FEBRUARY 2015 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit |
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TECHNOLOGY & SOFTWARE
RUN CABLES
With the disconnect switches in place, the
team installed the new cables, connecting
the power source to the bus to the tempo-
rary standby batteries, then switched to
the main batteries.
BATTERY REMOVAL AND RECYCLING
Lead acid batteries are highly recyclable.
Once the reclaimed materials reach a battery
manufacturer, they can account for 60 to 80
percent of the lead and plastic in a "new"
lead acid battery. Recycling is a closed-loop
process that can continue indefnitely; these
batteries can be reused many times.
Battery end-users are responsible for the
proper disposal of their batteries and there
are many state and federal laws governing
the process of battery recycling. If a battery is
dumped in a landfll or shipped to a recycler
that does not handle it properly, the end user
may be held responsible for resulting clean-
up costs or environmental damage. In this
case, the team removed the old batteries and
delivered them to an EPA-compliant recy-
cling center. Te recycling center provided
the transit authority with cradle-to-grave
documentation detailing the nature of the
waste, the registered carrier and the licensed
fnal destination or recycling process.
SYSTEM TESTING
Te team tested the new batteries to ensure
they worked properly and didn't create in-
terference with the current system.
Summary
Due to environmental conditions, a PBX
system with battery back up failed prema-
turely. Once the environmental problems
were corrected, the bidding process began.
VRLA technology was specifed and an
application-specifc product was chosen.
Te single vendor streamlined project
management and cradle-to-grave docu-
mentation for regulatory compliance.
Jennifer A. Eirich is marketing manager,
utilities/rail, at EnerSys. JD Beck is vice
president of marketing and sales for National
Railway Supply.
®
800 359-4913 • STERIFAB.COM
For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10719358 For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10066741
A PBX system saves
time by connecting
calls electronically,
eliminating
the need for
an operator to
perform the task.
Factors in
Battery Life
• Temperature
• Moisture
• Contaminants
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