SBS-EquaLink Battery Monitoring System

Easy to setup and configure, EquaLink is a complete Battery Management System with active voltage balancing.

EquaLink is an Ethernet-based battery management system that monitors the voltage, internal resistance and temperature of each battery in a stationary, telecom or UPS battery system. Through a patented balancing process, EquaLink actively regulates the float charging current of each battery, ensuring all batteries charge at their optimal voltage.

EquaLink Battery Management System actively manages batteries to increase reliability and extend the service life, Other battery monitoring systems simply monitor batteries as they deteriorate.

EquaLink can monitor current, ambient/room temperature, humidity, hydrogen gas and electrolyte levels. Through available Form C contacts/relays, EquaLink can also monitor electrical equipment such as UPSs, inverters, transfer switches, generators and air conditioning systems.

EquaLink is designed for many battery applications including: lead acid (flooded/wet, VRLA, gel, AGM, etc.) as well as nickel cadmium (NiCd) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH).

How It Works

EquaLink reads individual battery voltages and compares them to the battery system‘s overall voltage. Each EquaLink module controls the amount of float current passing through the battery to regulate the voltage to the optimum value. This constant monitoring and balancing of the individual charging voltages helps guarantee the availability of the battery system at all times. With its proprietary balancing process, EquaLink is able to monitor and actively regulate battery voltage within 0.001 volts of the system’s average float charging voltage.

 

Benefits

  • Prevents unexpected battery failure
  • Eliminates undercharge and overcharge which lead to almost all battery problems
  • Increased battery capacity
  • Extends battery service life
  • Easy access to battery data via web browser
  • Automate data collection for NERC requirements and IEEE standards

Features

  • Patented voltage balancing process
  • Pinpoints poorly performing cells
  • Regulates charging (prevents overcharging and undercharging)
  • Advanced warning system
  • Remote or local log in
  • Email and SMS text alerts
  • Detailed trend and graph analysis software
  • Downloadable battery history (CSV file format)
  • SNMP, Modbus and DNP3 communication
  • Compatible with batteries 2V to 16V
  • Thermal runaway prevention
  • Listed to UL 60950 standards

Available Environmental Monitoring

  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Electrolyte level
  • Hydrogen gas detection

Extension of Service Life

The service life of a string of batteries is tied to the weakest battery in the system. Often, the service life of such a string is 50-60% of the manufacturer's design life. In the balancing process, each of the batteries within the string is maintained at optimal voltage levels, eliminating the ill-effects of improper charging. The constant care provided for by the Balancing process has been shown to increase the service life of batteries.

Detect Imminent Battery Issues

Typical battery problems like sulfation, corrosion, gassing, dryout, and thermal runaway are detectable given proper monitoring. Changes in impedance and temperature - which are monitored by EquaLink - tend to indicate the onset of such issues.

Battery Management System Software Screenshot

The included EquaLink software (above) shows EquaLink-balanced voltages on a 5-year-old battery system with voltage spread.

Additional Major Benefits

Detect Stratification

By catching increases in impedance and drifting voltages, EquaLink allows the user to detect battery stratification.

Prevent Thermal Runaways

By means of an embedded dry contact output, the EquaLink system is capable of tripping the battery breaker in the event of thermal runaway. Automatic battery disconnection is possible, with the optional BM-AUX relay, which trips the battery breaker when user defined parameters are met.

Advance Warning System

Because it monitors key battery parameters and set thresholds, EquaLink is able to provide advance warning (via audio, video, and network messages) of system events that require attention.

Alert System

EquaLink monitors system data and environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, hydrogen gas concentration, acid fill level, DC current, dry contacts, etc.). Alerts can be set up, and this information can be accessed via multiple communications systems.

Regulate Charging

EquaLink is designed to monitor and optimize lead-acid and other battery types in a given battery system.

Avoid Overcharging

The balancing process prevents the unintended overcharging of batteries. (By preventing overcharging, EquaLink helps to limit gassing, dry-out, and thermal runaway.)

Maintenance

EquaLink improves the service quality by providing remote monitoring through Internet, VPN, or any network that allows for the downloading of real time data and battery history. It is now possible to test batteries without going to the trouble of disconnecting them from the system. Maintenance and testing take place under real operating conditions and require no downtime.

Modules

EquaLink battery modules are capable of taking precise measurements of individual battery voltage, internal resistance and, through an integrated sensor, surface temperature. These measurements are essential to making analyses of the batteries in any given system.

EquaLink transfers data through the communication bus cable system to the EquaLink WebManager.

There are 4 different types of EquaLink modules: 12 Volt, 6 Volt, 4 Volt and 2 Volt. The module can be mounted on the top or side of each battery.

Specification

Model Specifications
Specifications
Model BM-C20 BM-C40 BM-C30 BM-C23
Voltage 12 V 2 V 6 V 8 V
Ah Range 7–600 Ah 7–5000 Ah 7–600 Ah 7–900 Ah
Voltage Measuring/
Balancing Range
9.7–17 V 1.25–3.2 V 4.8–8.0 V 9.7–21.0 V
IR Range 0.5–60 mOhm 0.02–6 mOhm 0.5–60 mOhm 0.5–60 mOhm
Balancing Power (Current) 0.15 A 0.9 A 0.3 A 0.12 A
Current Consumption 15–20 mA (<1 mA sleep mode) 35–40 mA (<1 mA sleep mode)

Parts & Accessories

Accessory Ordering Information
Part No. Description
BM-CT400A DC Current Sensor

More Info

EquaLink Order Code
A B C D
Example* BM- 125- 60 x 2V .01
Your Code BM- x
Code Feature
A Nominal DC System Voltage 12-
24-
48-
125-
250-
XXX-
12 Vdc
24 Vdc
48 Vdc
125 Vdc
250 Vdc
Other XXX Vdc
B Number of Individual Batteries to Monitor XXX Enter number of batteries (blocks or cells)
C Battery Voltage 2V
4V
6V
12V
2 V Cells
4 V Blocks
6 V Blocks
12 V Blocks
D Input Power .01
.02
.03
120 Vac/12 Vdc
18 – 72 Vdc
120 – 370 Vdc

*Example part number BM125-60x2V.01 represents: 125V system of sixty (60) 2 Volt cells with a 120 VAC powered WebManager

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