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SBS-6500 User Manual
Storage Battery Systems, LLC.
1. Introduction
1.1.
Battery Condition Determination
The SBS-6500 is designed to be your best tool for determining the state of health of your
battery systems or cells and tracking that history over the entire life of the system s. As
batteries age, internal resistance values change in proportion to the condition of the
batteries performance capabilities. A rapid increase in internal resistance can indicate a
failure is eminent in the near future.
In general, the internal resistance value of a cell or battery will increase by 1.5 to 2 times
from the initial value (reference value) when the battery is deteriorating. Regular
measurements for comparison will provide warning to take corrective actions prior to its
actual failure.
[Judgment of Health (Deterioration)]
Lead acid storage batteries are common in that they all undergo the same type of plate
deterioration over the life span of the battery. This comes in the form of plate
structural losses and material corrosions which increase the resistance inside the cell.
Batteries of the same capacity may have very different initial internal resistance values
due to the design, construction and physical number and size of the plates.
Comparisons should only be made against that manufacturer’s published values or the
original installation values for the system.
The “warning” and “fail” values of batteries from different manufacturers is the same
however, it is a percentage change over the life of the battery as it ages.
[Recommendations for Maintenance Activities]
IEEE recommendations and NERC/FERC requirements call for periodic maintenance
activities which measure and record this data, as well as cell voltages and temperatures to
allow for tracking, charting and analysis of the data to determine how soon system or cell
replacement will be required.
Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176
