Saft "Intensium" Li-ion in Rack-mount Format

Advanced Battery Technology, Dec 2004

Saft's Intensium Li-ion battery can deliver 3kW of backup power from a IU high rack-mounted, hot-pluggable unit. The Intensium has been optimised to provide safe, reliable, zero-maintenance backup power for the new generation of Micro Base Transceiver Stations (MicroBTS) in wireless telecom networks. Intensium batteries are also expected to find many other telecom applications such as Macro-BTS, Optical Node Units (ONU), hybrid fiber coax (HFC), and equipment on customer premises.

Micro-BTS installations, which are mainly located in urban areas with a range of hundreds of meters, represent a particularly demanding application for backup batteries due to the constraints on space and weight as well as elevated operating temperatures. Saft's battery delivers the same performance as conventional VRLA, but in a package one-quarter of the size and weight.

The compact nature of the Intensium battery has enabled it to be condensed into a self-contained rack-mounted unit, with a 3kW battery (Intensium 3000) occupying the height of a single rack unit (IU) within a standard 19'' ETSl rack, while a 1.5kW (Intensium 1500) battery occupies a half-width unit. When installed, the battery can be handled just like any other plug and play rack-mount equipment, and offers unprecedented flexibility for plant design - with no need for a dedicated battery area in the cabinet, while its high temperature operating capability eliminates the need for an air conditioned environment. Unlike conventional batteries, the Intensium requires no maintenance.

Saft Medium Prismatic (MP) cells have a five-year life at a constant 40C, a 10-year life at a constant 30C, and can operate at temperatures up to 60C. Two strings of 14 MP 176065 HD cells (the largest size in the MP range) are connected in parallel to create a nominal 48V battery, providing a constant 3kW for five minutes.

For more information, visit www.saftbatteries.com.