Saft Nife batteries - the power backup solution for demanding applications - on show at Middle East Electricity 2009

A key focus of the Saft Nife ME stand is the launch of the new Uptimax range of nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries for high temperature stationary applications in the electricity, oil and gas and utility industries. The company is also showing its latest Tel.X Ni-Cd range for telecom networks together with Sunica Plus (Ni-Cd) and Intensium Flex (Li-ion) plug and play technology for renewable energy applications. Other Saft solutions on display will include SBLE block batteries and SPH low maintenance PBE batteries for general stationary and engine starting applications.

The new Saft Uptimax range of low maintenance Ni-Cd batteries is designed to provide the ideal industrial power backup solution for the electricity, oil and gas and utility industries. Uptimax ensures maximum reliability, long-life and optimum TCO (Total Cost of Ownership).
A key feature of Uptimax is its high technology design. This ensures very efficient gas recombination, with very low gas emission, well in excess of the requirements of IEC 62259. In normal conditions, an Uptimax battery will only need one top-up with water in its whole service-life.

Uptimax is optimized for high temperature applications, and at +40°C offers an operational life of at least 12 years. Furthermore, the battery's excellent chargeability ensures that, even at this temperature, a single level low voltage charge for 15 hours will enable it to deliver more than 90 per cent of its capacity. Also, in common with all Saft Ni-Cd batteries, Uptimax's behaviour is entirely predictable. Uptimax is designed for ease of transportation, installation and operation. Uptimax cells are assembled in blocks of up to 6 cells, and are delivered ready-filled with electrolyte and charged. In normal conditions, an Uptimax battery can be stored for up to 2 years.

Tel.X is the first high-volumic energy density, long-life, maintenance free Ni-Cd battery designed specifically to ensure maximum reliability and optimum TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for the variety of remote or outdoor plant that now play an increasingly important role in the new generation of decentralised telecom networks. Typical Tel.X applications will be to provide backup power for demanding outdoor applications, such as cabinets and end terminals in fibre-optic 'triple-play' networks as well as BTS (Base Transceiver Station) and BSC (Base Station Controller) installations in wireless networks.

Tel.X's key feature is its exceptionally long service life, over 20 years in normal temperatures and more than 14 years at +40°C. In many cases the battery can be expected to outlive the installation, during which time it will be maintenance free, under normal operating conditions, with no need for topping-up with water.

Saft's rechargeable Sunica.plus Ni-Cd batteries offer exceptional performance including high efficiency, low maintenance and absolute reliability, combined with the ability to operate in extreme temperatures (from -50°C to +70°C) at any state of charge, while offering a completely predictable 20-year service life.

A key application for Intensium Flex applications is in a variety of renewable energy systems - such as in on-grid energy storage systems that can effectively 'time shift' the availability of renewable power from the time of peak production to the time of peak demand, or off-grid stand alone installations to provide bridging power between generation methods such as wind, PV (photovoltaic) and diesel generators, as well as power stabilization applications to support voltage sags or provide spinning reserve.

Intensium Flex is based on 24 V modular base units that occupy the height of a single rack unit (1.5 U) within a standard 19" ETSI rack. The modules are hot-pluggable and completely maintenance free and can enable a battery system to be customised to provide the optimum battery configuration, with series strings of up to 720 V and up to 16 parallel strings. This flexible modular approach offers both ease of installation and deployment and is scalable to allow reconfiguration and expansion to meet a customer's changing needs.

Saft Nife ME offers a broad range of Ni-Cd batteries that deliver exceptional performance, reliability, long-life and optimised TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) in a variety of stationary, backup and engine starting applications. These include: SBLE - pocket-plate block batteries designed specifically for backup power and bulk energy storage applications requiring long discharge times of typically 3 to 100 hours; SPH batteries - for UPS and engine starting applications.