How do you compare flooded batteries (flat plate, tubular type) with sealed maintenance free VRLA batteries, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?

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How do you compare flooded batteries (flat plate, tubular type) with sealed maintenance free VRLA batteries, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?

How do you compare flooded batteries (flat plate, tubular type) with sealed maintenance free VRLA batteries, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?

For Inverter/UPS applications, a general comparison of the different battery types is provided below:

	Flat plate (Flooded)	Tubular (Flooded)	SMF VRLA
Suitable for	Low power applications	Heavy duty applications, frequent power cuts	UPS applications, back-up time less than 1hr
Price	Low	Medium	High
Life expectancy	Around 3 yrs	4 to 5 years	3 to 5 years
Tolerance to depth of discharge	Suitable for discharges upto 80% of battery capacity	Suitable for discharges upto 80% of battery capacity	Suitable for discharges upto 50% of battery capacity
Cyclic operation life (Charge cycles at 80% Depth-of-Discharge)	500 – 800 cycles	1000– 1200 cycles	400 – 450 cycles
Charging time	Charges slowly compared to tubular batteries	Faster charging	Faster charging
Temperature performance	Inferior operation compared to tubular batteries	Satisfactory operation at extreme temperatures (both high and low)	Capacity reduces significantly at higher temperatures
Electrolyte top-up frequency	Frequent water top up required	Less frequent top up	No top up required
Space requirement	High	Medium	Low
Battery placement	Fixed	Fixed	Can be placed in any orientation
Battery Emissions	High, proper ventilation required	Lower emissions compared to flat plate, proper ventilation required	No battery emissions

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