectifier charger. To remove the hydrogen gas, you need extract fans with associated ducts for gas collectors, you need also supply fans for fresh air. The activity can be manageable in a separate room.

The battery room will become unclasified if you can remove hygrogen concentrations by providing redundant extract fans and supply fans for fresh air. Therefore, requirement for explosionproof electrical utilities such as lighting,power sockets, exhaust fans to be installed in the room can be eliminated.

Regards,
Bilegan

Murphy's Law - If anything can go wrong..it will.