22 Years' Battery Customization
Jun 11, 2020 Pageview：1470
You must be wondering what the need for a battery size calculator is.
Well, just imagine that you undersize the battery system and end up compromising its battery life. The battery will run out of power earlier than your expectations, and you'll have to buy another one to fulfill your needs. However, if you buy a battery that is sized perfectly with the device you intend to use it for, the performance will be up to par, and you won't have to mull over about changing the battery that often.
So, today, we will dig deeper into the aspects of battery size. We'll focus on calculating the battery size, the tools needed for calculation, and the importance of size calculation. By combining all these metrics, we will have an ideal battery system that can power all kinds of devices without disruptions. Let's begin now.
How Do You Calculate Battery Size?
The calculation of battery size is a procedure standardized by IEEE. Whether it is the lithium-ion batteries or nickel-cadmium battery type, there is a precisely laid out standard method to calculate the battery size of all kinds of batteries. So, if you are looking for Lithium-ion, here are the main factors that are accounted for in the calculation. Keep in mind that the design of the battery is not a part of this calculation.
1: Collect the Battery Load:
The first step to calculate the size is to determine the load that the battery will have to support. It is a significant factor; for example, consider an AC UPS system or a solar panel. Using a battery that can't tolerate the load put the UPS after power failure is pointless. Hence, you must know the load that the battery needs to support.
2: Construct Load Profile To Calculate Design Energy:
In case you don't know this, creating any type of battery needs a significant amount of energy. Constructing a load profile is easy when you know the desired use of the battery system. Then you'll have to calculate the design energy in Vah. In IEEE standards, the load profile is termed as a duty cycle, so make sure that you don't get confused.
3: Select Battery Type:
The third step is to select the battery type by accounting the factors given here.
Physical appearance of the battery, including weight, container, terminals, dimensions, etc.
Application design life and life expectancy of the cell
Frequency of charge and depth of discharge
Charging characteristics
Ambient temperature
Ventilation
Cell orientation
Seismic and other natural factors
After overlooking the requirements, go through the characteristics of the battery cells. It must include battery cell capacity, temperature, electrolyte density, cell float voltage, and end of discharge voltage.
Some battery types have significant advantages over other battery types. And that's why they are often used for specific purposes. Therefore, pay attention to the purpose of the battery during selection.
4: Number of Cells in Series:
The number of cells used in a battery will change its specific voltage rating. As a result, matching the overall tolerance of the cells is necessary. The number of battery cells used in a system can be determined by using a minimum and maximum number formula.
For maximum number = Nominal Voltage (1+ Max load voltage tolerance)/cell charging voltage
For minimum number = Nominal Voltage (1- Minimum load voltage tolerance)/ Cell End of Discharge Voltage
As long as the number of cells lies in between these numbers, your battery system will be able to handle the device and operate it smoothly.
5: Determine Battery Capacity:
The final step to calculate the battery size is to determine the battery capacity. It is also given by the formula, which is explained below.
Minimum Battery Capacity (Ah) = Design Energy (Aging Factor x Temperature Correction Factor x Capacity Rating Factor)/ (Nominal Battery Voltage x Maximum Depth of Discharge x System Efficiency)
Whatever the result comes out of the above formula, make sure that you select a battery whose minimum capacity exceeds the calculations.
All the factors that are considered during the calculation are ideal and have a significant impact on the battery life. There are lots of online battery size calculators available which can be used to avoid all the hassles of these calculations.
What Tools Do You Need To Calculate Battery Size?
If you think that you will need some specific tools to calculate the battery size, then you are mistaken here. The only useful tool is an online battery size calculator. There are even apps available in the play store that can be used for such calculations.
How Important Is Size Calculating For A Battery?
When we are sizing the battery system, many factors will be accounted for. Whether it is common household batteries or inverter batteries or solar panel batteries, if you don't know the size of the battery needed, you'll end up wasting your money.
Maximum & Minimum System Voltage: The battery pack must have the ability to operate when the voltage drop occurs in the grid or supply. When the system voltage is not picked correctly, the voltage drop will cause failure in the device.
Correction Factor: All batteries suffer from the extremities of temperature. Hence, the battery has to be appropriately sized to ensure that its standby time requirement is met in worst temperature conditions as well.
Duty Cycle: It is a necessary detail that tells us about the amount of power required for overall functions over the discharge period. A battery experience few random load events through the discharge charge that affects its duty cycle.
Other factors, like temperature and climate, also impact the battery. However, they can be bypassed using certain measures. But if you mess up the calculation of the factors mentioned above, the battery size will come out wrong, and you'll risk your device performance. That's why the size calculation is necessary.
So, go through the size calculation carefully and get almost accurate results to get an ideal sized battery system.
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