GMDSS chargers: what they fail and why change the whole

Why does this device have a separate place in marine documents?

The GMDSS complex is obliged to operate when the marine network is lost. This means that it has its own backup source, and the source has a device that keeps it ready. That's the charger.

The device is not an "additional battery accessory." It is part of the complex, indicated in marine documents and checked during the survey on a par with radio.

Hence the first practical consequence: it is impossible to replace it with a “similar power supply unit from the store”. The inspector does not look at the output voltage, but at what is on the list.

The second consequence is that the device works continuously all the years between examinations. Not in the on-off mode, but around the clock, with constant heating of its own elements.

What he's really doing.

The charger keeps the battery ready, not just “charges”. These are different modes: the main charge after discharge, maintaining the charge in readiness and limiting the current so that the battery does not overheat.

At the same time, it feeds consumers from the network while it is there, and transfers them to the battery without interruption when the network is gone. Failure even in a split second is unacceptable: radio will restart at the most inopportune moment.

He also monitors his own condition and gives a signal of malfunction. It is this signal that first tells you that there is something wrong with the backup - long before the battery fails for real.

The voltage of the support charge depends on the temperature. The device, which does not correct it, boils the battery in summer, undercharges in winter. Both regimes shorten the life of the reserve at times.

What's wrong with the first?

Capacitors in power supply chains. They dry from constant heat, and this is the most common age-related failure in appliances that operate continuously. Externally, the device is alive, and the voltage begins to float.

Fan, if you have one. Dust and salt, the bearing gets up, the temperature inside rises, and then all the other elements leave.

Relays and battery switching contactors. Burnt contacts give a transition with a failure, and this is what is caught when checking the loss of the network.

The terminals and tips are on the battery side. The current here is large, the weakened contact is heated, the oxide grows, the resistance increases - and at some point the reserve simply does not give the right current.

The state of the battery is assessed by the inspections provided for it, the results of tests and the manufacturer's documentation. Replacement grounds may include status, control results, and deadlines; one total number of years does not specify the life of any marine battery.

Why do these devices change completely?

The possibility of repair, permissible work and subsequent inspection are agreed for a specific device and marine installation. The fact of repair should not be described as an automatic loss of conformity; the work performed, its design and applicable requirements are important.

When comparing repairs and replacements, diagnostics, delivery, availability of parts, a simple vessel, and post-work inspection are taken into account. Which option is justified is determined by the specific quotation and the state of installation, rather than by the general statement that a new device is always more profitable.

Work with fuses, fan and terminal connections are considered according to the documentation of the device and the result of the inspection. The order of service and necessary records are specified before the work is performed; an arbitrary list of details does not confirm the admissibility of any replacement.

The fleet’s need for a spare device is determined by the composition of the installations, the interchangeability of the configuration and the available maintenance. Delivery and replacement times are agreed separately; there is no single universal amount of reserve or work period for all ships.

How to choose a replacement

First look in marine documents: what configuration is recorded, what voltage and current is designed for the complex. Replacement is chosen for the record, not for what is physically worth.

Then check the system voltage and battery type. The device under the lead battery and under another chemical type have different modes of charge, and to confuse them means to burn the battery in a season.

The charge current is calculated by the battery capacity and the time it takes for the reserve to recover after complete discharge. Too weak device leaves the ship without a reserve for the day.

Separately check the size and method of mounting: GMDSS equipment is in a close fence, and the device for a couple of centimeters no longer just stand up.

And there's a malfunction alarm with an output to where it's seen. A device that reports trouble with an LED in a closed cabinet tells it to no one.

Check: during delivery and navigation

Upon delivery: the voltage of the supporting charge at the terminals of the battery, the current of the charge after an artificial discharge, the transition to a reserve without a failure of the power supply of consumers, the alarm operation when simulating a failure.

Battery testing is performed according to the prescribed method with the fixation of conditions, result and date. It is considered in conjunction with the verification of power supply, connections, and signaling of a particular installation; a single operation does not replace the entire scope of control of the complex.

Once in navigation: inspection and stretching terminals, heating control, cleaning of ventilation grilles, checking the voltage of the subcharge, examining the battery for bloating and dashing.

All records are stored together with radio equipment. When surveyed, a number of measurements over several years indicate the content of the complex more than a serviceable device at the time of inspection.

Repair supply: charger and ship reserve

For a ship repaired in Murmansk, specify the model of the installed charger, the composition of the battery reserve, the symptoms observed and the available parking time. Work in the Barents Sea or the transfer of supplies through the Kola Bay is taken into account in the organization of delivery; it does not specify the type of replacement required. The statement separately shows the apparatus, the stored parts of the installation and operation that need to be agreed upon.

For the fleet receiving in Tuapse on the Black Sea, distribute applications by vessel and repair deadlines. Buying a spare device, repairing an existing one and accepting it after installation are different tasks. It is better to send documents and markings in writing: in the answer, you can separately agree on the scope of supply, the availability of the service and the procedure for checking a particular complex, without promising a universal replacement for a fixed number of hours.