SUBSTATION BATTERIES

[Marvie]

Concerns have been raised in the past by Environmentalists on the choice of substation batteries. What are the pros and cons of using either Nickel Cadmium or Lead Acid batteries?

 

[rbulsara]

and the concerns are..?

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[cranky108]

Cadmium, lead, selenium, and other heavy metals. The potential for entering drinking water if not desposed of correctly.

 

[itsmoked]

NiCads seem to last longer. They cost a little more. They may require slightly less maintenance.

Cadmium is far more poisonous than Lead but it doesn't matter unless your company's policy is to dump these expensive batteries in the woods somewhere when they exceed their service life.

Both battery types will eventually be recycled. So the poisonous aspect is moot. I would speculate that when it does come to recycling the batteries lead ones will be more easily traded since there are about 1,000,000 made for every NiCad made so the recycling channel is a lot wider.

Both elements come out of the same mining operations so neither has any environmental edge in that regard.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[BJC]

I have changed out batteries a couple of times. both times we had to take them to a licensed recycler for processing. I suspect its somewhere in title 40. Check with your environmental group.
I wanted to buy some of the polycarbonate jars and make them into aquariums. I was going to make a small model of the plant with a crack in the containment and put those int bottom. The bubbler was going to bubble out the crack. The guy at the recycler said he could not even sell those to us.