Lithium Charging Instructions

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Charging Instructions 09.02.20

CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS

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RELiON LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE (LiFePO4) BATTERIES

To ensure your RELiON Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO) battery provide its maximum life, follow these Charging Instructions.

When charging LiFePO make sure that you are not using a charger meant for other lithium ion chemistries, which are typically

set to a higher voltage than required by LiFePO batteries. A lead-acid battery charger can be used if the voltage settings are

within the ranges of LiFePO batteries.

Charger Inspection

Check that your charger’s cables are insulated and free of breakage. Charger terminal connectors should be clean and properly

mate with the battery terminals to ensure a good connection and optimum conductivity. Please refer to RELiON’s Installation and

Operation Manual, or your specific battery’s Data Sheet, for appropriate torque settings.

Charging Guidelines

When to Charge your LiFePO4 Battery

If LiFePO batteries are not fully discharged, they do not need to be charged after each use. LiFePO batteries do not get damaged

when left in a partial state of charge (PSOC). You can charge your LiFePO batteries after each use or when they have been

discharged up to 80% DOD (20% SOC). If the Battery Management System (BMS) disconnects the battery due to low voltage

(voltage will be <8V), remove the load and charge immediately. Please note that we recommend storing batteries at 50% state of

charge (SOC) to minimize irreversible capacity loss.

Charging Temperature

LiFePO batteries can be safely charged between -20°C to 55°C (-4°F to 131°F). However, at temperatures below 0°C (32°F) the

charge current must be reduced, until the temperature is >0ºC (32ºF), as follows:

1. 0°C to -10°C (32°F to 14°F) charge at 0.1C (10% of the battery capacity)

2. -10°C to -20°C (14°F to -4°F) charge at 0.05C (5% of the battery capacity)

LiFePO batteries do not require temperature compensation for voltage when charging at hot or cold temperatures.

All RELiON LiFePO come with a BMS that protects the battery from over-temperature. If the BMS disconnects due to high

temperature, wait until the temperature reduces before using or charging the battery. Please refer to your specific battery’s Data

Sheet for the BMS high temperature cut-o and reconnect values.

Charging Source: Lead-Acid Battery Chargers

Most lead-acid battery chargers can be used with LiFePO batteries as long as they are within the appropriate voltage guidelines.

AGM and Gel algorithms typically fall within the LiFePO voltage requirements. The voltage for flooded battery charging algorithms

are often higher than LiFePO requirements, which will result in the BMS disconnecting the battery at the end of the charge cycle

and possibly result in the charger displaying an error code. If this happens, it is generally a good practice to replace your charger for

one with a LiFePO charge profile. Since the BMS protects the battery, using lead-acid chargers will typically not damage the battery.

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS RELiON LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE (LiFePO4) BATTERIES To ensure your RELiON Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery provide its maximum life, follow these Charging Instructions. When charging LiFePO4 make sure that you are not using a charger meant for other lithium ion chemistries, which are typically set to a higher voltage than required by LiFePO4 batteries. A lead-acid battery charger can be used if the voltage settings are within the ranges of LiFePO4 batteries.
PAGE 2
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS Charge Profiles LiFePO4 batteries can be charged with either a 1-stage profile (constant current (CC) aka Bulk Stage) or a 2-stage profile (constant current, constant voltage (CC-CV) profile aka Bulk and Absorption Stages). The 1-stage profile will charge the battery ~97% and the 2-stage profile will charge the battery 100%. The 1-stage profile is sufficient, since LiFePO4 batteries do not need to be fully charged; this will not reduce life as it does with lead-acid.
PAGE 3
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS Charging Parallel Systems When connecting batteries in parallel, please make sure each battery is within 50mV (0.05V) of each other before putting them in service. This will minimize the chance of imbalance between batteries. 1 Stage Charge Profile - CC 1-STEP CHARGE DESCRIPTION Step 1 - Charge at a constant current until the battery reaches termination voltage. STEPS 1 DESCRIPTION CHARGE PARAMETERS *Recommended Charge Current ≤0.
PAGE 4
CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS Charging Series Systems When connecting batteries in series, please make sure each battery is within 50mV (0.05V) of each other before putting them in service. This will minimize the chance of imbalance between batteries. If your batteries get out of balance, the voltage of any battery is >50mV (0.05V) from another battery in the set, you should charge each battery individually to rebalance. You can charge each battery individually periodically to avoid imbalance.