A320...Battery Check...Less Than 60Amps after 10 sec's..Why ?
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A320...Battery Check...Less Than 60Amps after 10 sec's..Why ?
hello...
can any one plz shed the light on why we have to switch the batteris off then back on ( during the cockpit preparation )...and we have to check on Ecam Elec page that the batteries Amps is less than 60 amps and decreasing..10 sec's after selecting on ?
what do i have to do if the check is not satisfactory...and what does that mean or indicate ?
Thanks in advance.
can any one plz shed the light on why we have to switch the batteris off then back on ( during the cockpit preparation )...and we have to check on Ecam Elec page that the batteries Amps is less than 60 amps and decreasing..10 sec's after selecting on ?
what do i have to do if the check is not satisfactory...and what does that mean or indicate ?
Thanks in advance.
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Why???
You're checking the health of the batteries.
If you read the battery voltage while the batteries are being charged, you're reading charger voltage...not really reading battery voltage.
The procedure you mention has a supposition attached to it...it supposes that the batteries haven't been under charging conditions for at least the last six hours.
ELEC
If the aircraft has not been electrically supplied for 6 hours or more, preform the following check: (FCOM 3.03.04 Page 1)
Now, what will happen is this: You've been charging the batteries...you remove the charger(s)...what validity do you have in reading the battery voltage (to determine battery health)?
If the batteries have been on the charger recently (within the last six hours)...you really don't get a good picture of battery health by reading battery voltage. (Still the remnants of the charger energy.)
The longer you wait between the time the batteries have been 'on their own'...and the time you do this check...the more accurate picture you have about the true battery health.
Thus, if you check battery voltage while the batteries are being charged, you're reading charger output voltage.
If you disconnect the charger(s) from the batteries and immediately check battery voltage, you're still pretty much reading charger output voltage.
But, if you divorce the batteries from charge for a period of six hours or more...and check battery voltage...you're getting a true reading.
Personally, I do the battery check first flight of the day, regardless of what the charging history of the batteries is. At 06h00, I really have no idea what the recent history of the battery charging is...all I know is that if I do the check, and the check fails, I have a problem.
In the case of a test failure, if I do the drill (do a 20 minute charging cycle), then check do the check again...hoping to see at least 25.5 volts (actually, Airbus says "MORE THAN @25.5 Volts)...maybe I'm OK. (Maybe the batteries meet minimum standard for dispatch...but there still may be a problem that will need to be addressed down the road.)
Hope all this makes sense. It's like having a flashlight with rechargeable batteries. You turn it on, the light is quite dim...so you charge the batteries for a bit...all OK. But, how long will that last??? Healthy batteries will hold that charge for quite a while. Sick batteries will show a drop off in energy rather quickly...depending on having a charger to maintain proper voltage...and proper brightness of the flashlight.
PantLoad
If you read the battery voltage while the batteries are being charged, you're reading charger voltage...not really reading battery voltage.
The procedure you mention has a supposition attached to it...it supposes that the batteries haven't been under charging conditions for at least the last six hours.
ELEC
If the aircraft has not been electrically supplied for 6 hours or more, preform the following check: (FCOM 3.03.04 Page 1)
Now, what will happen is this: You've been charging the batteries...you remove the charger(s)...what validity do you have in reading the battery voltage (to determine battery health)?
If the batteries have been on the charger recently (within the last six hours)...you really don't get a good picture of battery health by reading battery voltage. (Still the remnants of the charger energy.)
The longer you wait between the time the batteries have been 'on their own'...and the time you do this check...the more accurate picture you have about the true battery health.
Thus, if you check battery voltage while the batteries are being charged, you're reading charger output voltage.
If you disconnect the charger(s) from the batteries and immediately check battery voltage, you're still pretty much reading charger output voltage.
But, if you divorce the batteries from charge for a period of six hours or more...and check battery voltage...you're getting a true reading.
