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com/page/398434134

BATTERY LIFE AND PERFORMANCE: Average battery life has become shorter as energy requirements and usage requirements have increased. Two phrases we hear the most often are my battery won t charge, and my battery won t hold a charge. Only 30% of batteries sold today have reached the 48-month mark. In fact 80% of all battery failure is related to sulfation build-up. This build-up occurs when sulfur molecules in the electrolyte (battery acid) become so deeply discharged that they begin to coat the battery s lead plates. Before long the plates become so coated that the battery dies. CAUSES OF LEAD ACID BATTERY FAILURE: Lead-acid batteries offer high power at an affordable price. However, they are subject to failure, some quicker than others. Most causes of failure are the result of: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Plate sulfation Positive grid corrosion. Sedimentation (shedding) build-up Dry-out Cell short circuited Maintenance and environmental conditions

Research shows that sulfation is over 80% the cause of battery failure. Sulfation is also the cause of battery reduction of power. The longer sulfation occurs, the larger and harder the lead sulfate crystals become. Failure is waiting to happen!

WHAT IS SULFATION?
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Sulfation of batteries starts when the specific gravity falls below 1.225 or voltage measures less than 12.4 (12v battery) or 6.2 (6v battery). State of Charge 100% 75% 50% 25% Discharged Specific Gravity 1.265 1.225 1.190 1.155 1.120 Voltage Voltage -12V-6V12.7 6.3 12.4 6.2 12.2 6.1 12.0 6.0 11.9 5.9

During the normal discharge process, lead and sulfur combine into soft lead sulfate crystals and are formed in the pores and on the surfaces of the positive and negative plates inside the lead acid battery. When a battery is left in a discharged condition, continually undercharged, or the electrolyte level is below the top of the plates or stratified, some of the soft lead sulfate re-crystallizes into hard lead sulfate as seen in the picture below.

The hard lead sulfate cannot be reconverted during subsequent recharging. This creation of hard crystals is commonly called permanent or hard sulfanation. When sulfation is present, the battery can show a higher voltage than its true voltage; thus, fooling the voltage regulator in to thinking that the battery is fully charged. This causes the charger to prematurely lower its output voltage or current, leaving the battery undercharged. The longer sulfation occurs, the larger and harder the lead sulfate crystals become. These crystals lessen a battery s capacity and ability to be recharged Sulfation is common with deep cycle and some starting batteries which are typically used for short periods, vacations, week-end trips, etc., and then are stored the rest of the year to slowly self-discharge.

5. TYPICAL BATTERY TESTING Testing to determine a Battery State of Charge can be done by several methods. The most common testing methods are the measurements of specific gravity and battery voltage. Below are typical specific gravity and voltage ranges for a battery state of charge Specific Gravity Specific Gravity = Ratio of Sulfuric Acid to Water A good range is 62% sulfuric acid to 38% water State of Charge 100% 75% 50% 25% 0% Specific Gravity 1.265 1.290 1.225 1.265 1.190 1.225 1.155 1.190 1.120 1.155

Voltage State of Charge 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 12 Volt Battery 12.70 12.50 12.42 12.32 12.20 12.06 11.90 11.75 11.58 11.31 10.50 Volts per Cell 2.12 2.08 2.07 2.05 2.03 2.01 1.98 1.96 1.93 1.89 1.75

24 Volt X 3 // 36 Volt X 3 // 48 Volt X 4

What is Sulfation?
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Lead-acid batteries generate electricity through the double sulfate chemical reaction. When a battery discharges, lead and lead dioxide, which are the active materials on a battery's plates, react with the sulfuric acid in the electrolyte to generate electrical current. A finely divided, amorphous form of lead sulfate (PbSO4) is produced.

During charging, the amorphous lead sulfate is easily converted back to lead, lead dioxide, and sulfuric acid, in essence returning the battery to its former state. Unfortunately, there is no "perfect machine", and with repeated use, the ability of a battery to reach a full charge diminishes. The Onset of Sulfation As batteries are "cycled" through numerous charge and discharge sequences, particularly if the batteries are not charged fully, or are allowed to remain in a partially discharged state for extended periods, the amorphous lead sulfate is converted to a very stable crystalline form. This process, called sulfation, is the primary cause of declining performance over time, and is ultimately the leading cause of battery failure.

