Abstract: The present invention relates to a technique of emitting fire extinguishing sand on an upper surface of a fire extinguishing object such as an assembled battery housed in a rack in a multistage manner by means of gas pressure to extinguish fire. In the present invention, a tip end portion of a flattened nozzle main body 12 is provided with a deflecting plate 16, and by spraying the fire extinguishing sand obliquely downward and letting the fire extinguishing sand bound, the fire extinguishing sand is dispersed on the entire upper surface uniformly.

Abstract: A secondary battery system and a secondary battery failure detection system includes a monitoring unit, a main gas pipe, a plurality of auxiliary gas pipes, and a plurality of solenoid valves provided in correspondence with the respective auxiliary gas pipes. The monitoring unit includes a pump for sucking a gas supplied into the main gas pipe, an active material detection sensor for detecting active material contained in the gas, a failure module identification unit for identifying a module having a failure based on an output from the active material detection sensor, and a sequence controller for performing opening/closing operation of the solenoid valves in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fire extinguishing apparatus being inexpensive in manufacturing cost, easy to handle, and it enables a storage tank to be refilled with fire extinguishing sand during a fire extinguishing. A fire extinguishing apparatus of the present invention includes a sand container 3 having fire extinguishing sand a nitrogen gas cylinder 4, and an ejector 5 provided nitrogen gas taken out via a decompression valve 6 from the nitrogen gas cylinder 4. The ejector 5 is connected to a suction tube 7 sucking the fire extinguishing sand from the sand container using negative pressure generated by a nitrogen gas stream and a delivery tube 8 delivering the sucked fire extinguishing sand and the nitrogen gas. The sand container 3 has a lid plate provided with a sand inlet enabling opening and closing, which enables the sand container to be refilled with the fire extinguishing sand during a fire extinguishing.

Abstract: An accurately and precisely calculation of the state of charge of a sodium-sulfur battery may be made by determining a state of charge Qr according to expression (1) given below even if the sodium-sulfur battery is applied to compensate for fluctuations in the power generated by a natural energy generating device: Qr=100×(1?(Qu/(Qa?Qsf))) . . . (1) where Qu: used capacity; Qa: product capacity; and Qsf: residual capacity in final year; and Qsf=f1(Cef) . . . (2) where f1(Cef): conversion function for determining the residual capacity Qsf in the final year on the basis of the equivalent cycle Cef in final year.

Abstract: A number (uo) of healthy strings of one block in a sodium-sulfur battery is determined according to expression (1), and a failure of the sodium-sulfur battery is detected on the basis of the determination of the value of the uo. This method makes it possible to properly determine a failure of the sodium-sulfur battery, which can be used to compensate for fluctuations of electric power generated by a renewable energy generating device. uo=(Qo/Qs)×us . . . (1) where Qs: used capacity of reference block; Qo: used capacity of target block; and us: number of healthy strings of reference block (us?u).

Abstract: A plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries are divided into a plurality of groups. Power to be input or output, which is assigned to all sodium-sulfur batteries in order to compensate for fluctuations of output power of a power generation device, is distributed to each group. The plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries divided in the groups are periodically rotated. This enables a uniform utilization rate of the sodium-sulfur batteries to be achieved.

Abstract: A remaining battery level of each individual sodium-sulfur battery constituting a plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries is managed, a remaining battery level target value common to all sodium-sulfur batteries is set, and input/output power distributed to each individual sodium-sulfur battery is controlled based on a difference between the target value and the remaining battery level of the sodium-sulfur battery. This enables a uniform remaining battery level among the sodium-sulfur batteries to be attained.

Abstract: When charge power or discharge power of each individual sodium-sulfur battery included in a plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries becomes 1/n (n is a natural number) or less of a rated output, individual sodium-sulfur batteries are sequentially stopped. This prevents the discharge power (or the charge power) of the sodium-sulfur battery from becoming minute, so that a battery depth (or a stored energy) of the sodium-sulfur battery can be accurately managed.

