LEAD ACID BATTERY

Edited By Aviation_Ame
5 Aug 2021
By Unkown

INTRODUCTION-
Batteries operate by converting chemical energy into electrical energy
through electrochemical discharge reactions. Batteries are composed
of one or more cells, each containing a positive electrode, negative
electrode, separator, and electrolyte.

Or

A battery is a device that produces electrons through electrochemical

reactions, and contains positive (+) and negative (-) terminals.
A battery consists of one or more electrochemical cells, which
transform stored chemical energy directly into electrical energy.

The main active materials in lead acid battery are -

1. Lead peroxide (PbO2).

2. Sponge lead (Pb)
3. Dilute sulphuric acid (H2SO4).

Lead Peroxide (PbO2)-

The positive plate is made of lead peroxide. This is dark brown,

hard and brittle substance.
Sponge Lead (Pb)-

The negative plate is made of pure lead in soft sponge condition.

Dilute Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)-

Dilute sulphuric acid used for lead acid battery has a ratio of
water : acid = 3:1

Chemical Reactions-

The lead acid storage battery is formed by dipping lead peroxide

plate and sponge lead plate in dilute sulphuric acid. A load is
connected externally between these plates. In diluted sulfuric acid the
molecules of the acid split into positive hydrogen ions (H+) and
negative sulphate ions (SO4 − −).

The hydrogen ions when reach at PbO2 plate, they receive electrons
from it and become hydrogen atom which again attack PbO2 and form
PbO and H2O (water).
This PbO reacts with H2 SO4 and forms PbSO4 and H2O (water).

When Battery Discharged-

1. Both of the plates are covered with PbSO4.

2. Specific gravity of sulphuric acid solution falls due to formation
of water during reaction at PbO2 plate.
3. As a result, the rate of reaction falls which implies the potential
difference between the plates decreases during discharging
process.

When Battery Charged-

1. Lead sulphate anode is converted into lead peroxide.

2. Lead sulphate of cathode is converted to pure lead.
3. Terminal; potential of the cell increases.
4. Specific gravity of sulphuric acid increases.

Maintenance Requirements:
 1. Routine maintenance of lead-acid aircraft batteries is required to
assure airworthiness and to maximize service life. For
vented-cell batteries, electrolyte topping must be performed on a
regular basis to replenish the water loss that occurs during
charging.

2. Maintenance intervals are typically 2 to 4 months.

Storage Characteristics-

Lead-acid batteries always should be stored in the charged state. If

allowed to remain in the discharged state for a prolonged time period,
the battery becomes damaged by “sulphation.” Sulfation occurs when
lead sulphate forms into large, hard crystals, blocking the pores in the
active material.

Temperature Effects and Limitations-

Lead-acid batteries generally are rated at 25°C (77°F) and operate best
around this temperature. Exposure to low ambient temperatures
results in performance decline, whereas exposure to high ambient
temperatures results in shortened life.

Service Life of battery:

The service life of a lead-acid aircraft battery depends on the type of

use it experiences
(e.g., rate, frequency, and depth of discharge),
environmental conditions (e.g., temperature and vibration), charging
method, and the care with which it is maintained.
Service lives can range from 1 to 5 years, depending on the
application.
 State of charge of Lead Acid battery

HYDROMETER TEST

Primary Steps-

● Charge or discharge your battery

● Disconnect your battery to ensure that it is not under load (being

drained by a device connected to it). Disconnecting the negative
lead is often the smartest and best way of doing this.

● Allow your battery sufficient time to settle while disconnected.

Twenty four hours is generally the most conservative and best
approach. Otherwise, an overnight rest will usually do.
● Make your measurements between temperatures between 60 and
80 degrees F. Temperature affects the specific gravity of the
measurement. Getting much beyond this range could give you some
pretty crazy results.

● Do you test in an area that has good ventilation and running water.
The battery fumes are dangerous. The running water will be used if
you accidentally get the acid onto skin or into your eyes. If you do
so, flush with the water generously

Material Required-

Step 1 –

Put on Goggles and Gloves… Have Some Baking Soda Around-

Acid burns. Acid blinds. Asking you to be safe is not about making
your life difficult, but about making sure you can continue to live a
healthy life.

Use the baking soda to neutralize any spills immediately.

Note – Safety glasses and face shields are not goggles. Acid splashes
and neither safety glasses or face shields provide adequate
protection. That said using a face shield and goggles do increase your
protection.

Step 2 –

Open Battery Cell Caps-

A 12 volt battery has six cells. A six volt battery has three cells.

