“NorthStar ACE allows for important
battery information, such as battery
voltage and battery temperature, to be
retrieved wirelessly in real time, locally
through a smartphone application and
remotely through a cloud service. The
system improves efficiency at every stage
of the process from battery warehousing,
installation and operation to replacement.”
Marcus stresses that real-time battery
monitoring is important, as battery
parameters – such as voltage, temperature
and life expectancy – need to be tracked
and managed to ensure the optimal battery
performance. This is most commonly
achieved using external battery sensors
integrated with a central controller, which
is typically connected to a network or to an
Internet-based cloud platform for remote
monitoring.
The battery monitoring system is then
typically set up to alert the user when
certain parameters exceed their set values.
“Battery monitoring is recommended
for a multitude of applications and is
essential in critical applications, such as
railway signalling and data centres. Battery
monitoring is an essential tool, as it avoids
costly downtime, optimises battery life and
reduces replacement costs.”
NorthStar ACE was launched in South
Africa this year and Aztec has seen a
positive local market response to its
advanced capabilities. Aztec also supplies
the Powershield 8 battery monitoring
system, from New Zealand-headquartered
manufacturer Powershield, which is
ideal for batteries that are either already
installed or do not contain ACE.
In cases where lithium batteries may be
the best option, Marcus further notes that
there are several different lithium batterychemistries that can be used, highlighting
the need for suppliers to understand
and communicate the advantages and
disadvantages of each to customers.
The three most common lithium
chemistries in use globally are lithium
iron phosphate (LiFePO4), lithium nickel
cobalt aluminium oxide (NCA) and lithium
nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC).
LiFePO4 cells are available at a
relatively low cost, but are not ideally
suited to telecoms, UPS and other standby
power applications, owing to their
lower nominal voltage and subsequent
lower specific energy, their higher self-
discharge rate and relatively shorter life
span. LiFePO4 batteries are, however,
safer to handle, which is important for
less experienced and competent battery
assemblers and manufacturers.
“In contrast, NCA and NMC cells are
ideal for telecoms, UPS and other standby
power applications, as well as electricvehicle applications, owing, in part, to
their high energy and power densities and
long life. These two chemistries are more
expensive than LiFePO4; however, the
advantages they offer far outweigh this
disadvantage.”
Marcus highlights that, the battery
management system (BMS) in any lithium
battery is a crucial component, as it
controls the voltage, temperature and other
important parameters of the lithium cells.
“The price of a lithium battery is closely
related to the type and quality of its cells,
and the quality and functionality of its
BMS. Many low-cost lithium batteries
fail, owing to poor quality-management
systems and we are, thus, happy to see
that the South African market is starting
to realise that there are several important
factors, other than the price, which should
be considered when selecting batteries,”
Marcus concludes.AN ENGINEERING NEWS | December 8–14, 2017 25
GENERATORS & STANDBY POWER
Rental and Independent
Power for Africa
http://www.jozipower.comVoltages: 400V, 525V, 660V, 1000V, 6.6kV, 11kV, 22kV
and 33kV
Mauritius office:
Leslie Dann
+230 5499 6117
[email protected]
South Africa office:
Willem Schoeman
+27 (0) 72 386 4315
[email protected]Jozi Power Limited rents out, operates and maintains a fleet of containerised 1MW and 2MW
diesel generator sets to African mines and other large consumers for short to medium term
periods. The gensets are used in combination with our range of step-up transformers to
provide fast-track power stations of 1MW to 15MW.©CM 281016CGENGINEERING NEWS COUPON ON PAGE 42 E471890SMART MONITORING
NorthStar ACE allows for important battery information to be retrieved wirelessly in real time
through a smartphone application or a cloud service