CELLS & BATTERIES

ESCI-117: BASIC ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

CELLS VS BATTERIES

• An electrochemical cell is
a device that generates
electrical energy from
chemical reactions.
• A battery is a collection of
chemical cells having a
cathode and an anode,
which creates the flow of
electrons in a circuit.
CELLS VS BATTERIES

• A simple cell can be made by

connecting two different
metals in contact with an
electrolyte. A number of cells
can be connected in series to
make a battery, which has a
higher voltage than a single
cell.
SIGNIFICANCE OF BATTERIES IN OUR MODERN
WORLD
Around the House
• Power things like remote controls,
torches, wall clocks, flashlights,
hearing aids, weight scales, etc.
• Rechargeable batteries are also
used in various devices like mobile
phones, emergency lights,
batteries of vehicles, home
maintenance tools, and many
more.
SIGNIFICANCE OF BATTERIES IN OUR MODERN
WORLD
Medical Environments
• Hospitals, health centers, and other
emergency services depend upon
batteries to a great extent.

• Life-support systems like

electrocardiograms monitors,
infusion pumps, etc.

• Testing kits like glucose

meters, and others
SIGNIFICANCE OF BATTERIES IN OUR MODERN
WORLD
Firefighting and
Emergency Response
• Radio is the most important
tool of an emergency
responder. Other devices
like ECG monitors, metal
detectors, and flashlights
are powered by batteries.
SIGNIFICANCE OF BATTERIES IN OUR MODERN
WORLD
• Military Use
• Batteries are used to power
radio communications, night
vision devices, radar
communications, optical
equipment, and various
other field devices, which
make the work easier and
safer.
SIGNIFICANCE OF BATTERIES IN OUR MODERN
WORLD

• Portability/ Mobility

• Storage &
Redundancy

• Sustainability
HISTORY OF BATTERIES

"Baghdad Battery" - 1000 BCE

Earthenware jars containing an

iron rod surrounded by a copper
cylinder were discovered near
Baghdad in 1938.
HISTORY OF BATTERIES
"Baghdad Battery" - 1000
BCE

They are believed to have been

used by the Parthian civilization
that occupied the region about
2000 years ago as a source of
electricity to plate gold onto
silver.
HISTORY OF BATTERIES
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta
made a number of discoveries in the
late 18th and early 19th century
critical to the then all-new and
growing field of electricity.

His development of the first electric

pile preceded the modern battery and
this, among many other
accomplishments, led fellow
scientists to immortalize him by
naming the unit for electromagnetic
force, the volt, in his honor.
 VOLTAIC PILE/ COLUMN
Volta created a circuit
with two different metals
(a pair of copper and
zinc discs) separated by
a piece of cloth or
cardboard soaked in
brine.

By stacking this element

Volta could adjust the
amount of electricity
produced to his desired
level.
HISTORY OF BATTERIES
The voltaic pile/ voltaic column,
invented in 1800, was the first electric
battery known to Western civilization. It
was one of the first devices to provide
a reliable source of electricity.

This invention quickly led to a new

wave of electrical experiments.

• Discovery of electrolysis and

creating the field of electrochemistry.
GALVANIC/ VOLTAIC
CELL
The experimental
apparatus for generating
electricity through the use
of a spontaneous reaction
is called a galvanic cell
or voltaic cell, after the
Italian scientists Luigi
Galvani and Alessandro
Volta, who constructed
early versions of the
device.
GALVANIC/ VOLTAIC
CELL
The anode in a
galvanic cell is the
electrode at which
oxidation occurs and
the cathode is the
electrode at which
reduction occurs.
GALVANIC/ VOLTAIC
CELL
The cell operates on the
principle that the
oxidation of Zn to Zn2+
and the reduction of Cu2+
to Cu can be made to
take place simultaneously
in separate locations with
the transfer of electrons
between them occurring
through an external wire.
GALVANIC/ VOLTAIC
CELL
To complete the electrical
circuit, the solutions must be
connected by a conducting
medium through which the
cations and anions can
move from one electrode
compartment to the other.
This requirement is satisfied
by a salt bridge.
HISTORY OF BATTERIES
HISTORY OF BATTERIES
Year Inventor Achievement

1901 Thomas A. Edison (USA) Invention of the nickel-iron battery

1932 Shlecht & Ackermann (D) Invention of the sintered pole plate
1947 Georg Neumann (Germany) Successfully sealing the nickel-cadmium battery
1949 Lew Urry, Eveready Battery Invention of the alkaline-manganese battery
1970s Group effort Development of valve-regulated lead acid battery
1990 Group effort Commercialization of nickel-metal-hydride battery
1991 Sony (Japan) Commercialization of lithium-ion battery
1994 Bellcore (USA) Commercialization of lithium-ion polymer
1996 Moli Energy (Canada) Introduction of Li-ion with manganese cathode
1996 University of Texas (USA) Identification of Li-phosphate (LiFePO4)
2002 University of Montreal, Quebec Improvement of Li-phosphate, nanotechnology,
Hydro, MIT, others commercialization
TYPES OF CELLS
Primary Cells - cells that cannot be
recharged.

