Battery Builders Guide by Phillip Hurley sample pages
description
Transcript of Battery Builders Guide by Phillip Hurley sample pages
SAMPLE
ii
The Battery Builder’s Guide
by Phillip Hurleycopyright ©2008 Phillip Hurley
all rights reserved
illustrations and e-book design copyright ©2008 Good Idea Creative Services
all rights reserved
ISBN-10: 0-9710125-6-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-9710125-6-1
Wheelock Mountain Publications is an imprint of
Good Idea Creative Services Wheelock VT
USA
WHEELOCKMOUNTAIN Publications
SAMPLE
ii
Table of contents
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Table of Contents continued on the next page
How to use this e-book ..................iv
An INTRODUCTION to WORKING with BATTERIES
Safety Recommendations for Battery Builders
Protective equipment .....................4Rehearse for safety .......................5Safety for lead burning ..................7Mixing chemicals safely ..................7
An Introduction to Lead Acid Batteries
The chemistry of lead acid batteries ..12Charging ....................................13Types of lead acid batteries ..........14Hybrid batteries — the ultrabattery ...16Life cycle of pasted vs. solid plates ...19Alloys vs. solid lead for
battery plates ........................20
Battery ComponentsBattery case ...............................22Plates .......................................24Straps ........................................24Terminal posts and
intercell connectors ................25
DESIGNING BATTERIESBasic Battery Design
System voltage ...........................29Packaging the battery ..................29Amp-hour capacity .......................29Choosing plate type .....................30Electrolyte and specific gravity ......32Battery cases .............................33SAMPLE
iii
Table of contents
Table of Contents continued on the next page
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Estimating Cell and Battery Output
Cell Voltage ................................38Amp-hour capacity .......................38Design parameters and characteristics
of Plante plates ........................38Estimating output by weight of
sheet lead .............................39Solid plate output table ................40Design parameters and characteristics
of pasted plates .......................41Calculate amp-hour capacity
by volume .............................42Pasted plates output table ............43Calculate weight of active material ...44Calculate amp-hour capacity
by weight ..............................44
ElectrolyteMeasuring specific gravity ............45Desirable range of sulfuric acid
concentration .........................46Electrolyte preparation .................48Mixing electrolyte solution ............50Determining electrolyte volume......52Calculate the specific gravity range ...52Calculate the total weight of
electrolyte per cell ..................53Calculate the volume of
electrolyte per cell ..................53Specific Gravity Table A................54Specific Gravity Table B................56SAMPLE
iv
Table of contents
Table of Contents continued on the next page
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
REBUILDING and RECYCLING BATTERIES
Reconditioning and Rebuilding Batteries
Reconditioning vs rebuilding ........59Assessing discarded batteries ......60Reconditioning ...........................61Battery reconditioning by charging ...62Water treatment ..........................64Rebuilding batteries .....................66Battery malfunctions ....................66
Recycling Battery PartsWhat battery parts can be reused
or recycled? ..........................72Recycling lead for battery building ...73Draining the electrolyte ................77Opening the battery case .............81The mechanical approach .............82Applying heat ..............................83Assess the condition of the lid .......83
Separating the groups of plates .....86Repairing case covers ..................90Processing negative plates
for reuse ...............................91
LEAD CASTINGTools for Melting and Casting Lead
Stoves for melting lead .................94Crucibles ....................................95Heat and splash protection ...........97Other miscellaneous useful tools ...98
Lead for Foundry WorkMelting new lead .........................99Melting salvaged lead ................ 101
Making Molds for Lead CastingMaking forms ............................ 105Mold platforms .......................... 108SAMPLE
v
Table of contents
Table of Contents continued on the next page
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Making molds for lead casting, continuedRelease agents ........................ 110Plaster of paris ......................... 111Mixing plaster ........................... 112Pouring the mold ....................... 113Removing the pattern and form ... 113Cleaning and curing the mold ...... 115
Pouring the LeadPractice pouring ........................ 118Using flux ................................. 119Casting straps without slots ........ 120Casting straps with slots ............ 121Aligning the mold ...................... 123Melt and pour ........................... 125
Finishing Castings
Casting Connectors and SealsConnecting rods ........................ 131Casting pocket nuts ................... 133Casting sploot seals .................. 137
