2V 100Ah Battery: OPzS2 Flooded vs OPzV2 Gel Tubular for Telecom, UPS and Solar (2026)

Answer First

A 2V 100Ah battery is a single 2V tubular cell delivering 100 amp-hours at the C10 rate, and it is the smallest cell in the stationary tubular class that still carries a serious engineering footprint: 103 mm × 206 mm in plan, a total height of 409 mm for the flooded OPzS2-100 and 390 mm for the gel OPzV2-100, and 12.6 kg with electrolyte against 13.2 kg sealed. Twenty-four of them in series produce a 48V string of 48 V × 100 Ah = 4,800 Wh — the working voltage of nearly every telecom DC plant, most mid-size UPS cabinets and the smaller solar storage strings. The two chemistries are not interchangeable. The flooded OPzS2-100 needs filling, density setting, watering and ventilation; the gel OPzV2-100 arrives sealed with no service step and a published 30 A maximum charge current against 20 A for the flooded cell. This guide compares the two on published data only — capacity, geometry, weight, charge settings, internal resistance, temperature behaviour and string arithmetic — so the chemistry decision is made before a factory quotation is requested.

Key Takeaways

• A 2V 100Ah battery is one 2V cell, not a 12V block; a 48V string needs 24 cells and gives 48 V × 100 Ah = 4,800 Wh.
• The OPzS2-100 flooded cell publishes 8.0 kg without electrolyte and 12.6 kg with electrolyte, so a 24-cell string weighs 192.0 kg dry and 302.4 kg filled.
• The OPzV2-100 gel cell publishes 13.2 kg supplied filled and sealed, so the same 24-cell string weighs 316.8 kg — 14.4 kg more than the flooded string, with no filling step at all.
• Maximum charge current is 20 A for the flooded cell (20 A ÷ 100 Ah = 0.2 C) and 30 A for the gel cell (30 A ÷ 100 Ah = 0.3 C). In a series string the current passes through every cell, so the string charges at the cell rating — not at the sum of the ratings.
• Float is 2.23 V @25 °C and equalisation is 2.35 V @25 °C for both cells, with −3 mV/°C/cell compensation and a 20+ year design float life at 20 °C.
• Internal resistance differs and so does its reference temperature: the flooded cell is published at ~1.0 mΩ @20 °C, the gel cell at ~1.1 mΩ @20 °C, which puts a 24-cell string at 24.0 mΩ and 26.4 mΩ respectively.
• The flooded cell’s capacity falls to 85% at 0 °C and 65% at −15 °C on the 10-hour rate; the gel cell’s curve is published at about 80% at 0 °C and about 60% at −20 °C. Cold-climate sites cannot ignore either number.

§1 — 2V 100Ah Battery Specifications

Every row is read from the manufacturer datasheet for the cell named in the column, or derived by arithmetic from those values. Rows marked Datasheet (range setpoint) are the published charge and life setpoints that apply across the CHISEN tubular range; all other rows are taken from the individual cell datasheet.

Two rows in that table carry more weight than they look. The first is the electrolytic mass: a flooded cell is 4.6 kg heavier filled than dry, which is 4.6 kg of sulfuric acid that a rack in Hamburg, Rotterdam or Durban has to carry, and that has to be added on site by a controlled procedure. The second is the operating temperature range, which the flooded datasheet does not publish at all. Where a cell datasheet does not state a value, the correct procurement action is to request it in writing from the factory rather than to substitute a number from a generic lead-acid chart.

The OPzS2-100 datasheet also prints a discharge rate table measured at 20 °C to a 1.80 V cut-off, and that table is worth reading in full because it explains most capacity disputes. At the 1.80 V cut-off the cell returns 60 Ah at the 1-hour rate, 75 Ah at 3 hours, 85 Ah at 5 hours, 100 Ah at 10 hours, 107 Ah at 24 hours, 111 Ah at 48 hours, 115 Ah at 72 hours, 120 Ah at 100 hours, 122 Ah at 120 hours and 130 Ah at 240 hours. The C10 rating of 100 Ah sits inside that curve, and any comparison against a supplier who quotes “130 Ah” is a comparison against the 240-hour rate, not a better cell.