There are many causes of sulfation, including acid stratification, excessive battery discharge, chronic undercharging, infrequent use, and leaving batteries (even new batteries) in a discharged state for extended periods of time. Subjecting batteries to extended periods of float charging also accelerates sulfation. Over time, and without exception, sulfation will reduce the performance and life of every lead-acid battery. Symptoms of Sulfation How can you tell if your battery is suffering from excessive sulfation? Higher temperatures are observed during both charging (since higher charge voltages are needed to overcome the higher internal cell resistance), and discharging (since a sulfated battery puts out a lower voltage, but power requirements remain the same so the current increases). The net result is that running times of battery powered equipment are shorter, electrolyte specific gravity decreases, CCA (cold cranking amps) output is reduced, and charge acceptance is slower and less efficient. Terminal corrosion also increases because the higher operating temperatures increase water loss and the generation of sulfuric acid mist. Impact of Sulfation on Battery Performance Crystalline lead sulfate is non-conducting and the crystals accumulate on the plates, dramatically increasing the electrical resistance of the battery. The crystalline lead sulfate coating also reduces the capacity of the battery, both by permanently eliminating some of the sulfuric acid, and also by separating the active material (lead and lead dioxide) from the electrochemical reaction sites. Thus, the rate at which current can be supplied is diminished significantly. As the lead sulfate crystals cover more of the surface area of the battery plates, the open circuit voltage, storage capacity (amp-hours), and CCA (ability to deliver peak current) of the battery continue to decline. The electrochemical driving force of a battery declines with temperature, so that in extreme cold, the energy available to start a vehicle is substantially less than at room temperature. In addition, the viscosity of the lubricating oil in the engine increase as the temperature decreases, so more energy is required to start it. Sulfation exacerbates cold weather starting problems by further reducing the available energy in a battery. All of these factors combine to increase the rate of battery failures in cold weather.

Sulfation Affects More Than Just the Battery... Sub-par batteries strain all electrical system components, shortening the life of starters, alternators, halogen lights, contacts, motor windings, brushes, and electronic components. Poor battery performance always results in more frequent and higher maintenance costs. Sulfation also negatively affects battery charging. Increased resistance results in longer charging times, lower charging efficiencies, increased energy consumption, incomplete charging, and excessive heat generation (higher battery temperatures). Higher charging temperatures mean longer cool-down times for motive power batteries, and will also accelerate positive grid corrosion. Longer charging and cool-down times, and reduced battery capacity caused by sulfation mean that more motive power batteries are required to keep battery powered equipment operating than would otherwise be required of sulfate-free batteries. Increased maintenance and less efficient batteries ultimately result in one of the most expensive impacts to the bottom line, reduced labor and equipment productivity.

The Solution:

To improve a battery's performance and extend its life significantly, sulfation must be eliminated. Canadus Power Systems is the world's leading supplier of the most effective high-frequency battery energizing technology (HFBE). Its patented Canadus battery energizers revitalize and extend the useful life of lead-acid batteries by preventing and even reversing the sulfation process. Canadus battery energizers connect to a battery or charging system and emit a high frequency electrical pulse that reverses the lead sulfate crystallization process.
Canadus battery energizers help maintain batteries in "like new" condition. Batteries operating at peak voltage absorb voltage spikes from the alternator and other equipment, and deliver clean, stable power, protecting the entire electrical system. By eliminating or reversing sulfation with Canadus battery energizers, thousands of dollars can be saved in electrical system maintenance, battery replacement and energy costs, as well as the amount of working capital tied up in batteries. Moreover, worker and equipment productivity can improve dramatically.

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Lead sulfate (PbSO4) is created at both the positive and negative electrode plates during a discharge. In principle, during the charging period, 100% of the lead sulfate transforms to the positive plate (lead dioxide), the negative plate (lead) and sulfuric acid. However, in real life, when PbSO4 (lead sulfate) is left in the battery for a period of time, it crystallizes and becomes a hard sulfate that coats the surface of the electrode plates. This phenomenon is called sulfation. Because hard lead sulfate is a non-conductive material, when it coats the electrode plates, it causes a reduction in the area needed for the electro-chemical reactions. It also reduces the batteries' active materials needed to maintain a high capacity. Lead sulfate covers surface of electrode plates limiting the area for electro-chemical reaction. Lead sulfate is also made of useful component materials that are needed for maintaining a high capacity.

Lead sulfate that exists when a battery is not fully charged crystallizes to become a hard lead sulfate when left in a battery for a period of time. (2~3 days is said to be enough.)

