Substation batteries can't afford to run out of charge due to a charger failure. To prevent this, keep the batteries clean and the connections clean and greased. Ensuring the batteries stay charged is crucial.
Substation batteries are crucial to the overall reliability of the substation. If they have served for 20 to 25 years and have reached 80% to 90% of their capacity, it's recommended to replace them. It's not worth trying to extract the last bit of life from the batteries. Two ways to monitor the batteries 24/7 are: ...
There’s no one answer to a perfect Substation Maintenance Schedule. Today we’ll be using our industry and utility experience, but your engineering firm, the manufactures equipment spec’s, insurance requirements, and NETA Standards should also be considered.
In large substations, the batteries may be out in the middle of the floor with the pan protruding all the way around the battery rack. Erroneously, the measurements for the required working space about the batteries are many times taken from the terminals of the batteries.
There’s also the chance of an unqualified person ignoring the warning sign and entering the substation. So some sort of protective, ventilated enclosure is always recommended where the batteries are capable of coming in contact with personnel. Adequate illumination must also be provided around these battery banks.
Hydrogen off-gassing is another issue that often arises when dealing with batteries in a substation. The design engineer should consult American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 500 to determine ventilation and classification requirements whenever batteries are installed indoors.