Casting PlatesMethods for casting plates .......... 141Making a plate mold .................. 142Release agent .......................... 145Melting the lead ........................ 145Measuring lead for the melt ........ 146Level the stove .......................... 147Simple plate mold ...................... 153Finishing the casting .................. 154Casting plates without a mold ..... 155
WORKING with SHEET LEADTools for Working Sheet Lead
Smoothing sheet lead ................ 162Making the cuts ......................... 164
Making Plates from Lead SheetSmoothing the lead .................... 166Finishing the plates ................... 177SAMPLE
vi
Table of contents
Table of Contents continued on the next page
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Adding Plate TextureSurface treatment for Plante plates .. 178
Preparing Plates from the Burning Rack
Making Plate Grids from Sheet Lead
PASTED PLATESMixing and Applying Paste
Using a binder .......................... 186Mixing in the electrolyte ............. 187Paste formula and preparation ..... 188Safety procedures ..................... 189Set up the work area ................. 192Pasting container ...................... 192Prepare the grid plate ................ 193Measuring the ingredients ......... 193Prepare the dry ingredients ........ 195Adding wet ingredients ............... 196Pasting the plates ...................... 198Curing and drying the grids ........ 199
LEAD BURNINGPlate Burning Rack
Design and function ................... 202Side slider rims ......................... 205Combs ..................................... 205Leveling feet ............................. 208Tools ....................................... 210Materials .................................. 211
Tools for Lead BurningTorches .................................... 212Putty for lead burning................. 213Preparing surfaces for burning .... 214Cleaning the work pieces ........... 214Lead wire ................................. 216Post molds ............................... 216SAMPLE
vii
Table of contents
Table of Contents continued on the next page
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Burning Lugs onto PlatesBurning lugs ............................. 218Laying in a melt ........................ 223
Burning Plates into GroupsSet up components in the rack .... 224Prepare the components ............ 226Set up heat shield cloth .............. 227Set up the containment dam ....... 227Final check ............................... 230The burn .................................. 231
BATTERY ASSEMBLYPlate Separators
Materials used for separators ...... 236Separator shape ........................ 236Ribbing .................................... 237Mesh ....................................... 238Making sleeve separators ........... 239
Battery AssemblyAssemble the elements .............. 247Fit and install the elements ......... 249Install the cover ........................ 254Add the electrolyte .................... 257
CHARGING and FORMINGPlate Forming
Forming and charging basics ...... 259Designated vs. actual voltage ...... 259Forming for Plante plates ........... 259Forming cycles .......................... 260Discharging .............................. 261Initial charging for pasted plates .. 264SAMPLE
viii
Table of contents
Table of Contents links have been disabled for this sample e-book. Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide
Equipment for Forming and Charging
Charging from the grid ............... 265Manual chargers ....................... 266Smart chargers ......................... 267Charging multiple batteries ......... 267Chargers for either grid or solar .. 268Solar chargers .......................... 269
Charging and Forming Procedure
Sequence for charging ............... 273Discharging sequence for forming
Plante type plates ................ 276Next cycle for forming ................ 277Final charge ............................. 277Safety during forming and charging.. 278Gassing ................................... 278Equalization charges.................. 279Electrolyte levels ....................... 280
Wiring and ConnectorsFormulas for working with batteries . 285Tests, performance characteristics
and statistics ...................... 286
APPENDIXResources
Safety clothing and equipment guidelines ............ 291
Compliance Codes .................... 292Safety equipment and clothing .... 293Material Data Safety Sheets ....... 293
Materials and ToolsResin codes ............................. 294
Other Titles of Interest ....... 301
Table of contentsTable of contents
SAMPLE
18
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
spongifying the lead on each plate, which enhanc-es the performance of the cell. The porous sponge plates of Plante’s experimental cell produced about 7.25 amp-hours per pound of lead and had an effi-ciency of about 72%. Plante continued experiment-ing and improving on his lead acid cell for the next twenty years. Although the Plante batteries worked very well, they were not viable as a commercial offer-ing because the process for forming the plates took a long time.
In 1881 Émile Alphonse Fauré developed a differ-
ent process for plate preparation and drastically reduced the time it took to make plates. Rather than forming the solid plates by the tedious process of charging and de-charging through many cycles over many days, Fauré filled grids with the appropriate chemical compounds so that the batteries could be put into service after one ini-tial charge. This made the manufacture of lead acid bat-teries an economical enterprise, as they could be mass produced at a fast rate.
