Have questions about lithium-ion UPS batteries? We’ve got answers.
Check out the below FAQs to learn everything you need to know about lithium-ion battery chemistries, maintenance, safety, and more!
Have questions about lithium-ion UPS batteries? We’ve got answers.
Check out the below FAQs to learn everything you need to know about lithium-ion battery chemistries, maintenance, safety, and more!
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Lithium-ion has many advantages over other battery solutions. For many Mitsubishi Electric customers, the benefits of lithium-ion batteries include:
Lithium-ion battery cabinets also include a battery management system that constantly maintains and checks the system's health. This level of control and management is not typically available with other battery systems.
Dive deeper into Lead Acid vs. Lithium-Ion.
Understanding the various lithium-ion battery chemistries and finding the right one for your use case can be a challenge that may make adoption more difficult.
Safety is the next factor to consider.
As lithium-ion batteries are being adopted worldwide, fire safety and regulations on the usage of lithium-ion are being implemented to limit risk. A disadvantage of using this battery chemistry is navigating the changes in regulations by local municipalities and federal safety institutions.
The optics of safety with lithium-ion batteries unfortunately paints an inaccurate picture. The truth is, under traditional critical backup use cases of 10-minute discharges, lithium-ion batteries are extremely safe when utilized under manufacturer design-specified environmental and use case parameters.
Various markets across the United States have adopted lithium-ion batteries, including the data center, enterprise, cloud computing, edge, telecom, and colocation industries.
Lithium-ion batteries quickly replaced Pure Lead batteries as an increased power density battery for higher IT power loads.
Lithium-ion batteries need maintenance to function at peak efficiency.
This includes physical and electrical inspections of the UPS. A Mitsubishi Electric technician will also perform a data download of the BMS (Battery Monitoring System) event logs and alarm logs, and review for any abnormalities to provide a trend analysis of the data.
Lithium-ion battery maintenance typically occurs annually, and the data pulled is used to uphold the warranty and performance guarantee of the battery manufacturer. Mitsubishi Electric offers semi-annual lithium-ion maintenance plans as well.
If the batteries are still in storage, they will be evaluated for refresh charging per the manufacturer’s manuals, and Mitsubishi Electric will help facilitate that charge cycle upon request at the client’s expense.
The first step to ensuring your batteries are running properly is signing on to a lithium-ion battery maintenance contract. If you are not currently enrolled in one, please contact us to learn more.
Generally, yes. To replace an existing VRLA battery system with a lithium-ion system, the first step would be to evaluate the UPS module and system to see if that UPS can be updated and used with lithium-ion batteries.
Some UPS modules require a system upgrade to their control boards or control programming to utilize lithium-ion batteries as a battery backup source.
Mitsubishi Electric has an amazing field service team that is trained to evaluate systems in the field for lithium-ion battery upgrades. We suggest that a Field Service Technician or Engineer evaluates the systems that you would like to upgrade to lithium-ion so they can provide a full report on what is required and the viable options for moving forward.
There are local authorities and regulations to also consider when switching to lithium-ion.
If you are interested in upgrading to this battery chemistry, please contact us so we can help you through the process.
A lithium-ion battery management system has protection settings in place to prevent thermal runaway events. Each lithium-ion rack BMS has a minor and major protection setting.
The BMS system tracks SOC, SOH, Alarms, Rack Voltage, Rack Real Current, Rack Average Current, and Cell Sum Voltage on String. The BMS also tracks and manages Min/Max Cell Voltage and Min/Max Cell Temperature.
Mitsubishi Electric takes safety very seriously, and all our lithium-ion batteries are thoroughly tested with our UPS modules. The testing also includes making sure the BMS system for the lithium-ion batteries is operating correctly and sufficiently.
The overall total cost of ownership (TCO) of lithium-ion batteries including equipment, service, and maintenance is typically lower than that of VRLA or VRLA Pure Lead batteries over the battery’s life.
Given the widespread utilization of lithium-ion batteries throughout the various markets and industries, such as Battery Energy Storage and Electric Vehicles the commodity pricing and overall initial cost of lithium-ion batteries has been drastically reduced over the last 2 years.
