Lead Acid Battery Invention ?
Lead acid batteries have been in use since a very long time. The first lead acid battery was invented by Gaston Plantae in 1859. Lead acid batteries are convenient to use, easy to charge , inexpensive and are a tried and tested technology. Many improvisations have been done in the lead acid batteries to help them deliver high performance.
This is the reason many lead acid battery manufacturers employ improvements to bring out an innovative product that will meet the energy needs of the customers in a better way.
What are lead acid batteries:
Your inverter battery might be a lead acid one or your automotive could be. Most of the batteries used for power storage in homes, vehicles, and industries are lead acid batteries. The name gives away the fact that it contains lead in some form. Yes it does.
What do they look like?
A common lead acid battery is not like the pencil batteries we use in the TV remote rather they are box shaped. They have a plastic casing of varied height.
Inside it has sulfuric acid in which negative and positive electrodes are dipped. Due to the reversible reaction occurring, these batteries store energy on charging which can be later used.
Parts of lead acid battery:
1. The positive electrode made of lead oxide
2. Negative electrode made of porous lead.
3. Electrolytic solution made of a mixture of sulfuric acid and water.
Recent advancements have led to the birth of different types of lead acid batteries. They can also be differentiated on the basis of usage also.
Types of lead-acid batteries:
Based on construction design:
1. Flooded
2. Sealed
1. Flooded Lead Acid Battery
Flooded lead acid batteries are the common and the most used ones. They are called flooded because they contain sulfuric acid and water inside which is the electrolyte. The electrolytic solution can move around freely inside the battery.
They have to be watered at the required times and have to be maintained.
2. Sealed Lead Acid Battery
Sealed lead acid batteries have the contents inside the battery sealed which prevents any unforeseen leakage or spillage. Thus it is convenient for long distance transportation and frequent handling.
They are also known as VRLA or valve regulated lead acid batteries.
They have vents to let out the hydrogen gas formed during the reaction. There are improvisations done in them and they are available in different variations.
(1)AGM battery
The AGM batteries or Absorbed Glass Mat batteries have a glass mat inside them to hold the electrolyte which is not free flowing. These glass mat separators are porous, made of microfibre glass and hold the electrolyte in place which helps to lower the internal resistance thereby increasing efficiency.
They are also able to provide more capacity for the available space due to their construction.
(2)Gel Sealed lead battery
In this type of gel sealed battery, the electrolyte is not present as liquid but rather in a gel formed which is achieved by the addition of silica which renders them immobile. Thus chances of leakage and spillage are reduced to a great extent.
Its design helps to lower the evaporation of the electrolyte and they can withstand more range of temperature and vibration thus making them more durable.
They also have low self discharge as compared to the flooded ones but they are slightly on the expensive side of the price but are worth it given their features.
Based on the cycles
Now let’s understand the lead acid batteries which are differentiated based on the cycles they undergo.
1. Deep cycle batteries
Deep cycle batteries are made to provide long lasting power uninterruptedly. They provide a continuous power and run the appliances or vehicles with its stored power.
They are designed to undergo multiple charging and discharging cycles hence the plates are thicker.
2. Starter Batteries
These are the automotive batteries which means they are used to start the vehicles. Here the battery provides large bursts of high current for a short period of time. This leads to cranking up of the engine. The battery design is thinner and incorporates more plates than the deep cycle battery to give a larger surface area to let more reaction to occur.
If you are looking to buy batteries for your homes or vehicles, then go for Vacuna, which is a leading lead acid battery manufacturer offering inverter, solar and E-Rickshaw batteries. Their batteries are of excellent quality and give more power and performance.