Batteries are vital in our society, an upper level in the scale of ability for humankind. They give us the power to store and manipulate energy. They are everywhere from our watches, cars, computers, pacemakers to the space shuttles and the space station. The more complex is a society the more omnipresent and the more dependent we are.

A big downside is that most batteries have a limited lifespan and although replacing some is relatively inexpensive, replacing others can be a big blow to our personal economics. Thus anything we can do to reduce that blow is something that deserves our attention. That is the reason for this article.

The subject is such that I divided it in several parts. The first part is dedicated to the lead-acid battery restoration. They are the most broadly used rechargeable batteries today and replacing them has become quite expensive due to the constantly rising cost of the lead and lately the sulfuric acid. We find these types of batteries in our cars, electric cars, golf cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, boats, forklifts, solar systems etc.

Now, to bring an easier understanding about how to restore a battery, we are going to start by explaining simply and briefly about what a battery is, how it works and why it fails.

Let's start by defining what a battery is; in general a battery is a device in which chemical energy is transformed into electrical energy. For practical reasons batteries are classified in two types: a "primary battery", when the battery can only be use once (disposable) because the chemical reaction that happens inside is not reversible by simple means and the "secondary battery", when the chemical reaction can be reversed by applying electrical energy to the battery (rechargeable). This reverse reaction capability is what enables the batteries to be reused as storage devices.

How Does a Battery Work and why batteries fail?

The simplest batteries, better call cells, are composed of two lead plates, one charged positive (lead oxide) and one charged negative (lead), with a chemical solution between them, generally a watery solution of sulfuric acid. The most complex ones have a larger number of cells but the basic principle is the same.

Batteries produce a direct current (DC); it always flows in the same direction. When you use a battery (discharge) the chemical reaction is releasing electric energy through the negative terminal. The reaction of the lead and lead oxide with the sulfuric acid produce lead sulfate, water and releases electric energy (electrons). If you discharge the battery too much you will have mostly water and lead sulfate that in such conditions tends to crystallize.

When you charge a battery, you put electrons (electric energy) into the battery through the negative terminal, that energy activates the lead sulfate breaking it into lead and lead oxide and sulfuric acid. That causes a chemical reaction which stores electricity.

Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next