S. No.

Characteristics PLANTE TUBULAR VRLA NI-CD

1 Chemistry Cd
Cathode Pb Pb Pb
[Positive Plate]
Anode PbO2 PbO2 PbO2 NiOOH
[Negative Plate]
Electrolyte H2SO4 H2SO4 H2SO4 KOH
[Aqueous Solution] [Aqueous Solution] [Aqueous Solution] [Aqueous Solution]

2 Cell Voltage
Nominal End Cell 2.0 Volts 2.0 Volts 2.0 Volts 1.2 Volts
Voltage 1.85 Volts at 10Hr rate 1.85 Volts at 10 Hr rate 1.80 Volts at 10 Hr rate 1.00 Volts at 5 Hr rate
[Requires more
consequence number of
cells than lead-acid battery
for a given DC voltage]

3 Application Ideal for Float application Ideal for frequent charge/ For short time back up Ideal for very high rate of
in Power Plants/ SubStations discharge cycling duties. with low depth of discharge under very abusive
discharge very condition. These are also
occasional use good in cycling applications

4 Reliability
Most reliable in float
operations
Reliable but not as Generally reliable, Most popular alkaline
reliable as Plante' however pronr to secondary cell.
unexpected malfunctioning Reliable during duty cycles,
however, prone to
malfunctioning during
emergency operation
S. No. Characteristics PLANTE
5 Monitoring State of Other than measuring
Charge electrolyte specific gravity
battery condition can be
monitored visually through
the transparent containers
6 Susceptibility to High Satisfactory operations upto
temperature 48/50 Deg. C. electrolyte
temperature.
7 Discharge Much superior to HDP
Tubular but slightly inferior
to SMF
8 Maintenance a) Topping up with distilled/
Requirement DM once in 12 - 18 months
b) Battery to be kept clean &
dry and terminal &
connectionsto be checked
periodically.
c) State of charge to be
regularly monitored by using
hydrometer [Sp.Gr] & cell
TUBULAR
Can be done by
measuring electrolyte
specific gravity
Satisfactory operations upto
48/50 Deg. C. electrolyte
temperature.
Standard
a) Topping up with distilled/
DM water once in a month
b) Battery to be kept clean &
dry and terminal &
connectionsto be checked
periodically.
c) State of charge to be
regularly monitored by using
hydrometer [Sp.Gr] & cell
VRLA
No easy method to ascertain
the state of charge [health]
since the cells are completely
sealed. The cells thereby
act as black boxes.
Prolonged operation at high
ambient temperature curtails
battery life by approx.
50% for every
8 deg. C above 25 deg. C
[Ref. c1.6.1 of IEEE Spec
1189-1996]
Best
a) No toppig up required
Not possible
b) Battery to be kept clean &
dry and terminal &
connectionsto be checked
periodically.
c) Voltage and physical
conditionof the battery to be
monitoredregularly
NI-CD
Electrolyte sp. Gravity does
not indicate the cell condition.
Monitoring the state of
charge of the battery is very
difficult and therefore
performance failure is
unpredictable.
Satisfactory operations
upto 48/50 deg. C
electrolyte temperature.
Discharge performance
very good
a) Topping up with DM water
4/5 times a year
b) Battery to be kept clean &
dry and terminal &
connectionsto be checked
periodically.
c) Requires replacement of
entire electrolyte once in
6/7 years due to carbonation
 testing voltmeter
S. No. Characteristics PLANTE
9 Recharge Capable of quick recharge by
boost charging upto 2.7 V/Cell
normal float-cum-boost charger
can be used
10 Ageing Plante' capacity does not drop.
Rather increases in service
life. As such no ageing margin
needs to be provided.
{Ref: IEEE Spec. No. 485 - 1997
Cl. No. 6.2,3}
11 Life Expectancy 15 - 20 Years
12 Internal Resistance 30 - 40 % lower than equivalent
HDP tubular cells
13 Sensitivity to over Moderately sensitive
charge & undercharge
testing voltmeter
TUBULAR
Very fast recharge by boost
charging upto 2.7 V/Cell and
0.25 C10 Amps recharge
current charging can be done
using a normal float cum
boost charger
Tubular cell capacity degrades
continuously during service
life and falls to about 80% of
initial rates capacity in about
8 - 10 year. 25% capacity has
to be increased to
compensatefor ageing while
sizing thebattery
10 - 12 Years
Highest
Moderately sensitive
VRLA
These batteries require special
CCCV charger. Regular boost
charging not recommended. To
be maintained only to Float
charge at 2.23 V per cell. Quick
recharge limited to fast
chargingupto 2.4V Cell and
0.15 C10 AMPS limit current.
Recharging timeafter full
discharge is double thanthat of
Tubular of Plante' cells
Degrades gradually during
service life and capacity falls
to about 80% in about 8-10
years 25% capacity has to be
increased to compensate for
ageing while sizing battery
8 - 10 Years
Lowest
Extremely sensitive
NI-CD
Requires frequent equalising
charge to maintain full
capacity in float condition
since charge rentention of
this system is rathat poor
Degrades gradually during
service life and therefore
capacity has to be increased
by 10% to compensate for
ageing while battery sizing
15 - 20 Years
Low
Moderately sensitive
 14 Space Requirement High Moderate Low Moderate

S. No. Characteristics PLANTE TUBULAR VRLA NI-CD

15 Thermal Runaway Not Susceptible Not Susceptible Very Susceptible Generally not susceptible but
prolonged boot charge may
lead to thermal runaway

16 Dry Out Not Susceptible Not Susceptible Very Susceptible Generally not suspectible but
prolonged boost charge may
lead to thermal runaway

17 Memory Effect Not Susceptible Not Susceptible Not Susceptible Susceptible and hence prone
to sudden failure during
emergency.

18 Cost of Electricity Minimum Moderate Moderate High

consumption during
Float Charge