Personally, I do the battery check first flight of the day, regardless of what the charging history of the batteries is. At 06h00, I really have no idea what the recent history of the battery charging is...all I know is that if I do the check, and the check fails, I have a problem.
In the case of a test failure, if I do the drill (do a 20 minute charging cycle), then check do the check again...hoping to see at least 25.5 volts (actually, Airbus says "MORE THAN @25.5 Volts)...maybe I'm OK. (Maybe the batteries meet minimum standard for dispatch...but there still may be a problem that will need to be addressed down the road.)
Hope all this makes sense. It's like having a flashlight with rechargeable batteries. You turn it on, the light is quite dim...so you charge the batteries for a bit...all OK. But, how long will that last??? Healthy batteries will hold that charge for quite a while. Sick batteries will show a drop off in energy rather quickly...depending on having a charger to maintain proper voltage...and proper brightness of the flashlight.
PantLoad
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Pantload,
While I completely agree with what you say, I think his question refers to the procedure on 3.03.06 P4 with regards to Batt 1+2 off then on, check charge currents are below 60 amps and decreasing.
I assume this is again a check of battery health / state of charge and I guess checks for abnormally low internal resistance within the batt thus checking that thermal runaway will not occur with high ambient temps, although I could be talking rubbish!
If the test failed, I'd call the engineers, or more likely go whine to the captain about it
While I completely agree with what you say, I think his question refers to the procedure on 3.03.06 P4 with regards to Batt 1+2 off then on, check charge currents are below 60 amps and decreasing.
I assume this is again a check of battery health / state of charge and I guess checks for abnormally low internal resistance within the batt thus checking that thermal runaway will not occur with high ambient temps, although I could be talking rubbish!
If the test failed, I'd call the engineers, or more likely go whine to the captain about it
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Thanks guys for your replys...
tom775257 ...that's true...i am talking about 3.03.06 P4 with regards to Batt 1+2 off then on.
PantLoad thanks for your explanation ...would appreciate if you explain again the 3.03.06 P4.
Thanks
tom775257 ...that's true...i am talking about 3.03.06 P4 with regards to Batt 1+2 off then on.
PantLoad thanks for your explanation ...would appreciate if you explain again the 3.03.06 P4.
Thanks
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Sorry, not an electrical engineer
Sorry, I can't tell you why, specifically, Airbus says 60A (instead of 20A or 50A or whatever) and 10 seconds (instead of 5 seconds or 15 seconds or whatever). All I can say is that these are the criteria the Airbus engineers have established to determine battery health.
Additionally, I assume this procedure also checks the charging function, as well. Again, I'm not an engineer, but I have to assume that, if the procedure check is negative, maintenance will look at the batteries as a possible source of the problem...and, if the batteries are not the problem, then, look at the charging circuits.
But if the batteries are healthy, they won't need much of a charge. Typically, when I do the check, I see less than 25 amps at the moment I turn the batteries back on...reducing to almost nothing (less than five amps...typically) within five seconds.
I'm sorry I can't tell you more, since I'm not an electrical engineer.
PantLoad
Additionally, I assume this procedure also checks the charging function, as well. Again, I'm not an engineer, but I have to assume that, if the procedure check is negative, maintenance will look at the batteries as a possible source of the problem...and, if the batteries are not the problem, then, look at the charging circuits.
But if the batteries are healthy, they won't need much of a charge. Typically, when I do the check, I see less than 25 amps at the moment I turn the batteries back on...reducing to almost nothing (less than five amps...typically) within five seconds.
I'm sorry I can't tell you more, since I'm not an electrical engineer.
PantLoad
Hi I know old threat, but here goes test failed as bat. where left on overnight.
In the morning altought the voltage was above 25.5V the Amp started drawing more than 120A and then came down but after a minute or so was still above 60A.
I called the man with the screwdrivers but even they could not tell me what the charging cycle was
.
Three mechs in the FD and one on the Phone I simply swapped the A/C. Anyone here knows or where to find that info, after what charging time we could have dispatched?
