Old batteries brought back to life
A
Saft Industrial Batteries product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Mar 1, 2006
Industrial nickel-cadmium batteries uncovered in the engine house of an old steam-powered water pumping plant have been restored to full working order.
Industrial nickel-cadmium batteries uncovered in the engine house of an old steam-powered water pumping plant have been restored to full working order with the assistance of Saft and CE Colemans of North Shields.
Saft owns the historic British Nife brand.
The discovery of the batteries in the shadow of a giant steam engine set in motion a restoration project that has brought the 45-year old batteries back to life.
The renewal has contributed to the authenticity of the engine plant which is open to the public as a museum.
The giant steam engines at Kempton Great Engines near Twickenham date from the early years of the last century.
The two triple expansion, 75kW reciprocating engines are over 18.9m high and 13.7m long, and each weighs 725,000kg.
Their cylinders (high, intermediate and low pressures) have diameters from 73.6 to 218.4cm and the two flywheels are a massive 5.2m in diameter.
One of the original engines is now fully working thanks to the efforts of a team of dedicated volunteers.
The priority was to restore the engine to working order but once attention was drawn to the battery and its charger unit, the hunt was on to find out more and begin the restoration process.
An internet search led the volunteer engineers to Saft where their enquiries sparked a great deal of interest and support.
With the assistance of Saft and Colemans, the 84-cell, 110V battery, contained in 12 wooden crates, has been restored to full working status.
Initially, the Kempton team knew nothing more about the battery than the label told them, namely: "This is a Nife nickel cadmium alkaline battery unit, rated for 32.5Ah for seven hours with a normal charge rate of 6.5A".
When discovered, the overall open circuit voltage was only about 5V.
The original charger was still in place.
This was powered by the former pump station mains supply at 200V DC.
As this supply is not readily available, Saft arranged for a new 240V AC charger to be manufactured by Jenelec, and this has been neatly installed within the original cabinet.
Despite the fact that the Nife batteries had not been used for 25 years or more, after an initial clean-up, the cells were able to retain a charge.
What was the battery used for?.
The main theory is that it provided power backup in case of a power cut, probably for the instruments that monitored the chlorine house.
The restoration work is now complete thanks to Saft, Colemans and Jenelec and the battery is about to be connected and put into service.
It is most likely to be used to provide back-up lighting for the engine house.
It is estimated that it could provide up to three hours emergency lighting.
The batteries have been restored as closely as possible to their original condition with very few new components.
The only changes that have been made have been to conform to modern safety requirements.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Contact Saft Industrial Batteries
Tel +33 1 49 93 1807
Other Saft Industrial Batteries stories
-
Saft presents battery technologies at EP Shanghai
Saft is showing its portfolio of battery technologies developed to meet the specific needs of renewable energy applications for efficient and reliable energy storage solutions. -
Saft signs up for supercapacitors
Saft has signed an agreement with ESMA to cooperate in the development, production and commercialisation of supercapacitors based on ESMA's technology. -
Self-launch glider uses Li-ion battery system
The Antares 20E, an electric self-launching glider developed by Lange Aviation and powered by a Saft custom-designed, rechargeable lithium ion (Li-ion) battery system, is back in series production. -
Saft to supply battery systems for Siemens project
Saft, a designer and manufacturer of high-technology batteries, has won its first major battery systems order for a Siemens Mobility project based in China. -
Batteries power photovoltaic offshore lights
Saft maintenance-free, lightweight nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery modules are providing power for self-contained, photovoltaic-powered navigation lights.
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
