BATTMASTER® - Introduction

Modern industrial, energy generation and distribution, medical, telecom and transportation systems depend more and more on batteries.

Here are some reasons why:

• deregulation of the energy production and distribution decreases the quality of grid power supply, making the use of back-up systems more needed than before
  

• battery technology is mature
  

• today’s power electronics allow extensive battery use for many purposes
  

• green power generation (e.g. solar and wind) involves consistent use of batteries
  

• Telecom’s huge expansion requests high volume of batteries
  

For many of the high reliability systems the battery is a critical part.

Batteries have a limited life time and number of charge/ discharge cycles.
They present various fail causes like aging, high environmental temperature, deep discharge, incorrect charging (overvoltage or overcurrent), overload, mechanical stress or just bad quality.
For most of the batteries the change of some parameters can predict a failure. Monitoring of voltage, temperature, internal resistance and current gives precious information about the risk of failure of a battery.

When evaluating a BMS the potential user must consider the following:

• is the application critical?
  

• are the batteries a weak point of the application?
  

• If “yes” to 1) and 2) what is the risk/cost of the possible damage caused by a battery failure?
  

If the estimated cost of the damage is higher than the cost of a BMS, then a BMS must be used.

Remember:

• DO NOT compare the cost of the batteries with the cost of the BMS! A failure of a relatively cheap battery can create an enormous damage. Always look at the BMS as an insurance against serious troubles.
  

• DO NOT avoid a BMS even if you use high reputation batteries. Like any other products batteries can present unexpected problems.
  

• DO NOT consider a BMS just as a COST! A BMS may save you money not only by predicting critical failures, but also by avoiding unneeded replacement of good batteries.
  

• DO NOT consider a BMS as the DECISION MAKER regarding the replacement of batteries into your system. It is just a USEFUL TOOL in helping you take the right decision. You are the ULTIMATE responsible for your system’s reliability.
  

BATTMASTER® is based on  latest technologies and answers to most of the requirements of a modern BMS.