§2 — The Pain

Four failures recur on 2V 100Ah orders, and all four begin with a purchase order line that is too short.

The first is a missing chemistry statement. “2V 100Ah tubular battery” is not a specification. It can be the OPzS2-100 flooded cell at 8.0 kg dry and 12.6 kg filled, or the OPzV2-100 gel cell at 13.2 kg sealed. The two have different installation steps, different vent requirements, different charge acceptance and different published cycle life curves. A quotation that carries no model code cannot be re-ordered against the same specification two years later, which means the real cost of the missing line is paid at the second shipment.

The second is the charge current written as a sum instead of a limit. In a series string, the current that enters the first cell passes through all of them. Twenty-four cells rated at 20 A each do not accept 480 A; the string accepts 20 A. Any charger proposal that adds the per-cell ratings together describes a charger that would destroy the cells in a single cycle. The published numbers to write on the order are the per-cell maximum and the resulting string rating: 20 A for the flooded string, 30 A for the gel string.

The third is the capacity figure quoted without its rate. A 2V 100Ah cell returns 100 Ah at the 10-hour rate and 130 Ah at the 240-hour rate, and returns 60 Ah if it is drawn in one hour. A buyer comparing two quotations — one quoting 100 Ah, one quoting 130 Ah — is comparing two discharge rates. The comparison only works when both cells are stated at the same rate and the same cut-off voltage, and when the cut-off is written down: 1.80 V per cell for a capacity rating.

The fourth is the float setpoint left to the charger’s default. Float is 2.23 V @25 °C and equalisation is 2.35 V @25 °C, with −3 mV/°C/cell compensation. A string of 24 cells floating at the wrong setpoint drifts across the pack, the cells at the warm end age faster than the cells at the cool end, and the string develops a capacity spread that is invisible until a single cell fails to hold the string voltage.

Buyers sourcing for Rotterdam, Jebel Ali, Santos, Lagos, Chennai, Port Said or Mombasa regularly receive quotations for “2V 100Ah tubular” with no datasheet reference, no chemistry statement and no charge settings. Such a quotation cannot be compared between two factories and cannot be defended at a technical audit.

§3 — The Choice

The decision between a flooded and a gel 2V 100Ah battery is a set of operating consequences, not a preference. The string arithmetic below is what each choice costs and delivers in a 24-cell 48V installation.

Read the two columns against each other and the trade becomes concrete.

The flooded OPzS2-100 is 14.4 kg lighter as delivered across a 24-cell string — 302.4 kg against 316.8 kg — because the electrolyte travels separately and is added on site. That saving is real for a coastal installation where freight is billed by weight, and it is paid for with a filling procedure, a density measurement on every cell, a watering schedule and a ventilation requirement. On self-discharge the gel cell wins outright: the flooded cell is published at 3% per month at 20 °C against 2% per month for the gel cell, which matters for a cell stored off-line through a rainy season or shipped to site a month early.

The gel OPzV2-100 wins on the cycle side. Its datasheet curve gives approximately 1,500 cycles at 100% depth of discharge against approximately 750-800 for the flooded cell, and approximately 2,000 cycles at 80% depth of discharge against approximately 1,100. For a site that cycles daily — a solar plant with a seasonal storage shift, a telecom site with frequent generator start-stop, an off-grid microgrid in a mining camp — that difference is the whole life of the installation. The gel cell also publishes a short circuit current of 1700 A and a 5-second maximum discharge current of 1000 A, which are the figures a protective device has to be set against.

For a telecom DC plant in Jebel Ali or Chennai, where floor space and maintenance access are constrained and the room is often sealed, the gel route removes an entire service operation from the asset: there is no filling and no watering on any cell in the string. For a ground-mounted solar site in Santos or Durban where ventilation is available and the budget is tighter, the flooded route is a legitimate, well-understood choice.

The wider flooded tubular range, covering 2V cells from 100 Ah to 3000 Ah, is indexed on the CHISEN flooded tubular battery page.

§4 — The Framework

Seven checks turn a 2V 100Ah enquiry into an order that can be built, shipped, installed and defended.

1. Name the model and the chemistry. Write “OPzS2-100 flooded” or “OPzV2-100 gel”. Never “2V 100Ah tubular”, which is an instruction to buy whichever the factory has that month.

