So why did the 'high voltage' automatic cut off not engage ?
One would have thought that the installer would read the battery data sheet - which shows that the charging voltage on the Ritor batteries is 52.5-54.0.
The charging voltage on a standard 16 cell 48v LFP battery is 58.4v
So much for a "professional" installation ! - hopefully he will be banned from installing &/or signing off on Lithium installations.
It appears that not only did the installer fail in his duty of care, but the BMS supplier failed as well.
The relevant ISO standard for small boats states :
5.2 Overcharging can cause damage to the cells, and shall be prevented by using a BMS appropriate for
the installation.
8 Battery management system and testing
8.1 Cells, batteries and BMS's should be of a fail-safe design and constructed and tested to recognized
standards that reflect marine applications and duty cycles, with the testing conducted by a recognized
laboratory.
NOTE Examples of laboratory performance requirements can be found in ISO 9001 or ISO/IEC 17025.
The BMS should be designed and tested to manage:
a) Safety related:
— Overcharge, to protect the lithium-ion battery from excessive charging;
— Overdischarge, to protect the lithium-ion battery from excessive discharging;
— Over temperature, to protect the lithium-ion battery from excessive temperature.
b) Performance related:
— Balancing, to provide for automatic balancing of cells or strings of cells.
8.2 The BMS should be equipped with HVC and LVC actions to prevent an HVE or LVE in the event
the programmed functions in the charging sources, inverters, or inverter/chargers fail to do so. Actions
taken by the BMS should be in addition to the programmed functions in the charging sources, inverters,
or inverter/chargers.
8.3 The BMS should monitor cell voltage to determine if an HVE or LVE is imminent.
8.4 HVE/HVC — The BMS protects a lithium-ion battery from an HVE by initiating a multistage HVC
consisting of the following steps:
— it should provide a stop charging signal to each charging source;
— if stopping the charging sources does not stop the HVE, an alarm (visual and/or audible) should be
provided for the operator, clearly perceptible from the main helm position;
— if the operator fails to stop the HVE, the BMS should initiate an isolation of the sources that are
creating the HVE.
8.5 LVE/LVC — The BMS protects the lithium-ion battery from an LVE by initiating a multistage LVC
consisting of the following steps:
— it should provide an audible and/or visual alarm to the operator, clearly perceptible from the main
helm position, that indicates that the SOC of the lithium-ion battery bank is approaching the low SOC
threshold specified by the manufacturer;
— if the operator fails to prevent the LVE, the BMS should initiate the disconnection of non-essential
electrical consumers;
— if this does not prevent the LVE, the BMS should disconnect all electrical loads.
8.6 Temperature — The BMS should respond to low or high temperature situations in a manner that
ensures the battery cannot be driven into an unsafe condition. Temperature sensing should be sufficient
to monitor all potential areas of overheating.
8.7 An output disconnect device should be provided and designed to disconnect under full load
without failure.