Lithium Battery Marine Installation Safety Standards
In Australia, lithium battery marine installations must incorporate a battery management system (BMS) and meet the rigorous AS/NZS 3004 Lithium Battery Installation Safety Standards.
Victron Battery Management Systems have greatly improved power management wherever lithium batteries are used. This particularly relates to Marine and Off-Grid applications.
Mark Smith, a highly regarded Marine Surveyor and Engineer, highlighted an important development concerning batteries with an internal BMS. He proposed that communication can be a wired or wireless configuration. This reference to wireless is a direct pull from the AS/NZS 3001.2:2022 Electrical installations – Part 2: Connectable electrical installations – Clause 5.4.12.3.4.
Currently, the monitoring via Bluetooth conductivity to an app displays the following State of Charge data:
- Battery voltage
- Battery current
- Power
The failure here is that these apps do not communicate with other devices to control shutdowns of battery banks, power conversion equipment, loads, charging and cooling systems, or initiate to BMS alarms.
This may be an appropriate system for land-based recreational vehicles, in that if it all goes wrong you can pull the car over to the side of the road. However, a vessel at sea, if it all goes wrong, will be reliant on lifesaving appliances while you watch it burn!
To avoid this option (getting in the water) warning alarms inform you of a problem before it becomes critical. Thereby allowing you to take corrective action or suppress fires before the situation gets out of hand.
Batteries with an internal BMS and no communication ports fitted cannot communicate with other batteries and devices such as – power conversion equipment, charging systems, alarms, and cooling systems.
Fitting a Smart Shunt will not overcome this problem, as it does not communicate with the BMS . It operates independently of it and monitors the following State of Charge data:
- Battery voltage
- Battery current
- Power
- Aux input reading (starter battery, midpoint or temperature)
These monitoring parameters do not fully cover the requirements as set out in the Standard for BMS. They do not allow for an alarm relay like the Victron BMV series hardware for example.
Lithium Battery with an Internal BMS
A lithium battery with an internal BMS to effectively work must have communication capability with other batteries and devices including power conversion equipment, charging systems, alarms, and cooling systems.
Mark Smith referenced AS/NZS 5139:2019 – Electrical installations – Safety of battery systems for use with power conversion equipment. From this Standard in Clause 1.3.16 Mark paraphrased the following definition:
BMS – an Electronic system that monitors and manages a battery or battery systems electrical and thermal states, enabling it to operate within its safe region for the particular battery. The BMS provides communication between the battery or battery system and the power control equipment and potentially other devices.
Quite simply, Lithium batteries with an internal BMS, that have no communication ports, do not provide the level of safety that is required for marine installations.
Additionally, the use of Bluetooth-connected devices does not provide communication with other devices to control other batteries, power conversion equipment, loads, charging and cooling systems. Additionally, with the reliance upon an app that will turn off after the connected device (iPhone, iPad, etc) is power-down (once the connected device is powered up again) it then requires user intervention to turn the app back on.
The Overkill team understands these systems and how the BMS achieves compliance and configuration for the communication needed. Call and discuss your Victron Battery Management system application and requirements. Contact us via our website or phone: (02) 9484 2387.