Battery cabinets must enclose the batteries behind locked doors accessible only to authorized personnel. As long as the cabinets are kept locked, they can be located in a computer room or other rooms accessible by non-battery technicians.
This article does not cover maintenance free or computer room type batteries and battery cabinets in its Battery Room Design Requirements. The main keywords for this article are vented lead acid batteries, battery room safety requirements, Battery Room Ventilation, and unit substations electrical. Batteries can be hazardous to both personnel and equipment.
Batteries themselves should be mounted on stands or in cabinets, designed to provide good access, particularly to prevent personnel responsible for servicing from having to reach over batteries. BS EN IEC 62485-2 suggests that to allow for emergency egress from rooms, “an unobstructed escape path shall be maintained” with a minimum width of 600mm.
Batteries installed on open racks almost always require installation in a battery room. Sometimes they are installed in the same room as the UPS (i.e., electrical equipment room). Local or regional codes may dictate whether batteries are permitted in an electrical room.
If you do it is important to ensure that you store them safely. The correct storage means better protection from thermal runaway, fire and toxic gas emissions. Your storage should maintain a constant temperature, protect against moisture, offer safe charging and protect against mechanical damage.
One cabinet should be able to hold at least one complete string of cells. Best practice is that strings should not be split between two cabinets in order to ensure reliability of the entire string. Figure 1 - Battery cabinet with top terminal cells A battery disconnect switch should be located as closely as possible to the end of a string.