Why Diesel Generator Needs Battery to Start

by Starlight Generator dieselgeneratortech

The role of battery in diesel generator

1. The battery is mainly used to start the diesel engine. There is a starting motor on one side of the diesel engine, which is driven by a direct current (24V) starter motor.

2. It is used to monitor whether the grid and pre-start oil/water conditions meet the starting requirements.

3. Used for excitation (some types of generators require manual excitation after starting).

A diesel generator is equipped with a battery, which is used to start the diesel genset, called a starter battery. The electrolyte is not added when it is delivered to the user, so the electrolyte with specific gravity (1:1.28) should be added before use. First unscrew the top cover of the battery and slowly add the electrolyte as close as possible to the upper scale line. After filling up, please do not use it immediately. Please leave the battery for about 15 minutes.

When charging the battery after filling the electrolyte, the continuous charging should not exceed 4 hours. Too long charging time will cause damage to the service life of the generator battery.

Diesel generator battery storage time is more than 3 months, charging time can be 7 to 8 hours, ambient temperature continues to exceed 30°C or relative humidity continues to be higher than 80%, charging time is 7 to 8 hours, such as battery storage time exceeds one year, the charging time can be 12 hours. When the charging is over, check whether the liquid level of the electrolyte is sufficient. If necessary, add the standard electrolyte with correct specific gravity (1:1.28).

When charging the generator battery, first open the battery filter cap or vent cover, check the electrolyte level, and adjust it with distilled water if necessary. In addition, in order to prevent long-term sealing, the dirt in the battery compartment cannot be discharged in time and the water droplets are prevented from condensing on the inner top wall of the cell. It is necessary to open a special vent hole to facilitate proper circulation of air.

Usually, the battery used in a diesel generator is 24V DC battery. For small power generator set, it often uses 2 batteries. For big power diesel generator, it needs 4 batteries in parallel. If generator starter motor is 12V, then battery required is 12V; if it is 24V, battery is required 24V. When purchasing a generator, the genset control panel should be equipped with a floating-charge device to ensure that the battery is fully charged.

There are different grounding methods for the types of grounding and different circuits. The common grounding methods in electronic power equipment are as follows: