Electricity on Board (And other off-grid applications)
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. The battery: preventing premature aging
The battery is the heart of every small-scale energy system. No battery, no storage of electric energy. At the same time the battery is a costly and delicate component. This chapter specifically addresses the battery’s vulnerability .
2.1. Introduction
2.2. Battery chemistry
2.2.1. What happens in a battery cell as it discharges 2.2.2. What happens during charging 2.2.3. The diffusion process 2.2.4. Service life: shedding, oxidation, and sulphation
2.3. The most common types of lead-acid battery
2.3.1. Lead-antimony and lead-calcium 2.3.2. Wet or flooded versus starved (gel or AGM) electrolyte
2.3.3. The flat-plate automotive battery (wet) 2.3.4. The flat-plate semi-traction battery (wet) 2.3.5. The traction or deep-cycle battery (wet) 2.3.6. The sealed (VLRA) gel battery 2.3.7. The sealed (VLRA) AGM battery 2.3.8. The sealed (VLRA) spiral-cell battery
2.4. Function and use of the battery
2.5. The lead-acid battery in practice
2.5.1. How much does a battery cost? 2.5.2. Dimensions and weight 2.5.3. Effect on capacity of rapid discharging 2.5.4. Capacity and temperature
2.5.5. Premature aging 1. The battery is discharged too deeply 2.5.6. Premature aging 2. Charging too rapidly and not fully charging
2.5.7. Premature aging 3. Undercharging 2.5.8. Premature aging 4. Overcharging 2.5.9. Premature aging 5. Temperature 2.5.10. Self-discharge
3. Monitoring a battery’s state of charge. ‘The battery monitor’.
The battery monitor indicates a battery’s state of charge, and can also be used to automatically start charging systems, or indicate that charging is required. With larger battery systems a monitor with an amp-hour counter is indispensable. To start charging once the “voltage drops” is simply too late. The battery is then discharged too deeply and harm will already be done.
3.1. The different ways of measuring a battery’s state of charge
3.1.1. Specific gravity (SG) of the electrolyte 3.1.2. Battery voltage 3.1.3. Amp-hour meter
3.2. The battery monitor is an amp-hour meter
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