Saft Li-ion batteries move into telecom market in outdoor BTS cabinets for Latin American Tetrapol network

“We developed the new outdoor cabinets to meet the needs of our customer, EADS Defence & Security, that sees more energy-efficient, passively-cooled, cabinets as the future for BTS installations, says Dirk Weniger, Business Unit Manager for Telecom Products at b+w Electronic Systems. “The elevated temperatures inside the cabinet, combined with daily cycling, are a real challenge for battery life, especially in Latin America where they can reach +50°C. We found Saft’s Li-ion batteries to be capable of delivering a long service life in these conditions, with the added benefit of high energy density and being maintenance free ” so they are vital to the success of the project.”

The b+w advanced outdoor cabinet includes a number of important innovations including: the use of a solar panel to supply additional power that reduces the site’s overall power consumption; Liion batteries that allow higher operating temperatures combined with high cycling capability; sophisticated adaptive power management; passive cooling that eliminates the need for air conditioning or heat exchangers. These all result in a container that requires up to 85 percent less power than a conventional container design.

Role of backup battery

The BTS cabinet incorporates a rectifier to convert the AC power from the mains supply to the DC power required for the operation of the base station and other embedded equipment. Should the AC supply be interrupted, the 48 V battery provides backup power to maintain continuity of operation for a few hours – sufficient to allow bridging to an alternative supply or for controlled shutdown.

Intensium 3 Li-ion battery system

Saft is supplying its Intensium 3, high energy 3U rack-mount Li-ion battery system for the b+w outdoor cabinets. This compact battery system is designed specifically to provide power backup for remote or outside telecom plant. It is maintenance free and offers fast recharging and high energy efficiency as well as a long service life at elevated temperatures – 10 years at a constant +40°C (in this application the normal internal cabinet temperature will range from +30°C to +45°C, with peaks of +50°C). The 48 V Intensium 3 battery systems have a typical capacity of 45 Ah and provide 2,300 Wh energy in a 19” plug-in module that weighs 24 kg. Saft supplied a number of trial battery systems to b+w in 2008 and is now making volume shipments as EADS Defence & Security rolls the new outdoor cabinets out through Latin America.