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Absolute novice question regarding trickle charging

OK,

I am a design student, not an electrician. However in my assignment I have to describe the workings of my product with a vague understanding that it will work in the marketplace.

So, I have designed a product that currently exists. (mine is altered for better use), The existing product has a power rating of 2.6KW. Firstly, I don't even know what that means. Does it use 2.6KW every time it's used? Secondly, the existing product plugs directly into the mains. My design uses a battery charged via a trickle charger. (Auto peak charger? found info on internet).

What I need to know or need help working out is,

To power this 2.6KW product. What "size" ,(not proportions, although if massive would cause an issue), battery would I need. And what wattage does the trickle charger need to put into this battery to charge it?

And, last thing, What power consumption would the trickle charger use in order to charge the battery.

Thanks.

As I know nothing, please help me by answering in idiot language. Or alternatively, if you could point me in the right direction on the net or even books from the library.

Once again, Thank you.

Reply to
Quagga.R.T.M
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Let's suppose that you are going to power this from a 12v battery.

The first thing that you need to do is to work out how much current your load would draw from such a battery - that is easy, as watts = current x voltage. So the current needed would be 2600 divided by 12, or about 216 amps.

Then you can choose the battery/batteries needed.

eg you could consider using these:

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From the table, they give 75 amps for 70 minutes. Three of these in parallel will give 3 x 75 amps for 70 minutes. Each battery would give about a third of the 216 amps needed.

If you need the thing to run longer or shorter than 70 minutes, you can choose different batteries.

Three of these:

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Would run for 36 minutes.

Six of these (twice as many as they are only 6 volt batteries):

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Would run for 145 minutes.

Now look at the charger and let's say that you want to be able to recharge a battery over-night, eg in 10 hours. If your load takes 220 amps for, say, an hour, then, very roughly, your charger has to give out

22 amps for ten hours to put that energy back.
Reply to
Palindr☻me

I'm seriously concerned that if you don't even understand the problem well enough to explain it, that you have no hope of carrying out the assignment. I suspect you should withdraw from the course and try to get your money back - it sounds like you've either got incompetent instruction or you're in way over your head.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Shymanski

This sounds like a crazy idea. 2.6 kilowatts is a fairly heavy power consumption for a domestic appliance. Think about a fan heater, a swimming pool heater, a small electric stove. This type of item is run from the mains because battery power is impractical. A typical 200 amp hour lead acid battery, which would run your appliance for roughly an hour, weighs 129 pounds (58.5 Kg) and costs $379 US. If your battery setup is charged from the mains, you have a mains connection, so why bother with the battery?

I agree with Bill Shymanski.

"I'm seriously concerned that if you don't even understand the problem well enough to explain it, that you have no hope of carrying out the assignment. I suspect you should withdraw from the course and try to get your money back - it sounds like you've either got incompetent instruction or you're in way over your head. "

Reply to
mike.j.harvey

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