This reduction in initial cost and the dramatic increase in power density of lithium-ion batteries has made them extremely cost-effective compared to VRLA and other battery solutions.
To determine the appropriate size and capacity a lithium-ion battery system:
The sizing will consider these characteristics, and the Mitsubishi Electric Engineering and Project Application Engineering teams are trained experts in properly sizing the battery system for your application - Contact us!
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Yes, lithium-ion battery systems in a typical UPS backup application are safe. Mitsubishi Electric offers only top-tier lithium-ion battery solutions that are UL9540A tested and UL1973-listed products.
Most thermal runaway events that are in the news are for different use cases and applications, not UPS applications. How the battery is being used and the application in which it is used are important in determining the battery system's safety.
In UPS applications, the battery does not cycle heavily, and top tier lithium-ion batteries are considered very safe under this primary use case.
There are some new use cases, such as Grid-Interactive UPS applications in which the cycling of the battery is more frequent but, in general, lithium-ion batteries are a safe* solution.
Further explore the safety differences between lead acid and lithium-ion.
*To be considered safe, any battery - including VRLA - requires the battery system to be properly installed properly, maintained, and be sized correctly for the use case intended.
Lithium-ion batteries in a UPS backup use case is one of the safest applications on the market.
Given that lithium-ion batteries are put under so much scrutiny and testing by Mitsubishi Electric during integration testing and development, that same scrutiny makes them one of the safest batteries in the UPS industry.
Furthermore, the lithium-ion battery management systems provided on our lithium-ion battery backup systems control, charge, and put in protection settings that limit any safety risks.
Learn more about thermal runaway and the safety differences between lead acid and lithium-ion.
Yes, Mitsubishi Electric takes lithium-ion battery safety extremely seriously. All lithium-ion batteries are taken through a full product review cycle, five stage gate product approval process, and each lithium-ion battery system is extensively tested through a vigorous integration testing program with our current UPS products.
The UL9540A test method is a safety test instituted to have a battery system technology accepted to meet the overall UL9540 system listing.
In general, a battery technology will need to be tested with approved results per the UL9540A test method to be accepted, and that technology is typically registered with UL.
The UL9540A test method includes testing a battery system design at the cell, module, and rack level to review and measure if at a certain level the battery system propagates into a thermal runaway situation and/or event.
The battery cell, modules, and racks are purposefully put into extreme situations of temperature and operation to evaluate how the battery technology responds.
To have acceptable results, the battery system should not propagate into thermal runaway. Most lithium-ion battery solutions do not propagate at the module level, and many new lithium-ion chemistries do not propagate at the cell level.
Safety codes for installation can be dependent on region and are enforced by local authorities. Mitsubishi Electric can provide support in this matter, but Mitsubishi Electric should not be the official source for this information. Formal direction should be provided by the authorities. The major safety codes that need to be met include:
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Please defer to the local authorities for a complete list of relevant installation safety codes.
In some local regions in the United States, lithium-ion batteries require full de-energization during an emergency. This is an automatic discharge release of energy to prevent thermal runaway.
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The below information are general rules that should be followed but do not constitute an exhaustive list:
Note: Mitsubishi Electric should not be the formal authority or official source for local installation practices, codes, and/or regulations. Please consult the local AHJ and fire safety authorities on codes and regulations for installing lithium-ion batteries.
The following resources should be used as references for lithium-ion battery installation:
Documentation for Mitsubishi Electric's lithium-ion offering can be found here.
During installation, the process with lithium-ion can change depending on which vendor of lithium-ion is chosen. The current majority of lithium-ion is shipped with the racks arriving separately from battery modules.
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Lithium-ion comes in a variety of chemistries and each one has specific attributes that can define how they are used in different use cases. Currently, the five main lithium-ion battery chemistries typically used in UPS applications include:
Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn2O4), also referred to as LMO
Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2), also referred to as NMC
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), also referred to as LFP
Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (LiNiCoAlO2), also referred to as NCA
Learn more about these five chemistries and their specific attributes.
Batteries are stored energy devices from which other pieces of equipment or electric circuits pull or draw power. Choosing the correct battery chemistry will depend on how quickly or how powerfully those devices or entities pull or draw the power from the battery.