Sometimes the cells each have their own cap and sometimes they
share a large rectangular cap with other cells.

Take your time. Don’t force anything.

Step 3 –

Position Hydrometer over Cell and Squeeze Bulb-

There should be no liquid in your hydrometer after performing this
step.

Step 4 –

Insert Hydrometer Nozzle into the Cell to Be Tested-

You will want to get the nozzle well into the liquid. This liquid is
known as electrolyte. You’re measuring the specific gravity of this
electrolyte.

Step 5 – Release Bulb to Suck Electrolyte into the Chamber-

You will want enough electrolyte in the chamber to cause the float to
be freely suspended in the liquid

Step 6 –

Allow Liquid and Float to Settle – Take a Reading-

The float and electrolyte are likely bouncing. Give it a little time to
settle. Take your reading. If you have a common automotive
hydrometer, the float will be marked with green, red and white zones.
These are generally good reliable indicators of the current specific
gravity of a cell.

Step 7 –

Insert Nozzle into Cell and Squeeze Bulb-

You’re replacing the electrolyte you took out of the cell. This is a
pretty important step.
Step 8 –

Repeat for Remaining Cells-

You will be repeating steps 2 through 7. You should probably make a
note of the results of each cell.

Step 9 –

Think About and Interpret Your Results-

The biggest mistake with this measurement is a misinterpretation that
causes a good cell to be declared bad. Was your battery really charged
before the test? Did you allow it time to settle in an open circuit
condition after charging?

Now, the one thing you can be sure of is that you have bad a cell if
there is a dramatic deviation between your readings.

Step 10 –

Clean Up-
You may have little drops of acid in or nearby your work area. This is a
good time to clean it up. You really don’t want loved ones to
accidentally put their hands in it.

Use the baking soda to neutralize any spills immediately.

Specific Gravity Range

High State of Charge-

A specific gravity reading between 1.300 and 1.275 indicates a high
state of charge.
Medium State of Charge-
A specific gravity reading between 1.275and 1.240 a medium state
of charge.
Low state of charge-
A specific gravity reading between 1.240 and 1.200, a low state of
charge.
Battery Ratings-

A battery with a capacity of 1 amp-hour should be able to

continuously supply a current of 1 amp to a load for exactly 1 hour, or
2 amps for ½ hour etc., before becoming completely discharged.
Actually, the amp-hour output of a particular battery depends on the
rate at which it is discharged.

Heavy discharge current heats the battery and decreases its efficiency
and total ampere-hour output.

The amp-hour capacity of a battery depends upon its total effective

plate area. Connecting batteries in parallel increases amp-hour
capacity. Connecting batteries in series increases the total voltage but
not the amp-hour capacity.

Battery Efficiency-

The ratio of output of a battery to the input required to restore it to its

original state, under a specified set of conditions.

CHARGING OF BATTERY

Simple Guidelines for Charging Lead Acid Batteries-

● Charge in a well-ventilated area. Hydrogen gas generated during

charging is explosive.
● Choose the appropriate charge program for batteries as per
manufacturer’s specifications on recommended voltage
thresholds.
● Recharge lead acid batteries after each use to prevent sulfation.
Do not store on low charge.
● The plates of flooded batteries must always be fully submerged
in electrolyte. Fill the battery with distilled or de-ionized water
to cover the plates if low.
● Fill water level to designated level after charging. Overfilling
when the battery is on low charge can cause acid spillage during
charging.
 ● The formation of gas bubbles in a flooded lead acid indicates that
the battery is reaching full state-of-charge. (Hydrogen appears
on negative plate and oxygen on positive plate).
● Do not allow a lead acid to freeze. An empty battery freezes
sooner than one that is fully charged. Never charge a frozen
battery.
● Avoid charging at temperatures above 49°C (120°F).

LEAD-ACID BATTERY CHARGING METHODS-

The current passes inside the battery because of chemical changes.

The lead-acid battery mainly uses two types of charging methods
namely the constant voltage charging and constant current charging.

Constant voltage Charging-

It is the most common method of charging the lead acid battery. It

reduces the charging time and increases the capacity up to 20%. But
this method reduces the efficiency by approximately 10%.

In this method, the charging voltage is kept constant throughout the

charging process. The charging current is high in the beginning when
the battery is in the discharge condition. The current is gradually
dropping off as the battery picks up charge . At the end of the charge,
the charging current drops to almost zero because the voltage of the
battery becomes nearly equal to the voltage of the supply circuit.