Abstract: A number (uo) of healthy strings of one block in a sodium-sulfur battery is determined according to expression (1), and a failure of the sodium-sulfur battery is detected on the basis of the determination of the value of the uo. This method makes it possible to properly determine a failure of the sodium-sulfur battery, which can be used to compensate for fluctuations of electric power generated by a renewable energy generating device. uo=(Qo/Qs)×us . . . (1) where Qs: used capacity of reference block; Qo: used capacity of target block; and us: number of healthy strings of reference block (us?u).

Abstract: An accurately and precisely calculation of the state of charge of a sodium-sulfur battery may be made by determining a state of charge Qr according to expression (1) given below even if the sodium-sulfur battery is applied to compensate for fluctuations in the power generated by a natural energy generating device: Qr=100×(1?(Qu/(Qa?Qsf))) . . . (1) where Qu: used capacity; Qa: product capacity; and Qsf: residual capacity in final year; and Qsf=f1(Cef) . . . (2) where f1(Cef): conversion function for determining the residual capacity Qsf in the final year on the basis of the equivalent cycle Cef in final year.

Abstract: There is provided a power control method for secondary batteries constituting, in a grid connection system supplying electric power to a power system by combining a power generator where output power fluctuates with a power storage compensator, the power storage compensator and compensating fluctuation of output power of the power generator. The method includes the steps of: dividing the secondary batteries into a “constant power control” group and a “demand responsive” group, and distributing predetermined constant input-output power out of power to be input and output provided to all the secondary batteries in order to compensate fluctuation of output power of the power generator to the “constant power control group” and the remaining input-output power to the “demand responsive” group to control input-output power of the secondary batteries respectively depending on the belonging groups.

Abstract: It is determined that a drop in the capacity of a sodium-sulfur battery has proceeded to an abnormal level when both the following expression (1) and expression (2) hold. Qe?Qn?K1 . . . (1) where Qe: abnormal block depth-of discharge; Qn: normal block depth of discharge; and K1: block abnormality determination setting value (integer constant), and Qe?K2 . . . (2) where K2: depth of discharge abnormality determination setting value (integer constant).

Abstract: When charge power or discharge power of each individual sodium-sulfur battery included in a plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries becomes 1/n (n is a natural number) or less of a rated output, individual sodium-sulfur batteries are sequentially stopped. This prevents the discharge power (or the charge power) of the sodium-sulfur battery from becoming minute, so that a battery depth (or a stored energy) of the sodium-sulfur battery can be accurately managed.

Abstract: A plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries are divided into a plurality of groups. Power to be input or output, which is assigned to all sodium-sulfur batteries in order to compensate for fluctuations of output power of a power generation device, is distributed to each group. The plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries divided in the groups are periodically rotated. This enables a uniform utilization rate of the sodium-sulfur batteries to be achieved.

Abstract: A remaining battery level of each individual sodium-sulfur battery constituting a plurality of sodium-sulfur batteries is managed, a remaining battery level target value common to all sodium-sulfur batteries is set, and input/output power distributed to each individual sodium-sulfur battery is controlled based on a difference between the target value and the remaining battery level of the sodium-sulfur battery. This enables a uniform remaining battery level among the sodium-sulfur batteries to be attained.

Abstract: There is provided a power control method for secondary batteries constituting, in a grid connection system supplying electric power to a power system by combining a power generator where output power fluctuates with a power storage compensator, the power storage compensator and compensating fluctuation of output power of the power generator. The method includes the steps of: dividing the secondary batteries into a “constant power control” group and a “demand responsive” group, and distributing predetermined constant input-output power out of power to be input and output provided to all the secondary batteries in order to compensate fluctuation of output power of the power generator to the “constant power control group” and the remaining input-output power to the “demand responsive” group to control input-output power of the secondary batteries respectively depending on the belonging groups.