Batteries have different internal resistances, charge rates, discharge rates, power ratings, energy capacity ratings, and stability properties.
Using a battery that is not well-suited for the use case can lead to safety issues and/or thermal runaway.
For instance, using an energy battery designed for lower C rates of .5 to .25 for a power application at higher C rates of 6 to 8 C would be a safety hazard. This is an extreme example, but knowledge of the chosen chemistry and the application is a critical component to safety.
Our Project Application Engineering team can help you and your team evaluate these considerations - Contact us!
Yes, the various lithium-ion battery chemistries have unique design life ranges and cycle life rates. These attributes of the battery are typically unique to the chemistry and defined by their intended use case.
For instance, a chemistry that is designed for a power application may have a reduced cycle life compared to a battery with a chemistry suited for an energy high-capacity use case where it may be required to cycle more often.
The UPS industry is currently more focused on power application batteries with a suitable cycle life per the intended use case. As new battery chemistries and advancements in battery technology are made, how the UPS is utilized in systems will change and adapt.
The rapid adoption of AI alongside edge data center developments and grid-interactive UPS use cases are driving battery development to consider multiple variations of battery designs with increased power densities, higher energy capacities, and with extended cycle lives.
Yes, various lithium-ion battery chemistries have different optimum operational temperatures.
In general, most lithium-ion batteries, regardless of chemistry, prefer to be operated in a controlled environment. Humidity should also be controlled to less than 60% RH under noncondensing conditions to avoid any water vapor buildup within the equipment.
Some LFP chemistry batteries can be operated up to 35°C under continuous operation. Currently, most LMO batteries need to be kept within an operation temperature of 23°C +/-5°C. Please refer to our lithium-ion resources.
The recharge rates vary depending on the chemistry of lithium-ion batteries. Generally, lithium-ion batteries can be recharged significantly faster than VRLA batteries.
Given the UPS charge current curtailment and the BMS system protections, the recharge rate will vary upon the lithium-ion and UPS system deployed.
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Samsung lithium-ion batteries have the below operating temperature guidelines:
For more information, please reference our lithium-ion resources.
Yes, lithium-ion batteries are considered hazardous materials and freight carriers and transporters of the materials need a hazmat contract and to follow all DOT and UN shipping guide codes.
Mitsubishi Electric is not the formal authority of transporting or shipping lithium-ion batteries, and it should be noted that if you are shipping lithium-ion batteries, please consult the U.S. Department of Transportation for U.S. Domestic transportation guidelines. Transporting lithium-ion batteries improperly can lead to fines and/or legal consequences.
Lithium-ion batteries are a sustainable product with a known lower carbon footprint and, in general, can help in achieving sustainability goals of companies worldwide.
The life cycle assessment of the different lithium-ion batteries have produced estimates that lithium-ion is 45%-80% less impactful to the environment than lead acid batteries, depending on the chemistry and make of the battery.
Lithium-ion has been increasingly seen as a sustainable product as new recycling processes and companies are more widely implemented worldwide. Also, as new reduced or no-carbon lithium-ion battery chemistries are designed and developed, the impact that the product will have on meeting sustainability goals for clients and companies will increase.
Lithium-ion batteries need to be kept per the manufacturer’s storage requirements, which is usually an environmentally controlled storage space that can keep the temperature uniform and within 23°C +/-5°C. The space should also have humidity control, and the recommended humidity should be less than 60% RH under noncondensing.
Lithium-ion also requires periodic checks of voltage on battery modules to determine if a refresh charge is needed. The recommended period frame between shipment and having to check the batteries depends on the chemistry and manufacturer of the battery.
Below is an example lithium-ion LMO chemistry battery storage requirements (Samsung SDI):
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Mitsubishi Electric recommends that all lithium batteries are disposed of via a recycling company to support a cleaner and more sustainable environment.
Yes, lithium-ion batteries are recyclable, and there are many options now. Many of the lithium-ion battery recyclers offer site pickup services as well. Those services do not include uninstalling or packing the product for pickup.
Below is a list of recycling providers:
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