Battery testing

Large battery packs form an essential part of the power systems of all telecommunications power supplies, ensuring continuity and stability of the power supply under all operating conditions. More generally batteries are used wherever it is essential for safety or security that power is not interrupted when the mains fails: obvious examples are hospitals, data-centres, offshore oil platforms and continuous process industries, and emergency lighting systems everywhere.

Static measurements of battery performance such as no-load voltage or impedance do not always give a complete picture of a battery’s health or capacity, which means that off-line discharge testing has an important place in most installation and maintenance programmes. Where complete operational records are missing, or the batteries are reaching the end of their expected operational lives, a simple discharge test through a load bank is easy to carry out and will give unambiguous evidence of the battery’s condition and whether it needs to be replaced.

Cressall’s standard range of portable DC load banks are easy to operate and suitable for the on-site discharge testing of most battery systems, at voltages of up to 480V DC and powers of up to 30kW continuous.

See portable load bank page for a complete listing.


On site testing with the DC120 and DC600

Cressall Resistors Ltd, Evington Valley Road, Leicester, LE5 5LZ U.K. Tel: (+44) (0)116 273 3633