12 Volt 130 AH Gel Deep Cycle Sealed Lead Acid Victron Battery

Victron 12 V 130 Ah Gel Deep Cycle Sealed Lead Acid Battery

12 Year Float Design Life @ 20°C

12 Volts

CCA @ 0ºF: 600

RES CAP @ 80ºF: 220

130 Amp Hours

Victron AGM Deep Cycle Sealed Lead Acid Battery

VRLA AGM: design life 7-10 years 
VRLA GEL: design life 12 years 
VRLA GEL 2 Volt cells: design life 20 years 

The AGM range has very low internal resistance making them particularly suitable for high current discharge applications such as for inverters, thrusters and winches. 

The GEL model range offers best deep cycle durability and overall longer life. The use of high purity materials and lead calcium grids ensure that for both AGM and GEL products have particularly low self-discharge so that they will not go flat during long periods without charge. Both ranges are supplied with M8 drilled, flat copper terminals ensuring best possible connection contact and eliminating the need for battery terminals. The batteries are compliant with both CE and UL specifications in ABS fireproof containers and come with Victron's 2 year world-wide warranty.

1.) VRLA Technology

VRLA stands for Valve Regulated Lead Acid, which means that the batteries are sealed. Gas will escape through the safety valves
only in case of overcharging or cell failure.
VRLA batteries are maintenance free for life.

2.) Sealed (VRLA) AGM Batteries

AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat. In these batteries the electrolyte is absorbed into a glass-fibre mat between the plates by
capillary action. As explained in our book ‘Energy Unlimited’, AGM batteries are more suitable for short-time delivery of high
currents than gel batteries.

3.) Sealed (VRLA) Gel Batteries

Here the electrolyte is immobilized as gel. Gel batteries in general have a longer service life and better cycle capacity than AGM
batteries.

4.) Low Self-Discharge

Because of the use of lead calcium grids and high purity materials, Victron VRLA batteries can be stored during long periods of
time without recharge. The rate of self-discharge is less than 2% per month at 20°C. The self-discharge doubles for every
increase in temperature by 10°C.
Victron VRLA batteries can therefore be stored for up to a year without recharging, if kept under cool conditions.

5.) Exceptional Deep Discharge Recovery

Victron VRLA batteries have exceptional discharge recovery, even after deep or prolonged discharge.
Nevertheless repeatedly deep and prolonged discharge has a very negative effect on the service life of all lead acid batteries,
Victron batteries are no exception.

6.) Battery Discharging Characteristics

The rated capacity of Victron AGM and Gel Deep Cycle batteries refers to 20 hour discharge, in other words: a discharge current
of 0,05 C.
The rated capacity of Victron Tubular Plate Long Life batteries refers to 10 hours discharge.
The effective capacity decreases with increasing discharge current (see table 1). Please note that the capacity reduction will be
even faster in case of a constant power load, such as an inverter.

Table 1: Effective capacity as a function of discharge time
(the lowest row gives the maximum allowable 5 seconds discharge current)

Our AGM deep cycle batteries have excellent high current performance and are therefore recommended for high current
applications such as engine starting. Due to their construction, Gel batteries have a lower effective capacity at high discharge
currents. On the other hand, Gel batteries have a longer service life, both under float and cycling conditions.

7.) Effect of temperature on service life

High temperature has a very negative effect on service life. The service life of Victron batteries as a function of temperature is
shown in table 2.

Table 2: Design service life of Victron batteries under float service

8.) Effects of temperature on capacity

As is shown by the graph below, capacity reduces sharply at low temperatures.

Fig. 1: Effect of temperature on capacity

9.) Cycle life of Victron batteries

Batteries age due to discharging and recharging. The number of cycles depends on the depth of discharge, as is shown in figure
2.

Fig. 2: Cycle Life

10.) Battery charging in case of cycle use: the 3-step charge curve

The most common charge curve used to charge VRLA batteries in case of cyclic use is the 3-step charge curve, whereby a
constant current phase (the bulk phase) is followed by two constant voltage phases (absorption and float), see fig. 3.

Fig. 3: Three step charge curve

During the absorption phase the charge voltage is kept at a relatively high level in order to fully recharge the battery within
reasonable time. The third and last phase is the float phase: the voltage is lowered to standby level, sufficient to compensate for
self-discharge.

Disadvantages of the traditional 3-step charge curve:

• During the bulk phase the current is kept at a constant and often high level, even after the gassing voltage (14,34V
  for a 12V battery) has been exceeded. This can lead to excessive gas pressure in the battery. Some gas will escape
  through the safety valves, reducing service life.
• Thereafter the absorption voltage is applied during a fixed period of time, irrespective of how deep the battery has
  been discharged previously. A full absorption period after a shallow discharge will overcharge the battery, again
  reducing service life (a.o. due to accelerated corrosion of the positive plates).
• Research has shown that battery life can be increased by decreasing float voltage to an even lower level when the
  battery is not in use.

11.) Battery charging: longer battery life with Victron 4-step adaptive charging

Victron developed the adaptive charge curve. The 4-step adaptive chare curve is the result of years of research and testing.

The Victron four-step adaptive charge curve solves the 3 main problems of the 3-step curve:

• Battery Safe Mode: In order to prevent excessive gassing, Victron has invented the ‘Battery Safe Mode’. The Battery Safe Mode will limit
  the rate of voltage increase once the gassing voltage has been reached. Research has shown that this will reduce
  internal gassing to a safe level.
• Variable absorption time: Based on the duration of the bulk stage, the charger calculates how long the absorption time should be in order to
  fully charge the battery. If the bulk time is short, this means the battery was already charged and the resulting
  absorption time will also be short, whereas a longer bulk time will also result in a longer absorption time.
• Storage mode: After completion of the absorption period the battery should be fully charged, and the voltage is lowered to the
  float or standby level. If no discharge occurs during the next 24 hours, the voltage is reduced even further and the
  battery goes into storage mode. The lower storage voltage reduces corrosion of the positive plates.
  Once every week the charge voltage is increased to the absorption level for a short period to compensate for selfdischarge
  (Battery Refresh mode).

12.) Battery charging in case of standby use: constant voltage float charging

When a battery is not frequently deeply discharged, a 2-step charge curve can be used. During the first phase the battery is
charged with a limited current (the bulk phase). Once a pre-set voltage has been reached the battery is kept at that voltage (the
float phase).
This charge method is used for starter batteries in vehicles and in uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).

Fig. 4: Four-step adaptive charge curve

13.) Optimum charge voltage of Victron VRLA batteries

The recommended charge voltage settings for a 12V battery are shown in table 3.

14.) 14. Effect of temperature on charging voltage

The charge voltage should be reduced with increased temperature. Temperature compensation is required when the
temperature of the battery is expected to be less than 10°C / 50°F or more than 30°C / 85°F during long periods of time.
The recommended temperature compensation for Victron VRLA batteries is -4 mV / Cell (-24 mV /°C for a 12V battery).
The centre point for temperature compensation is 25°C / 70°F.

15.) Charge current

The charge current should preferably not exceed 0,2C (20A for a 100Ah battery).The temperature of a battery will increase by
more than 10°C if the charge current exceeds 0,2C. Therefore temperature compensation is required if the charge current
exceeds 0,2C.

Table 3: Recommended charge voltage