In theory, there are three types of lead sulfate. One is soft lead sulfate that decomposes with a regular charge. The second is hard lead sulfate that only decomposes during an equalization charge (controlled over-charge done in industrial battery maintenance). The last is a very hard lead sulfate that fails to decompose even equalization charging. **Notes to help understand batteries** The worst sulfated battery can be created by just leaving a battery unattended for a long period of time. A battery is like a bucket with a tiny hole. Electricity leaks little by little through what is called "natural discharge". It may take three to six months to drain a battery completely, and sulfation created in this process is quite possibly the worst kind. * For deep cycle batteries used in Renewable Energy, Marine and RV applications, sulfation buildup is a real problem because these batteries are not regularly charged to their full capacity. Conditioning the battery with Nanopulser makes good sense to maximize the life span of these batteries. (Nanopulser works on flooded, gel and AGM batteries.) -- IT IS COMMON SENSE TO CONDITION BATTERIES WITH NANOPULSER. (In general, the average life of a car battery is approximately 48 months. The average life of a marine cranking battery in recreational marine use is only 22 months.) * An automobile starter battery is constantly charged while the automobile is running leading one to beleive that there might not be a sulfation problem, but in reality, automobile batteries sulfate. There are many conditions for car batteries to become sulfated. If a car is not in use and the battery is naturally discharged, the battery sulfates. Also, in regular starter usage, it takes about 4% of the battery capacity to start a car. If a car is taken on many short trips requiring the engine to be started many times without getting fully recharged, the battery sulfates. If a car is equipped with many electrical devices, it is more likely that the battery will sulfate. Then, when hard lead sulfate crystals form, charging via the alternator would not be sufficient to decompose the hard sulfation crystals completely. The starter battery begins to loose capacity. Nanopulser will help decompose the hard sulfation crystals so your car battery will last for its maximum life with a constant high capacity. * In the case of industrial batteries, such as a forklift batteries, where the recommendation is to perform equalization charges* every 4 to 6 cycles, Nanopulser will help ensure the batteries last their maximum possible lifespan. As a case study, in a warehouse situation, a 12 year old battery was conditioned with Nanopulser and the result was a rise in specific gravity (SG). It rose from 1.205 to 1.232 SG in 6 weeks. (This battery was a high acidconcentration battery and the SG specification at full charge was 1.310. The SG specification at full charge for common batteries is 1.280. Also, when crystallized lead sulfate grows to a large size on the plates, it precipitates from the plates when it is large enough and accumulates at the bottom of the battery case. When this accumulation touches the plates, it shorts out the battery.) The treatment with Nanopulser decomposed the hard lead sulfate

on the plates that equalization charging could not dissolve. This 12 year old battery did not recover completely. We concluded that lead sulfate crystals already precipitated at the bottom of the battery case may not decompose. However, the increase in SG shows the desulfation effect of the lead sulfate on the plates. Also, in other cases, 4 ~ 6 year old batteries recovered SG up to 1.283. The best way to use Nanopulser in material handling is to install it on a brand new battery and avoid hard sulfation buildup from the very beginning even in a situation where batteries are well maintained. And of course, Nanopulser is highly recommended for those who tend to leave batteries discharged for a period of time**. ---* Equalization charge is a controlled over-charge to equalize the specific gravity among all of the cells. It is a controlled high-voltage charge lasting for a duration of 5 to 7 hours. During this charge, the battery gases out hydrogen and oxygen and creates heat. By performing this charge it is possible to damamge the battery plates by excessive gassing and heat. The benefit of an equalization charge is removal of some sulfation buildup and correction the stratification of the acid density by stirring the electrolyte using the rising gas bubbles. Stirring is necessary to avoid high acid concentrations that can corrode the lower portion of the plate faster than the upper portion where the acid density is lower. ---** In industrial usage batteries the recommendation is to avoid discharging batteries no more than 80% of their capacity and then charing them to 100% immediately after the disachrge. If drained lower than 80%, a quantity of lead sulfate will be created more than desired. Also, hard lead sulfate will start forming within 2 days if batteries are left discharged. To avoid sulfation buildup, the battery must be charged back to 100% right after discharge. Equalization charge should take care of the hard sulfation, but there will be some sulfation left over that the equalization charging misses.

Sulfation is a crystallized lead sulfate (PbSO4) which coats the electrode plates and eventually causes premature battery failure.

Sulfated electrode plate (picture on the left) White sulfation (hard lead sulfate, the crystallized PbSO4) is covering the electrode plate. Lead sulfate is a non-conductive material. Coating an electrode plate with this non-

conductive material causes a reduction in the surface area which is needed for the electrochemical reactions. Sulfation also causes loss of component materials of the battery. Condition of a new electrode plate (picture on the right) The surface of new electrode plate is spongy. This porous condition increases the surface area for the electro-chemical reaction. When an electrode plate is new and not coated by hard lead sulafte buildup, it has more area for electro-chemical reactions and more component materials to produce electricity.