Cold temperatures increase the internal resistance, which decreases a battery’s capacity and slows its ability to accept charge current. For years, operators in cold climates have made it a practice to endure the inconvenience of removing batteries from aircraft, transporting and storing them in a heated environment, then reinstalling prior to departure. Some also use external heater blankets that wrap around the battery and heat the outermost cells when the aircraft is parked. Although this solution increases capacity, in some cases the battery cells are not equally heated resulting in diminished capacity and disproportionate recharge across battery cells.
To maximize battery performance, Concorde has developed heated batteries in its most popular sizes.
Concorde’s RG‐380E/44, RG‐380E/60 and RG‐390E series of heated batteries incorporate internal AC (115 V nominal) and DC (28 V nominal) heater blankets that surround cells in the most optimal manor for equalizing cell heating, company officials said.
These blankets are controlled by a Heater Control Unit (HCU) offered in four different TSO authorized varieties. HCU‐1 is a DC only unit and uses DC power supply to operate the heaters. HCU‐2 is an AC only unit that heats the battery using AC power. HCU‐3 and HCU‐4 are dual power units that allow for either AC or DC power supply. HCU‐3 accommodates AC or DC power supplied through a single receptacle whereas HCU‐4 has separate receptacles for AC and DC power. Each HCU controls battery temperature with thermal switches that automatically turn on or off depending on the temperature of the battery. Redundant switches are in place to prevent the possibility of overheating.
Heated batteries are TSO authorized and available in the following part numbers: RG‐380E/44KH, RG‐380E/44KSH, RG‐380E/44LH, RG‐380E/44LSH, RG‐380E/60KH, RG‐380E/60KSH, RG‐380E/60LH, RG‐380E/60LSH, RG‐390E/KH, RG‐390E/KSH, RG‐390E/LH and RG‐390E/LSH.
For more information: ConcordeBattery.com.