2. State the weight basis. For the flooded cell, write 8.0 kg without electrolyte and 12.6 kg with electrolyte. For the gel cell, write 13.2 kg. Then apply the string factor: 24 cells gives 192.0 kg and 302.4 kg for the flooded string, or 316.8 kg for the gel string. Structural checks should be made on the filled figure.

3. Write the charge settings to three decimals of a volt. Float 2.23 V @25 °C, equalisation 2.35 V @25 °C, compensation −3 mV/°C/cell. Across a 24-cell string that is 53.52 V float and 56.40 V equalisation, and for solar and wind service the OPzV2-100 datasheet moves to a regulation setting of 2.40 ± 0.01 V/cell @25 °C with float at 2.27 ± 0.005 V/cell @25 °C, an over-voltage disconnect at 2.45 ± 0.01 V/cell, a low-voltage alarm at 1.95 ± 0.005 V/cell, a low-voltage disconnect at 1.90 ± 0.005 V/cell and a load reconnect at 2.09 ± 0.01 V/cell. Put these in the charger configuration table, not in a general note.

4. Rate the charger from the cell, not from the arithmetic sum. The flooded cell accepts 20 A, the gel cell 30 A; a series string charges at that current. A 30 A charger on a 24-cell gel string is correct. A charger sized on the sum of the per-cell ratings is not.

5. Ask for the rate table, not just the headline capacity. For the OPzS2-100 that table is published at 20 °C to a 1.80 V cut-off, running from 60 Ah at the one-hour rate to 130 Ah at the 240-hour rate. For the OPzV2-100 the constant current table gives 15.0 A at ten hours, 26.8 A at five hours, 39.4 A at three hours and 65.0 A at one hour, to the same 1.80 V cut-off. If a supplier will not supply the rate table, the capacity claim cannot be verified.

6. Confirm the case, the terminal and the rack. 103 × 206 × 354 mm flooded with a 409 mm total height against 103 × 206 × 390 mm gel. The footprint is identical and the height differs by 19 mm, which matters in a stacked rack with limited clearance. The flooded cell uses a copper M8 post with a ø20 mm outer diameter; the gel cell uses a female copper M8 insert at 10-12 N·m.

7. Agree the arrival test. A sample capacity check at C10 to 1.80 Vpc, a float voltage check across the string, and for flooded cells an electrolyte density check on every cell, with a named laboratory for re-inspection. For long sea routes to Santos, Jebel Ali, Lagos, Port Said or Mombasa, agree the state-of-charge at shipment, because self-discharge at 3% per month for the flooded cell is real money on a 4,800 Wh string.

§5 — The Trust

The OPzS2 and OPzV2 tubular ranges are produced inside a manufacturer that operates 8 production bases with an annual capacity of 70 million kVAh, under a quality management system certified to ISO 9001, with ISO 14001 covering the environmental system, and CE, UL and IEC conformity for the destination markets. Every figure in this article is taken from the individual datasheet for each cell rather than from a marketing summary, and the complete flooded tubular range is indexed on the CHISEN flooded tubular page. Two points deserve emphasis for a buyer who will be asked to pay for assurance.

First, a certificate covers a management system, a scope and a date. ISO 9001 confirms that the plant runs documented procedures and acts on non-conformity; it does not confirm that a particular cell holds 100 Ah at C10. That is the job of the datasheet, the type test and the acceptance test. Ask for the certificate number, the scope statement, the registered address and the validity dates, then verify the cell on its own published data.

Second, the 20+ year float life figure has a precise condition attached to it: it is a design life at 20 °C. A string operated in a container in Jebel Ali or a plant room in Chennai sees a higher average temperature, and the life figure moves with temperature even though the label does not. That is not a weakness in the cell; it is the reason the datasheet states the temperature. Use the figure as a design input, and state the operating temperature on the order so the supplier can confirm what they stand behind.

A third point is specific to this pair of cells, and it is a disclosure rather than an objection. The flooded OPzS2-100 datasheet publishes its maximum charge current, internal resistance, dimensions, weights and rate tables, but it does not publish an operating temperature range for discharge, charge or storage. The gel OPzV2-100 datasheet publishes all three. Where a datasheet is silent, the correct action is to ask the factory for the missing range in writing and to record the answer on the order, not to carry a figure across from a different cell or a generic chart. That single discipline — asking for the number that is missing rather than assuming the number that is convenient — is what separates a buyer who can verify a cell from one who can only accept a claim.

