Battery: General Information

By Author: Indian Industry
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It is important to note that battery itself does not store electricity but a series of chemical and through chemical process electricity is produced. It have previously been of limited use in electric power systems due to their relatively small capacity and high cost. However, newer battery technologies have been developed that can now provide significant utility scale load-leveling capabilities.

Advantages of battery as storage device.

Energy Storage

Batteries store energy well and for a considerable length of time. Primary batteries (non-rechargeable) hold more energy than secondary (rechargeable), and the self-discharge is lower.

Responsiveness

Batteries have a huge advantage over other power sources in being ready to deliver on short notice — think of the quick action of the camera flash! There is no warm-up, as is the case with the internal combustion (IC) engine; the power from the battery flows within a fraction of a second. In comparison, a jet engine takes ...
... several seconds to gain power, a fuel cell requires a few minutes, and the cold steam engine of a locomotive needs hours to build up steam.

Environment

It runs clean and stays reasonably cool. Sealed cells have no exhaust, are quiet and do not vibrate. This is in sharp contrast with the IC engine and larger fuel cells that require noisy compressors and cooling fans. The IC engine also needs air and exhausts toxic gases.

Charge Time

Here, the battery has an undisputed disadvantage. Lithium- and nickel-based systems take 1 to 3 hours to charge; lead acid typically takes 14 hours. In comparison, filling up a vehicle only takes a few minutes. Although some electric vehicles can be charged to 80 percent in less than one hour on a high-power outlet, users of electric vehicles will need to make adjustments.

Remember that engine starting batteries and deep cycle batteries are different. Freshness of a new battery is very important. The longer a battery sits and is not re-charged the more damaging sulfation build up there may be on the plates. Most batteries have a date of manufacture code on them. The month is indicated by a letter 'A' being January and a number '4' being 2004. C4 would tell us the battery was manufactured in March 2004. Remember the fresher the better.

Battery life and performance - Average battery life has become shorter as energy requirements have increased. Two phrases I hear most often are "my battery won't take a charge, and my battery won't hold a charge". Only 30% of batteries sold today reach the 48-month mark. In fact 80% of all battery failure is related to sulfation build-up.

Battery Do's

Think Safety First
Do read entire tutorial
Do regular inspection and maintenance especially in hot weather
Do recharge batteries immediately after discharge
Do buy the highest RC reserve capacity or AH amp hour battery that will fit your configuration

Battery Don'ts

Don't forget safety first.
Don't add new electrolyte (acid).
Don't use unregulated high output battery chargers to charge batteries.
Don't place your equipment and toys into storage without some type of device to keep the battery charged.
Don't disconnect battery cables while the engine is running (your battery acts as a filter).
Don't put off recharging batteries.
Don't add tap water as it may contain minerals that will contaminate the electrolyte.
Don't discharge a battery any deeper than you possibly have to.
Don't let a battery get hot to the touch and boil violently when charging.
Don't mix size and types of batteries.

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