Batteries elements

Batteries elements

 

Batteries are part of our everyday life. A day would not last without using our hand phones. Every time we go out, we either drive our car or take a public vehicle. We use a remote control to switch channels while watching television. We unconsciously bump with batteries in everyday events.

Battery is a device used to generate electrical energy. It powers hand phones, remote control, flash lights, hearing aids and helps cars to start easily. There are even automobiles invented today that operates by electrical energy stored in batteries. These all-electric vehicles derive all its power from battery packs and do not use gasoline.

 

Portability is what makes batteries so important. Can you imagine using your hand phones, cameras, remote control, flash lights, wristwatches and cars plugged in to electrical outlets? It would be so difficult and troublesome. The convenience brought by batteries led to the invention of more gadgets, appliances and equipment that make use of them. Now, there are battery operated lawn mowers, wireless mouse, fans, lamps, and television that used to be only available with cords.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery cells are usually made up of three main components:

Some other examples of devices using primary batteries include; Pace makers, Animal trackers, Wrist watches, remote controls and children toys to mention a few.

The most popular type of primary batteries are alkaline batteries. They have a high specific energy and are environmentally friendly, cost-effective and do not leak even when fully discharged. They can be stored for several years, have a good safety record and can be carried on an aircraft without being subject to UN Transport and other regulations. The only downside to alkaline batteries is the low load current, which limits its use to devices with low current requirements like remote controls, flashlights and portable entertainment devices.

 

 

 

 

2. Secondary Batteries

 

Secondary batteries are batteries with electrochemical cells whose chemical reactions can be reversed by applying a certain voltage to the battery in the reversed direction. Also referred to as rechargeable batteries, secondary cells unlike primary cells can be recharged after the energy on the battery has been used up.

They are typically used in high drain applications and other scenarios where it will be either too expensive or impracticable to use single charge batteries. Small capacity secondary batteries are used to power portable electronic devices like mobile phones, and other gadgets and appliances while heavy-duty batteries are used in powering diverse electric vehicles and other high drain applications like load leveling in electricity generation. They are also used as standalone power sources alongside Inverters to supply electricity. Although the initial cost of acquiring rechargeable batteries is always a whole lot higher than that of primary batteries but they are the most cost-effective over the long-term.                                                                                                                                       

Secondary batteries can be further classified into several other types based on their chemistry. This is very important because the chemistry determines some of the attributes of the battery including its specific energy, cycle life, shelf life, and price to mention a few.

There are basically 4 major chemistries for rechargeable batteries:

 

1. Lithium-ion(Li-ion)

2. Nickel Cadmium(NiCad)

3. Nickel-Metal Hydride(NiMH)

4. Lead-Acid

 

 

 

 

1. Lithium-ion Batteries

 

Lithium ion batteries are one of the most popular types of rechargeable batteries. They are found in different portable appliances including mobile phones, smart devices and several other battery appliances used at home. They also find applications in aerospace and military applications due to their lightweight nature.

Lithium-ion batteries are a type of rechargeable battery in which lithium ions from the negative electrode migrate to the positive electrode during discharge and migrate back to the negative electrode when the battery is being charged. Li-ion batteries use an intercalated lithium compound as one electrode material, compared to the metallic lithium used in non-rechargeable lithium batteries.

Lithium ion batteries generally possess high energy density, little or no memory effect and low self-discharge compared to other battery types. Their chemistry alongside performance and cost vary across different use cases for example, Li-ion batteries used in handheld electronic devices are usually based on lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) which provides high energy density and low safety risks when damaged while Li-ion batteries based on Lithium iron phosphate which offer a lower energy density are safer due to a reduced likelihood of unfortunate events happening are widely used in powering electric tools and medical equipment. Lithium ion batteries offer the best performance to weight ratio with the lithium sulphur battery offering the highest ratio.

 

 

Some of the attributes of lithium ion batteries are listed below:

 

            Specific Energy 100 265W-hkg

 

            Energy Density 250 693 W-hL

 

            Specific Power 250 340 Wkg

 

            Chargedischarge percentage 80-90%

 

            Cycle Durability 400 1200 cycles

 

            Nominal cell voltage NMC 3.63.85V

 

 

 

 

 

2. Nicad batteries or Nickel-Cadmium Batteries

 

The nickel–cadmium battery (Nicad battery) is a type of rechargeable battery which is developed using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes.  Nicad batteries excel at maintaining voltage and holding charge when not in use. However, Nicad batteries easily fall a victim of the dreaded “memory” effect when a partially charged battery is recharged, lowering the future capacity of the battery.

In comparison with other types of rechargeable cells, Nicad batteries offer good life cycle and performance at low temperatures with a fair capacity but their most significant advantage will be their ability to deliver their full rated capacity at high discharge rates. They are available in different sizes including the sizes used for alkaline batteries, AAA to D. Nicad cells are used individual or assembled in packs of two or more cells. The small packs are used in portable devices, electronics and toys while the bigger ones find application in aircraft starting batteries, Electric vehicles and standby power supply.

