Victron Pb battery GEL 12V/60Ah
Backup 12 V (60 Ah) lead acid battery in VRLA (GEL) design suitable for applications where frequent and deep discharge/cycling occurs.
Victron Energy solar battery, in which the electrolyte is bound in a special gel. Gel batteries are characterized by a longer service life and a greater number of cycles.
The Victron 60 Ah Deep Cycle VRLA GEL lead-acid battery with advanced technology of binding electrolyte to silica gel brings a number of undeniable advantages over classic batteries with liquid electrolyte. The most important of these are absolute maintenance-free throughout the entire service life, low self-discharge rate, temperature stability, high resistance to deep discharge and subsequent fast "recovery", reduced influence of vibrations and mechanical damage to gel-fixed plates, no layering of the electrolyte with all negatives and low electrode corrosion and sulfation.
Victron Energy gel batteries are designed for smaller photovoltaic solar applications of the Off-Grid type (island applications), for example for powering cottages and other objects outside the reach of the electrical grid with seasonal operation. For use in hybrid systems with daily cyclic operation, OPzS, OPzV or lithium batteries with significantly greater cyclic resistance are much more suitable.
VRLA technology
The universal abbreviation VRLA refers to Valve Regulated Lead Acid batteries. The battery casing is completely sealed and has no inspection holes for checking the electrolyte. Gas can only escape through safety pressure relief valves if the battery is significantly overcharged or one or more cells are damaged. The electrolyte cannot be topped up into the battery.
Gel-bound electrolyte
The electrolyte is bound by adhesive forces in the capillaries of the silica gel, which acts as a carrier. Thanks to the binding of the electrolyte in the gel and the non-corrosive plastic casing, the risk of acid leakage is zero. Thanks to the closed design, the leakage of vapors is minimized, which makes the battery suitable for use in residential areas (e.g. caravans).
Low self-discharge
Every battery undergoes a natural process of self-discharge and a decrease in the amount of stored energy. The self-discharge rate is an important parameter, especially in systems with very long charging intervals or when the battery is stored and not in use. The use of high-purity materials and the enrichment of lead plates with calcium minimizes the self-discharge process. The self-discharge rate is less than 2% of the total capacity per month at a temperature of 20 °C. Every 10 °C increase in temperature doubles the self-discharge rate. If a fully charged battery is stored at low temperatures (not freezing), it does not need to be recharged in any way for about a year without damage.
Deep discharge resistance
Any discharge damages any lead acid battery. The degree of damage is determined by the depth and duration of the discharge. Victron energy gel batteries are no exception in this regard, but they are extremely resistant to the effects of deep discharge and its long duration.
Discharge characteristics
The battery capacity is not a stable value. It depends mainly on the size of the discharge current. The stated capacity of 60 Ah refers to a twenty-hour discharge time with a final discharge voltage of 10.8 V. In other words, the stated capacity is valid if we discharge the battery for twenty hours with a current of 0.05 x the stated capacity, i.e. 0.05 x 60 Ah = 3 A. The smaller this current is, the more energy is stored.batteries and vice versa. However, thanks to the design of gel batteries, the effect of large discharge currents on the total battery capacity is relatively small. Within sealed battery types, they also withstand large surge currents due to low internal resistance (e.g. starting).
Lifespan
Cycle life: 500 cycles at 80% discharge, 750 cycles at 50% discharge and 1800 cycles at 30% discharge. Lifespan 12 years in continuous (float) charging operation at 20 °C. The battery is suitable for both cyclic operation (discharge-charge) and continuous charging with a low discharge rate.
Charging
We recommend standard adaptive three- or four-phase charging (bulk = BULK, absorption = ABSORPTION, maintenance = FLOAT and possibly storage phase = STORAGE). The battery is not designed for charging with constant voltage and current, there is a risk of overcharging and gas formation. Recommended charging voltage values are listed below in the technical parameters. The charging current should not exceed 20% of the battery capacity. Temperature compensation of the charging voltage is recommended at temperatures below 10 or above 30 °C. At higher temperatures, the charging voltage should be reduced, at lower temperatures it should be increased. We recommend a temperature compensation value of 4 mV per cell and a one-step temperature deviation from the standard 20 °C. Compensation is especially recommended at high charging currents.
With all the advantages and features listed, gel batteries are extremely suitable for smaller photovoltaic solar applications of the Off-Grid type (island applications), for example for powering cottages and other objects outside the reach of the electrical grid. Gel batteries are more susceptible to overcharging than classic batteries with liquid electrolyte. This is easily solved with a suitable solar controller or adaptive charger, which is now the standard.
In the attached documents, this battery is referred to as "Gel Deep Cycle".
Gel batteries are part of the wide range of products from the Dutch manufacturer Victron energy, which specializes in off-grid systems with 35 years of development and experience.
When connecting batteries in series, it is necessary to use the following balancer, which will ensure even charging and longer battery life.
BASIC SPECIFICATIONS
Capacity: 60Ah
Voltage: 12V
Maximum charging current: 12 A
Recommended charging current: 6 A
Maximum discharge current: 12 A
Battery technology: VRLA / GEL
Contact type: eyelet with 6 mm stainless steel screw
Dimensions: 229 x 227 x 138 mm
Weight: 20 kg