§6 — FAQ

Q1. Is a 2V 100Ah battery the same as a 12V 100Ah battery? No, and this is a frequent source of confusion. A 2V 100Ah battery is a single 2V cell, and a 12V 100Ah battery is normally six 2V cells in series with a common case and a common set of terminals. The six-cell version carries 12V × 100 Ah = 1,200 Wh against 2 V × 100 Ah = 200 Wh for one cell, and it cannot be opened for individual cell maintenance. For stationary strings, engineers normally specify the 2V cell so that individual cells can be replaced; for small enclosures, the 12V block is more convenient.

Q2. How many 2V 100Ah batteries do I need for a 48V system? Twenty-four. 24 × 2 V = 48 V, and the string capacity is 48 V × 100 Ah = 4,800 Wh. The string weight is 24 × 12.6 kg = 302.4 kg for the flooded OPzS2-100 and 24 × 13.2 kg = 316.8 kg for the gel OPzV2-100. For a 72V system, use 36 cells for 72 V × 100 Ah = 7,200 Wh; for a 96V system, use 48 cells for 96 V × 100 Ah = 9,600 Wh and a string weight of 48 × 13.2 kg = 633.6 kg with the gel cell.

Q3. What is the difference between a flooded OPzS2-100 and a gel OPzV2-100? Chemistry and installation. The flooded cell is published at 8.0 kg without electrolyte and 12.6 kg with electrolyte, needs filling and density setting on site, needs watering on a published schedule, and needs ventilation. The gel cell is published at 13.2 kg supplied filled and sealed, needs no filling and no watering, and can be installed in an enclosed room. The flooded cell accepts 20 A of charge current and publishes a cycle life of approximately 750-800 cycles at 100% depth of discharge; the gel cell accepts 30 A and publishes approximately 1,500 cycles at the same depth. Both float at 2.23 V @25 °C, equalise at 2.35 V @25 °C with −3 mV/°C/cell compensation, and carry a 20+ year design float life at 20 °C.

Q4. Why does the datasheet show both 100 Ah and 130 Ah for the same cell? Because the discharge rate differs. The C10 rating of 100 Ah is measured to a 1.80 V cut-off. The OPzS2-100 rate table, also measured at 20 °C to 1.80 V, returns 60 Ah at the one-hour rate, 75 Ah at 3 hours, 85 Ah at 5 hours, 100 Ah at 10 hours, 107 Ah at 24 hours, 111 Ah at 48 hours, 115 Ah at 72 hours, 120 Ah at 100 hours, 122 Ah at 120 hours and 130 Ah at 240 hours. A supplier quoting 130 Ah is quoting the 240-hour rate. Always compare two cells at the same rate and the same cut-off voltage.

Q5. What charge voltage should I set for a 2V 100Ah battery? For standby service, float 2.23 V @25 °C with 2.35 V @25 °C equalisation and −3 mV/°C/cell compensation, which is 53.52 V float and 56.40 V equalisation across a 24-cell string. For solar and wind service the OPzV2-100 datasheet moves the regulation setting to 2.40 ± 0.01 V/cell @25 °C with float at 2.27 ± 0.005 V/cell @25 °C, an over-voltage disconnect at 2.45 ± 0.01 V/cell, a low-voltage alarm at 1.95 ± 0.005 V/cell, a low-voltage disconnect at 1.90 ± 0.005 V/cell and a load reconnect at 2.09 ± 0.01 V/cell. Confirm the setting against the datasheet for the exact cell on your order rather than against a general lead-acid chart.

Q6. What charger do I need for a 48V string of 2V 100Ah batteries? A 48V charger rated at the cell’s maximum charge current, because current in a series string passes through every cell. For the flooded OPzS2-100 that is 20 A, which is 0.1 C on a 4,800 Wh string and gives roughly 10 hours to full at the 0.1 C rate. For the gel OPzV2-100 that is 30 A. Sizing the charger by adding the per-cell ratings together is a common specification error, and it will over-drive the cells.

