Design and commissioning of a valve-regulated lead/acid battery energy-storage system for backing up critical environmental loads

Abstract

Momentary and sustained electrical power interruptions and voltage depressions represent two of the most difficult and important power quality and delivery problems that face many industrial and commercial users. There is a definite need at many industrial processing plants and commercial users of electrical power to have a dependable, efficient and controllable source of real and reactive power that is available instantly to support large electrical loads (greater than 5 MVA), even if the incoming utility a.c. connection is lost. When power is interrupted or lost, the results can be extremely disruptive for critical processes and cause lost production, costly downtime and loss of customer good will, and in certain industries, can lead to environmental damage through the release of toxic emissions into the air. Recently, this challenge was faced by GNB Technologies at its lead reclaiming and smelting facility in Vernon, CA, USA. This study describes a versatile, cost-effective, workable solution to the problem that has resulted in the design and installation of a 5 MVA, 3.5 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) which provides uninterruptible power to the critical environmental control equipment throughout the plant. The BESS at Vernon provides the required power, combined with both voltage and frequency control, to allow the plant to tolerate disconnection from the utility grid without suffering unacceptable impacts on critical loads. The system also provides the company with a demand-side energy management system for conducting daily peak shaving of energy demand and, thereby, reduces its electrical bills.