- How Battery Monitoring System works?
With the Alpais battery monitoring system, a battery module is installed in each battery. The battery module measures the voltage, temperature and internal resistance of each battery. Charge and discharge status, string current and string voltage are measured by each string module placed on each string. Ambient humidity and temperature are also measured by the sensors in these string modules. The control module collects and records the data received through the communication links between them. Afterwards, the data is transmitted to the user with the Alpais software to show the battery status as well as time-axis or column graphs. Notifications of critical and alert batteries are sent by e-mail and SMS and displayed via the interface. In this way, critical batteries are detected and necessary actions or planned battery changes can be made according to the data received.
- I have a periodic maintenance agreement with my UPS or battery service provider. Why should I need a Battery Monitoring System?
Your periodic maintenance cannot keep you as safe and secure as you think. Batteries and management of batteries are shown as the cause of nearly 85% of interruptions connected to the uninterruptible power supply. Periodic maintenance has become a traditional method as a result of time. However, there are still interruptions in critical area applications, and these have considerable costs to business owners. Therefore, protecting your backup power system with only periodical maintenance will not reduce the 85% failure rate caused by the battery and will not reduce your risks sufficiently. Batteries, which are unpredictable by nature, can suddenly break down within 2 weeks and cause your system to crash.
- I already have a monitoring system in the UPS or Rectifier. Is the Battery Monitoring System necessary for my operation?
All monitoring systems are not the same. Monitoring systems in UPS or Rectifiers monitor batteries as a group and provide only string based monitoring. It monitors at the battery pack as whole, as a block. They usually monitor the group's voltage and charge / discharge states, which cannot provide adequate protection. However, each battery in the battery group has a separate importance; if even one battery in the group fails, the system will not operate or if one battery is unhealthy, this will affect the whole group. In other words, since the monitoring systems in the UPS or Reducer are not able to inspect each battery individually, your system is still at great risk, even when everything seems ok. Whenever you need to ensure that your system will work properly, it is essential to use a system that can monitors each battery separately, examine parameters that may affect its health, and allow you to perform scheduled battery replacement.
- Instead of installing a Battery Monitoring System, I can reserve some more resources and replace all my batteries. Should I still use a Battery Monitoring System?
The backup power system responsible makes this mistake. Installing a new battery system does not eliminate the risk of battery failure. Risks cannot be reduced to zero in any unmonitorable component. The possibility of fabricated problems and the effect of this situation on the total life of the system and the fact that some batteries can be completed by the end of the warranty period (approximately 3%) are among the risk factors that cannot be ignored. Even if your batteries are newly purchased, unexpected situations may occur and even your new system that has been relied upon can interrupt your business and cause financial losses. Thanks to the measurements and reports provided by the battery monitoring system, it is possible to identify production-related problems and to submit reports for warranty evaluation.
- Installing the Battery Monitoring System is a cost for my business. Will it benefit financially?
Contrary to popular belief, the battery monitoring system has many financial benefits. Reduces routine visits or maintenance to battery rooms and reduces the amount of work done, saving you money. It may reduce the frequency of discharge tests that wear batteries; you save time, life of your batteries and cost. Because you can monitor the status of your batteries instantly and be aware of the alarms and warning situations as soon as possible; so you can prevent situations that reduce the life of your batteries individually by detecting and replacing an unhealthy battery and reducing the life of the entire system. Thus, the life of your battery system is extended, its continuity is ensured and replacement of the whole battery group is postponed. Even with this situation, the battery monitoring system is a self-paying system.