  More recently, there has been a trend toward consolidating these distributed nodes into larger nodes. In terms of power, these applications are referred to as "Bulk Distributed Power." The reason for this trend is that clustering the loop electronics (and associated batteries) into fewer, more dense installations reduces the number of sites which must be visited for troubleshooting and for routine maintenance. This, in turn, reduces the cost of these activities. It is also more cost-effective to environmentally control a larger site than all the individual small cabinets. Environmental control is obviously desirable for the electronics as well as the batteries. The equipment for these larger sites is often housed in Controlled Environmental Vaults (CEVs) which are room-sized concrete vaults, completely buried underground. Another alternative is to use a small building instead of a vault. These buildings are often called "Huts" and are above-ground. Some phone companies also use Controlled Environmental Cabinets (CECs) which are similar to CEVs except that they are smaller and are half-buried. Distributed Power and Bulk Distributed Power applications often do not have provisions for venting excess hydrogen and oxygen gases, so flooded batteries are not used in these applications. Moreover, flooded batteries are generally too large to fit into the limited space available in these applications. Service and maintenance of flooded batteries in remote sites would also be very expensive since the service technicians would have to visit many sites to check electrolyte levels instead of just one central office. For these reasons, Valve-regulated, lead-acid (VRLA) batteries are used for Distributed Power and Bulk Distributed Power applications. VRLA batteries do not give off any gases under normal conditions, so special ventilation provisions are not needed. Relative to flooded batteries, GNB VRLA batteries also offer excellent power density, do not require any regular electrolyte maintenance and can be mounted in any orientation. These characteristics make GNB VRLA batteries ideal for these applications. GNB Marathon VRLA batteries are a perfect fit for distributed power. These 6-volt or 12-volt monoblock batteries are available in capacities from 28 amp-hours to 180 amp-hours. Installed on shelves in the cabinets, GNB Marathon batteries offer the best power density of any battery on the market today. The larger sites of Bulk Distributed Power applications can make excellent use of GNB Absolyte� IIP batteries, which offer reduced service and maintenance, the ability to be stacked to reduce floor space, and minimal gas evolution. Ranging in capacity from 105 amp-hours to 4800 amp-hours, GNB Absolyte IIP batteries are available in several configurations including the standard modular configuration, as single-cell modules for maximum configuration flexibility, and in the "relay rack" configuration. |
Main Office1593A Locust Avenue Bohemia, N.Y. 11716 Telephone 631-218-0876 Fax 631-218-2695 SPIPOWER@aol.com Email
Middletown, NY OfficeP.O. Box 802 Howells, NY 10932 Telephone 914-386-2311 Fax 914-386-2312 rogerspi@warwick.net Email |