Saft Debuts Intensium Li-Ion Telecom Backup Battery
Saft (France), a telecom battery system specialist, launched its new Intensium, the world's first plug-and-play lithium-ion (Li-Ion) telecom network backup power source that can be rack-mounted like other telecom equipment. It is designed for a wide variety of telecom network applications, and has been optimized for wireless micro base transceiver stations.
The new Intensium battery can be handled just like any other plug-and-play, rack-mount equipment, with no need for a dedicated battery area in a telecom equipment facility. The Intensium's high temperature operating capability eliminates the need for an air-conditioned environment. Unlike conventional batteries, the new Intensium is also completely maintenance-free and offers an extended lifetime even at high ambient temperatures. It also features a five-level redundant safety design.
The Intensium battery has been optimized to provide safe, reliable and maintenance-free backup power for the new generation of micro base transceiver stations (Micro-BTS) in wireless telecom networks. Intensium batteries are also expected to be used for many other telecom applications such as macro-BTS, optical node units, hybrid fiber coax units and for customer premises equipment.
"Intensium offers many advantages over the conventional valve-regulated lead-acid batteries that it replaces, and delivers equal or better performance in a package that is a quarter of the size and weight," said Saft CEO John Searle.
The compact nature of the Intensium battery has enabled it to be condensed into a self-contained rack-mounted unit. A 3 kW Intensium 3000 battery occupies a single rack unit (1U) within a standard 19 in ETSI rack, while a 1.5 kW Intensium 1500 battery occupies a half-width unit. The Intensium 3000 is comprised of two strings of 14 MP 176065 HD cells that are connected in parallel to create a 48 V battery. The battery is optimized to backup mains power failures of up to 20 minutes, and provides a constant 3 kW power over a five-minute period. In addition, the Intensium is scalable, allowing up to four batteries to be connected in parallel to provide 12 kW of backup power.
The Intensium battery features Saft medium prismatic cells with completely sealed, cobalt-based, Li-Ion technology. The small, flat, rechargeable cell offers a suitable combination of light weight, small size, high power and operational reliability, with an extended lifetime at high ambient temperatures; it has a five-year life at a constant 40 °C, a 10-year life at a constant +30 °C, and can operate at temperatures up to +60 °C.