Q7. Can I mix flooded and gel cells in the same string? No. A series string must be built from cells of the same chemistry, the same model and ideally one production batch. A flooded cell and a gel cell have different internal resistance, different self-discharge rates, different equalisation behaviour and different gas output, so no single charge setpoint serves both. Build the string from one chemistry and keep spare cells of the same model and batch for replacement.

Q8. Does a 2V 100Ah battery lose capacity in cold climates? Yes, and the published figures differ by chemistry. On the 10-hour rate the OPzS2-100 returns 108% at 40 °C, 100% at 20 °C, 85% at 0 °C and 65% at −15 °C. The OPzV2-100 curve is published at approximately 80% at 0 °C and approximately 60% at −20 °C. For a container site in Rotterdam or an unheated plant room in Mombasa, the usable capacity in winter is lower than the nameplate figure, and that belongs in the sizing calculation.

Q9. What should be on the purchase order for a 2V 100Ah battery? The exact model and chemistry, the terminal and torque, the float and equalisation voltages with their reference temperature, the temperature compensation coefficient, the maximum charge current, the design float life and its reference temperature, the case dimensions, the weight basis and tolerance, the batch reference, the required test certificate, and the acceptance procedure on arrival. For container shipments to Santos, Jebel Ali, Lagos or Port Said, add the agreed laboratory and the state-of-charge requirement at shipment.

Expert Summary

A 2V 100Ah battery is fully specified in public. The OPzS2-100 flooded cell publishes 103 × 206 × 354 mm with a 409 mm total height, 8.0 kg without electrolyte and 12.6 kg with electrolyte, 20 A maximum charge current, 2.23 V float at 25 °C, 2.35 V equalisation, −3 mV/°C/cell compensation, 0.001 Ω @20 °C internal resistance and a 20+ year design float life at 20 °C. The OPzV2-100 gel cell publishes 103 × 206 × 390 mm, 13.2 kg, 30 A maximum charge current, the same charge setpoints, 0.0011 Ω @20 °C internal resistance, a 1700 A short circuit current and the same 20+ year float life. Twenty-four of either give 48 V × 100 Ah = 4,800 Wh.

Three numbers decide most of the projects, and all three follow directly from the published cell data. The 110.4 kg of electrolyte in a flooded 24-cell string — 24 × 4.6 kg — decides whether the site has the filling capability, the drainage and the ventilation to take it. The 24.0 mΩ and 26.4 mΩ string internal resistance figures, from 24 × 1.0 mΩ and 24 × 1.1 mΩ, decide the cable and busbar design at the plant in Hamburg or the substation in Chennai. And the 20 A versus 30 A cell charge rating decides the charger: a series string charges at the cell rating, not at the sum of twenty-four of them.

The buyer who writes those three numbers, the charge setpoints and the batch reference onto the order line has a specification that any qualified factory can quote against and any inspector can check at the port. That is a short document, and it is the whole difference between a defensible purchase and a dispute.

Contact CHISEN

Send the application, the string voltage and cell count, the required capacity, the installation environment and the quantity to the CHISEN export desk, and you will receive a quotation built on the published datasheet, the current lead time and the certification documents for your destination market.

• Email: jack@chisen.cn or sales@chisen.cn
• WhatsApp: +86 131 6622 6999
• Flooded tubular index: https://www.chisen.cn/en/Tubularfloodedbattery/OPzS.html
• Gel tubular index: https://www.chisen.cn/en/TubularGelBattery/OPzV.html
• OPzS2-100 model page: https://www.chisen.cn/en/OPzS2-100/2V100Ah.html
• OPzV2-100 model page: https://www.chisen.cn/en/OPzV2-100/2V100Ah.html

Related reading on the CHISEN knowledge centre: tubular cell charge setpoints, electrolyte filling and density procedures, string-level cell matching, and reserve capacity calculation for telecom DC plants.

CHISEN Battery — flooded and gel tubular lead-acid cells for telecom, solar, UPS, railway and substation applications. 8 production bases, 70 million kVAh annual capacity, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.

CHISEN Battery Team

Engineering and export team at CHISEN Battery, Hangzhou, China. Lead-acid and lithium battery manufacturer, ISO 9001 / CE / UL certified, exporting to 50+ countries.

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