Constant Current Charging-

In this method of charging the batteries are connected in series so as

to form groups and each group charges from the DC supply mains
through loading rheostats.

The charging current is kept constant throughout the charging period

by reducing the resistance in the circuit as the battery voltage goes up.
In order of avoiding excessive gassing or overheating, the charging
may be carried out in two steps. An initial charging of
approximately higher current and a finishing rate of low current.

The charging voltage of a lead acid battery must equal the open circuit
voltage plus the IR drop within the battery (product of the charging
current and the internal resistance).

LIFE CYCLE OF A BATTERY-

The number of complete charge/discharge cycles.

Battery life can vary anywhere from 500 to 1 300 cycles.

Various factors can cause deterioration of a battery and shorten its

service life. The first is over discharging, which causes excess
sulphation; second, too rapid charging or discharging which can result
in overheating of the plates and shedding of active material.

A battery that remains in a low or discharged condition for a long

period of time may be permanently damaged.

SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERIE-

Each of these batteries are rechargeable, completely sealed, and
maintenance free; no need to maintain water levels.12 volt sealed lead
acid batteries are extremely popular in backup power supplies.In
many applications, sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries are gaining in use
over the Ni-Cad batteries. One leading characteristic of Ni-Cad
batteries is that they perform well in low voltage, full-discharge.

THERMOCOUPLES-
Thermocouples have significant application in aviation. They are most
often used in fire detection systems and in high-temperature engine
indicating systems.

A thermocouple is a circuit or connection of two unlike metals. The

metals are touching at two separate junctions. One of the junctions is
placed in an area where temperature needs to be monitored. The
other junction is remotely located in a flight deck instrument or in an
area where voltage can be forwarded to a data computer. When the
temperature rises at the "hot junction", an electromotive force is
produced in the circuit. This voltage is directly proportional to the
temperature. By measuring the amount of electromotive force,
temperature can be determined.

Thermocouples are used to measure high temperatures. Two

common applications are the measurement of cylinder head
temperature (CHT) in reciprocating engines and exhaust gas
temperature (EGT) in turbine engines.

Iron and constantan, or copper and constantan, are common

materials for CHT measurement. Chromel and alumel are used
for turbine EGT thermocouples.

PHOTO-CELLS-

Light contains electromagnetic energy that is carried by photons. The

amount of energy depends on the frequency of light of the photon. All
semiconductors are affected by light energy. When a photon strikes a
semiconductor atom, it raises the energy level above what is needed to
hold its electrons in orbit. The extra energy frees an electron enabling
it to flow as current.

Ni-Cd Battery

The nickel–cadmium battery is a type of

rechargeable battery using nickel hydroxide and metallic cadmium as
electrodes.

Positive plate (Cathode) - Nickel Hydroxide Ni(OH)2

Negative Plate (Anode)- Cadmium Cd as the negative

electrode (anode)
Electrolyte-

Alkaline potassium hydroxide KOH electrolyte. The electrolyte is a

potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution in concentration of 20-34
percent by weight pure KOH in distilled water.

The alkaline electrolyte (commonly KOH) is not consumed in this

reaction and therefore its specific gravity, unlike in lead–acid batteries,
is not a guide to its state of charge.

When a charging current is applied to a nickel-cadmium

battery, the negative plates lose oxygen and begin forming
metallic cadmium. The active material of the positive
plates, nickel-hydroxide, becomes more highly oxidized.
This process continues while the charging current is
applied or until all the oxygen is removed from the negative
plates and only cadmium remains.
The chemical action is reversed during discharge. The
positive plates slowly give up oxygen, which is regained by
the negative plates. This process results in the conversion
of the chemical energy into electrical energy. During
discharge, the plates absorb a quantity of the electrolyte.
On recharge, the level of the electrolyte rises and, at full
charge, the electrolyte will be at its highest level. Therefore,
water should be added only when the battery is fully
charged.

The nickel-cadmium battery is usually interchangeable

with the lead-acid type. When replacing a lead acid battery
with a nickel-cadmium battery, the battery compartment
must be clean, dry, and free of all traces of acid from the old
battery. The compartment must be washed out and
neutralized with ammonia or boric acid solution,
 allowed to dry thoroughly, and then painted with an alkali
resisting varnish.

- The nickel-cadmium battery has a short recharge time,

excellent reliability, and good starting capability.
- The many advantages of the nickel-cadmium battery
were well known, but its initial cost was several times
that of the lead-acid battery.