A solid plate, with scoring to increase surface area.
A pasted Fauré plate
An Introduction to Lead Acid Batteries
SAMPLE
25
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
Terminal posts for external connections
Internal intercell connections
Terminal posts and intercell connectors
Terminal posts are the visible lead posts that you see on batteries. The number of terminal posts on a bat-tery can vary. Most consumer batter-ies have two: one positive and the other negative. Most individual bat-tery cells within a case are
connected in series (positive to negative) to add voltage. The cells are connected via intercell connectors which can either be external or internal.
An Introduction to Lead Acid Batteries
SAMPLE
34
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
New vented flip-top caps for a recycled case lid
Case covers need to fit well and be sealed, and have ports with caps for fill-ing and venting. If you make your own covers, recycled caps can be used, which can save you some fabrication work. Or, you can purchase new caps like the flip-top vented caps shown in the photo.
Case covers can be sealed with Viton® caulk and then epoxied to retain the cover to the case. If heat is used for sealing or unsealing, here are the melting points for some commonly used materials:
Polypropylene — 320°F p
High density polyethylene — 248°F to 266°F p
Low density polyethylene — 221°F to 239°F p
Polyvinyl chloride — 413°F p
Basic Battery Design
SAMPLE
78
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
When everything is ready and in pplace, unscrew the caps from the battery cover and place the caps in a plastic container for cleaning.
Next, twist off the terminals with pa pair pliers. Terminals are easily removed in this manner. Place the terminals in a receptacle for cleaning and melting.
Recycling Battery Parts
SAMPLE
84
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
Removing the battery elements
Once the lid is off the case, remove the elements from the battery. If they have intercell connections, the elements will be attached to each other through the cell wells. To get the elements out of the cells you need to cut the intercell connecting rods. I usually use a thin chisel to bend the strap attachments away from the cell walls so that I can get at the connecting rods with the chisel. Then, hammer the chisel gently to sever the connecting rod between the intercell connectors. However you can do it, each element needs to be disconnected from the others so that you can remove it from the cell well.
Once the intercell connectors are cut, pull each element from the case. In some batteries the plates will have expanded so much that they become tightly retained in the case.
To test for removal, grab both of the group straps and pull straight upward. If they do not budge you may need pliers to grab the group straps. If the case tends to move upward as you pull the plates, you can use your feet to hold it in place while you lift the element.
Recycling Battery Parts
SAMPLE
175
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
The scribe lines are deepened with the linoleum knife, being careful not to stray from the scribe line. The linoleum knife deepens the cuts quite well if you work slowly.
The fanout knife is used to finish the cuts.
Making Plates from Lead Sheet
SAMPLE
231
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
The burn
Burning the lugs to the strap is pretty straightfor-ward. Start by melting the protruding lug tops down to the surface of the strap and then melt the lugs and strap together in one continuous melt. If you need to add lead to voids or to even out the surface you can do so with the welding wire while burning.
Burning Plates into Groups
SAMPLE
251
Purchase the full version of The Battery Builder’s Guide by Phillip Hurley
Adjust and align the holes in the intercell connectors with the holes in the cell walls and slip the threaded lead rods through the connec-tors and cell wall.
Test the pocket nuts on the threaded rods to see if the connection is tight. If they are a bit
loose, add a thin lead connecting seal over the threads (see page 137). Press the seals onto the threads. Be careful not to drop the seals into the cell well, otherwise you will have to remove the element and retrieve the lost seal.
Battery Assembly
SAMPLE
301
Other e-book titles available from
Wheelock Mountain Publications:
Build Your Own Solar Panel by Phillip Hurley
Solar II by Phillip Hurley
Build a Solar Hydrogen Fuel Cell System by Phillip Hurley
Solar Supercapacitor Applications by Phillip Hurley
Practical Hydrogen Systems by Phillip Hurley
Build Your Own Fuel Cells by Phillip Hurley
Solar Hydrogen Chronicles edited by Walt Pyle
Tesla: the Lost Inventions by George Trinkaus
Tesla Coil by George Trinkaus
Radio Tesla by George Trinkaus
Wheelock Mountain Publications is an imprint of
Good Idea Creative Services 324 Minister Hill Road
Wheelock VT 05851
SAMPLE