BVM Battery Voltage Monitor

The new BVM battery monitor from Megger offers a convenient and reliable way to monitor the voltage of individual cells during storage battery discharge testing, allowing failing cells to be readily located. This means that battery performance and reliability can be restored by simply replacing defective cells, rather than the much more costly option of replacing the whole battery. Designed for testing large storage batteries of the type used in electricity substations, telecommunications facilities and data center UPS installations, the BVM uses a modular design, with one BVM module required for each cell in the battery bank. Each BVM module connects to the next with a single-cable daisy-chain connection. Up to 120 modules can be used simultaneously when testing a battery bank. This arrangement allows the BVM system to be used to test battery banks of all sizes, from the smallest to the largest. All BVM modules are identical and may be used anywhere in the string. When used in conjunction with Megger's TORKEL battery load tester and PowerDB LITE software, BVM battery voltage monitors allow completely automated battery bank capacity tests to be performed in compliance with the IEC test method. The tests log individual data for every cell, and also comply fully with NERC/FERC requirements. BVM modules are supplied fitted with a convenient dolphin-clip connector, but this can easily be exchanged with any standard banana-plug clamp or extension cable, thus providing maximum flexibility for use with batteries of almost any type. A time-saving auto-discovery feature is also provided, enabling the host device to automatically determine the number of cells in the battery under test, identifying the cells sequentially. Two user-selectable voltage ranges are offered by the BVM modules: 0 to 5 V DC and 0 to 20 V DC. Resolution is 1.00 mV on both ranges with an inaccuracy of < 0.1% of full scale ± 0.002 V. The maximum battery string voltage supported by the BVM system is 300 V DC.