Carbon-Zinc contains a moist paste

as the electrolyte. The electrolyte in
a dry cell is a solution of ammonium
chloride and manganese dioxide.

The output voltage of this type of

cell is determined entirely by the
materials used for the electrolyte
and the electrodes.
TYPES OF CELLS
Primary Cells - cells
that cannot be
recharged.

The alkaline cell is

named because of the
highly caustic base,
potassium hydroxide
(KOH), used as the
electrolyte.
TYPES OF CELLS
Secondary Cells - cell that
can be recharged by applying a
reverse voltage.

Recharging the cell involves

applying a source of DC
voltage greater than that
produced by the cell.
TYPES OF CELLS

Non-rechargeable batteries hold more energy than

rechargeables but cannot deliver high load currents
OVERVIEW OF BATTERY TYPES

Courtesy of Frost & Sullivan (2009)

BATTERY CHEMISTRIES

Specific energy: Capacity a battery can hold (Wh/kg)

Specific power: Ability to deliver power (W/kg)
BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
The capacity of a cell is
measured in ampere-hours
(Ah).

Example:
A fully charged 50 Ah
battery rated for 10h
discharge can be
discharged at a steady
current of 5 A.
ENERGY DENSITY VS
POWER DENSITY
Ability to deliver current

Low power
High power

Power tool draws Wall clock runs

up to 50 amperes on a few milliamps
 BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
Lead Acid
 One of the oldest rechargeable batteries
 Rugged, forgiving if abused, safe, low price
 Usable over a large temperature range
 Has low specific energy
 Limited cycle life, does not like full
discharges
 Must be stored with sufficient charge
 Produces gases,
needs ventilation
Vehicles, boats, UPS, golf
cars, forklift, wheelchairs,
BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
Types of Lead Acid Batteries
 Flooded (liquid electrolyte, needs water)
 Gel (electrolyte in gelled, maintenance free)
 AGM (absorbent glass mat, maintenance free)

Lead acids come as starter, deep-cycle and stationary battery

Depth of discharge Starter battery Deep-cycle battery

100% 12 – 15 cycles 150 – 200 cycles

50% 100 – 120 cycles 400 – 500 cycles

30% 130 – 150 cycles 1,000 and more

BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
Nickel-cadmium (NiCd)
 Rugged, durable, good cold temperature performance
 Cadmium is toxic, prompted regulatory restriction
Aircraft main battery, UPS in cold environments, vessels, vehicles
needing high cycle life, power tools (not in consumer products)

Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH)
 40% higher specific energy than NiCd, mild toxicity
 Not as rugged as NiCd, more difficult to charge
Consumer products, hybrid vehicles; being replaced with Li-ion
Also available in AA and AAA cells

Regulators mandated a switch from NiCd to NiMH.

NiMH has same voltage, similar charging characteristics to NiCd.
BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
Lithium Lithium ion
(metallic) (intercalated lithium
compound)

Non-rechargeable Rechargeable
- Heart pace makers - Mobile phones
- Defense - Laptops
- Instrumentation - Power tools
- Oil drilling - Electric powertrains
Li-ion Systems
Li-cobalt (LiCoO2)
Available since 1991, replaces NiCd and
NiMH. Lighter, longer runtimes.

NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt)
High specific energy. Power tools, medical
instruments, e-bikes, EVs.

Li-phosphate (LiFePO4)
Long cycle life, enhanced safety but has lower
specific energy. UPS, EVs
 Safety concerns with Li-ion

 Microscopic metal particles can puncture the separator,

leading to an electrical short circuit. (Quote by Sony, 2006)
 Modern cells with ultra-thin separators are more
susceptible
to impurities than the older designs with lower Ah ratings.
 External protection circuits cannot stop a thermal runaway.

**Thermal runaway begins when the heat generated within a battery exceeds the amount of
heat that is dissipated to its surroundings. If the cause of excessive heat creation is not
remedied, the condition will worsen.
LI-ION SYSTEMS
• Schematic of (a) LIB pouch cell and (b) LIB electrochemical model.
 Serial connection

Good string

 Adding cells in a string increases voltage; same current

Faulty string

 Faulty cell lowers overall voltage, causing early cut-off

 Weakest cell is stressed most; stack deteriorates quickly
 Parallel connection

Good parallel pack Faulty parallel pack

Allows high current; Weak cell reduces current,

same voltage poses a hazard if shorted
 Serial-parallel connection

2S2P means:
2 cells in series
2 cells in parallel

 Most battery packs have serial-parallel configurations

 Cells must be matched