We’ve designed and delivered a bespoke battery charging solution for Traffic Group Signals to provide a safe space to charge its lead acid batteries at its new site, with safety being the main priority.
The customer
Part of The Traffic Group, a collective of specialist technology innovators in traffic management solutions, whose aim is to improve the worlds traffic and travel systems, Traffic Group Signals is a manufacturer of traffic management systems.
The challenge
Traffic Group Signals wanted to incorporate a lead acid battery charging facility within its new building to house the VRLA (Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid) batteries which power its traffic light units. However, due to the potential risk of fire and explosion of hydrogen gas during the charging process it wasn’t possible to secure appropriate buildings insurance. The team needed a specialist containerised storage and charging solution which could be located well away from the main building and would contain any fire and provide adequate access for emergency services.
The result
Using an ISO 20ft high cube side opening shipping container as the basis, we converted the unit at our dedicated workshop. As part of the project, we installed a fire alarm system with relay links to a contactor safety circuit to turn power to the battery compartment off in the event of an alarm or depression of a manual e-stop and our patented Contain-a-lock provides extra security.
We divided the container into two compartments, separated by a fire rated ‘L’ shaped bulkhead gas sealed at atmospheric pressure. These compartments provide a small area to house standard charging equipment plus a larger separate compartment with bespoke racking designed to hold up to 48 12v VRLA batteries. The racking also included dummy DC charging connectors to secure the charging cables and keep them clear of each shelf location while being loaded into the unit by forklift truck.
All works were completed within the guidelines outlined by BS EN IEC 62485-2: 2018 Safety Requirements for Secondary Batteries and Battery Installation. Using projected hydrogen emission calculations, the team created a ventilation system using an ATEX Zone 1 lighting and ATEX Zone 1 fan forced air solution. An additional safety factor fan was also incorporated into the ventilation design to ensure that concentrations of hydrogen in air within the container battery compartment would never reach their explosion limit even if one of the two installed ATEX fans failed. Power to the ATEX fan ventilation circuits is designed to switch on automatically and run continually when any one of the 48 battery chargers is switched on.
What our client said
“The design and construction of a bespoke battery charging facility was new ground for Traffic Group Signals. S Jones provided us with advice on the design and technical aspects of our proposed unit, having listened to our original requirements. They guided us through the options available to us, to arrive at a design that not only fulfilled our needs but complied to all the relevant safety standards. They involved us throughout the process and completed the unit to the agreed schedule.” – Mark Hutchinson, Director at The Traffic Group.
If you’re interested in any of our services or have additional questions, please contact us. Our team is available to provide expert advice and support, ensuring you find the perfect solution for your needs.