Some of the properties of Nicad batteries are listed below:

 

 

Specific Energy 40-60W-hkg

Energy Density 50-150 W-hL

Specific Power 150Wkg

Charge-discharge efficiency 70-90%

Self-discharge rate 10%month

Cycle durability-life 2000cycles

 

 

 

 

 

3. Nimh Batteries or Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries

 

Nickel metal hydride (Nimh) is another type of chemical configuration used for rechargeable batteries. The chemical reaction at the positive electrode of batteries is similar to that of the nickel–cadmium cell (Nicad), with both battery type using the same nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). However, the negative electrodes in Nickel-Metal Hydride use a hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of cadmium which is used in Nicad batteries.

NiMH batteries find application in high drain devices because of their high capacity and energy density. A NiMH battery can possess two to three times the capacity of a Nicad battery of the same size, and its energy density can approach that of a lithium-ion battery. Unlike the Nicad chemistry, batteries based on the NiMH chemistry are not susceptible to the “memory” effect that Nicads experience.

Below are some of the properties of batteries based on the Nickel-metal hydride chemistry:

 

 

Specific Energy 60-120hkg-

Energy Density 140-300 WhL-

Specific Power 250-1000 Wkg-

Charge-discharge efficiency 66% - 92%-

Self-discharge rate 1.3-2.9%month at 20oC-

Cycle Durability-life 180 -2000-

 

 

 

4. Lead-Acid Batteries

 

Lead acid batteries are a low-cost reliable power workhorse used in heavy duty applications. They are usually very large and because of their weight, they’re always used in non-portable applications such as solar-panel energy storage, vehicle ignition and lights, backup power and load leveling in power generation distribution. The lead-acid is the oldest type of rechargeable battery and still very relevant and important into today’s world. Lead acid batteries have very low energy to volume and energy to weight ratios but it has a relatively large power to weight ratio and as a result can supply huge surge currents when needed. These attributes alongside its low cost makes these batteries attractive for use in several high current applications like powering automobile starter motors and for storage in backup power supplies.

Each of these batteries has its area of best fit and the image below is to help choose between them.

Selecting the right battery for your application--

One of the main problems hindering technology revolutions like IoT is power, battery life affects the successful deployment of devices that require long battery life and even though several power management techniques are being adopted to make the battery last longer, a compatible battery must still be selected to achieve the desired outcome.

Below are some factors to consider when selecting the right type of battery for your project.

1. Energy density- The energy density is the total amount of energy that can be stored per unit mass or volume. This determines how long your device stays on before it needs a recharge.

 

2. Power Density- Maximum rate of energy discharge per unit mass or volume. Low powered laptop, i-pod, High powered tools.

 

3. Safety- It is important to consider the temperature at which the device you are building will work. At high temperatures, certain battery components will breakdown and can undergo exothermic reactions. High temperature generally reduces the performance of most batteries.

 

4. Life cycle durability- The stability of energy density and power density of a battery with repeated cycling (charging and discharging) is needed for the long battery life required by most applications.

 

5. Cost- It is an important part of any engineering decisions you will be making. It is important that the cost of your battery choice is commensurate with its performance and will not increase the overall cost of the project abnormally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery Recondition

 

Batteries recycling are very important because it saves our natural resources and also enable us to cut the cost of extraction process. Battery recycling is the reuse and reprocessing practice of batteries aimed at reducing the number of batteries being disposed as material waste. Batteries contain several poisonous chemicals and heavy metals and their dumping has attracted environmental concerns due to contamination of water and soil. As such, batteries need recycling to comply with environmental and health benefits.

According to some statistics, certain batteries can explode or even catch fire in landfill and damage the entire area. Such batteries can be easily found in our household product that is why; it makes sense to get rid of them by giving it to recycle specialists. In a nutshell, battery recycling is a safe and environmentally friendly solution for us. According to a report, “the recovery and recycling of batteries will reduce pollution from landfills.”

Today, most of the organizations and governments are focusing reducing toxic chemicals from the environment, which can be done by recycling batteries because they have toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, etc. That is why; scrap batteries recycling is the finest and safest option to consider. It prevents hazardous waste to penetrate the earth and protects the entire environment, making it safe for living. Besides that, approx. 77% of people agreed with the statement that it is essential to recycle used or scrap batteries rather than dispose of them with general rubbish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battery recycle | Battery recycle market

 

 

The battery recycling market is segmented by battery chemistry (lithium ion, lead acid, nickel cadmium, and others), by spent battery source (automotive, electronic appliance, and others),

and by end-use (extraction of material, repackaging, reuse, and second life). The market is analyzed across five geographies: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. Regional data has been provided for each sub-segment of the battery recycling market. Key players in the market include Battery Solutions LLC, Call2Recycle, Inc., East Penn Manufacturing Company, EnerSys, Exide Technologies, G&P Batteries, Gravita India Ltd., Johnson Controls, Inc., Retriev Technologies Inc., and Umicore N.V. The report provides an overview of these companies, followed by their financial details, business strategies, and recent developments.