In the morning altought the voltage was above 25.5V the Amp started drawing more than 120A and then came down but after a minute or so was still above 60A.
I called the man with the screwdrivers but even they could not tell me what the charging cycle was
. Three mechs in the FD and one on the Phone I simply swapped the A/C. Anyone here knows or where to find that info, after what charging time we could have dispatched?
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Interesting question
As per the 3.03.06 p4, how do we come to the conclusion that there is a problem?
I mean that, What if we find the amps too high after 60 secs?: We just wait until the charging cycle ends (battery contactors open). Then we perform the check again: since the batteries have just been charged, amps will (should) be low, now.
What is the meaning of a high amp reading? that the batteries had very low volts and therefore charging current is very high so you have to wait until the batteries are fully recharged?
Maybe we wait until that happens or either an ELEC BAT FAULT is triggered instead ("charging current increases at an abnormal rate"). If it doesn't, we check again to make sure and go on with the preparation...
This check is to be carried out in the first flight of the day, even if the airplane has been energized continuously for hours before you arrive to the deck.
As per the 3.03.06 p4, how do we come to the conclusion that there is a problem?
I mean that, What if we find the amps too high after 60 secs?: We just wait until the charging cycle ends (battery contactors open). Then we perform the check again: since the batteries have just been charged, amps will (should) be low, now.
What is the meaning of a high amp reading? that the batteries had very low volts and therefore charging current is very high so you have to wait until the batteries are fully recharged?
Maybe we wait until that happens or either an ELEC BAT FAULT is triggered instead ("charging current increases at an abnormal rate"). If it doesn't, we check again to make sure and go on with the preparation...
This check is to be carried out in the first flight of the day, even if the airplane has been energized continuously for hours before you arrive to the deck.
Originally Posted by FCOM 3.3.6.3000.13
ELEC
-ECAM ELEC PAGE CALL
-BAT 1 + 2 OFF then ON
Setting BAT 1+2 to OFF, then to ON initiates a charging cycle. Check on the ECAM ELEC page that both batteries are loaded correctly : battery currents will drop below 60 A after 10 seconds and continue to decrease. If not, the flight crew must wait until the charging cycle of the batteries is completed (batteries no longer connected to DC BAT BUS) before performing this check again.
-ECAM ELEC PAGE CALL
-BAT 1 + 2 OFF then ON
Setting BAT 1+2 to OFF, then to ON initiates a charging cycle. Check on the ECAM ELEC page that both batteries are loaded correctly : battery currents will drop below 60 A after 10 seconds and continue to decrease. If not, the flight crew must wait until the charging cycle of the batteries is completed (batteries no longer connected to DC BAT BUS) before performing this check again.
If the current drops quickly (as is normally the case) then no problem. If the current doesn't drop - then the batteries are being charged (as in C182's post #9) because they need it, and you wait for the charging cycle to complete which FCOM 3.3.4 tells us should take about 20 minutes.
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60 amps or less after 10 secs of charging is to check the charging function.
Is to be done when the batteries are charged, and if the amps are still above 60 amps after 10 secs have passed what is faulty is the charging function, not the battery. The battery is at full charge but the charging function keeps sending current, and that will be a source of fire in flight.
If the batteries are below full capacity, then you have to make a charging cycle of 20 minutes and test the BLC's again.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.
Now let me throw another question: is there any defined voltage at which a charging cycle should not be attempted and a battery change is required? Is it written anywhere? How to know if 10 V is good enough to attemp a recharge with GPU?
Much obliged!
Is to be done when the batteries are charged, and if the amps are still above 60 amps after 10 secs have passed what is faulty is the charging function, not the battery. The battery is at full charge but the charging function keeps sending current, and that will be a source of fire in flight.
If the batteries are below full capacity, then you have to make a charging cycle of 20 minutes and test the BLC's again.
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.
Now let me throw another question: is there any defined voltage at which a charging cycle should not be attempted and a battery change is required? Is it written anywhere? How to know if 10 V is good enough to attemp a recharge with GPU?
Much obliged!
