Syllabus Topic : Batteries

5.10 BATTERIES :
GTU, May-2016;December-2020
GTUQuestions,
1. What is battery ? Explain the construction and
working of any battery.
[May-20 16, December-2020, 4-Marks]
When a current passes through an electrolyte solution, chemical reaction occurs i.e. electrical
energy is
converted into chemical energy. Conversely, chenical energy can also be converted into electrical energy.
The device which is capable of carrying out these conversions is called cell.
The combination of two or more than two cells, suitably connected together is called a battery.
The cells arc connected to each other either in series or in parallel or in some combination of series and
parallel depending on the amount of voltage and current required to be delivered by the battery.
For example a 12 V battery used in a car consists of 6 cells of 2 V each connected in series. For a
circuit, if higher voltage. is required abattery containing number of cells connccted in series is applied.
If higher current is required a battery containing number of cells connected in parallel is applied.
If larger current and higher voltage is required, a battery containing number of cells in series and further
connected in parallel is applied.
Electrical Wiring and Installations 289
511 LEAD-ACI BATTERY :
2016|
GTUQuestions
GTU, May-2011: December-2010, 2015,

1. What battery? Explain the construction

is
(December-2010, 7-Marks]
and working of any
Explain with neat sketch batterY
2. construction and working of lead acid battery. [May-2011, 7-Marks]

3. Discuss
the lead acid battery
with charging and (December-2015, 7-Marks]
Discuss the working of
a Lead Acid Battery.
discharging cquations.
4. |December-2017, 7-Marks]

CELL
CELL CONNECTOR
TERMINAL
BATTERY
COVER
GROUP OF
POSITVE PLATES GROUP OF
NEGATIVE PLATES

CONTAINER
POSITIAVE SEPARATOR
PLATES
SEPERATOR
NEGATIVE
PLATES

RI8S
SEPARATOR
(o) (b) (c)
ina battery
(a) Lead-acid battery (b) Positive and negative plates of a battery (c) Separalor
FIG. 5.27

important
commercial lead-acid battery. Following are the
Fig. 5.27(a) shows the cut-away view of 6 V
parts of the battery.
plastic material.
battery. It is made of a hard rubber or
1. Container : It is the outer body of the
each cell instead
battery, we use a large number of plates in
2. Plates : To increase the capacity of the are alternately
plates. The number of positive plates and negative plates of each cell
of only (wo 5.27(b).
in Fig.
insulator called separator as shown
placed and sandwitched with an plates are plaed
reduce the internal resistance of he cell and to save space, the
Separator : To wrap or buckle they are
plates touching cach other if they
3.
each other. To prevent the called separator
very close to malerial) having large number of holes
(non-conducting
separated by a rubber sheet
as shown in Fig. 5.27(c). clecrolyte in lead-acid batteries
sulphuric-acid (H,SO}) is used às an
Elcctrolvte : Dilute
4.
compartment is
covered usually with a molded hard rubber and joints
5 Battery cover : Each cell acid-resistant material
container are sealcd with an
between covers and container are connected in series with a lead alloy
The cells; placed in the same
6. Cell connector:
cell connector.
link called inter- which ar generally made of lead as it does not corrode
cell has two terminals
Each battery is marked with a red colour or by a large
7 Cell terminals : positive terminal of the
elecrolyte. The
due to the
positive (+) sign.

Basic Elecrical Engineering / 2024 7 37

 290
Basic Electrical Engineerino
Chemical action during charging :
When sulphuric acid is
dissolved, its
molecules arc dissociated into LOAD D.C. MAINS

ions (2H+) and sulphate hydrogen

which move frecly (at iron (SO,)
random) in the
electrolyte. CONTAINER
When the load (resistor) ANODE
(PbO;) CATHODE
is connected (PbSO,)
across the terminals as shown ELECTROLYTE
in Fig. (H, S0,)
5.28, the sulphate ions
move towards CATHODE
cathode and hydrogen ions (Pb)
towards the
anode. The following chemical ANOOE
(PbSO,)
action
takes place at cathode and (a) (b)
anode.
At cathode : FIG. 5.28 : LEAD ACID CELL

SO4 - 2e = SO, (radical). The electrons travel through

external load and after doing work reach at cathode.
The sulphate radical, chemically reacts with cathode
material (Pb) and forms lead sulphate (Pb SO,)
Pb + SO4
Pb SO4
Grey in whitish in
colour
colour
At Anode :
Each hydrogen ion (H) on reaching the anode,
takes one electron (the same electron which is given
up by the sulphate ion at cathode and has
come to anode via external load resistor) from it to
hydrogen gas become
i.e. 2H + 2e = 2H
The hydrogen gas liberated at anode acts chemically
with anode material (PbO,) and reduces it to PbO
which further reacts with H,SO, forming PbSO,.
Pbo, + 2H PbO + H,0
(chocolate brown
in colour)
PbO + Pb SO, + H,0
H,SO,
(whitish in
colour)

Chemical action during recharging :

For recharging, anode is connected to positive terminal ol the source
and cathode is connected to the
negative terminal as shown in Fig. 5.21.
During recharging hydrogen ions (2&") move towards the cathode and sulphate ions (SO,- )
the anode. The tollowing chemical actions take place at the two plates :
towards
At Anode :

SO4 2e SO, (radical)

SO4 H,0 ’ H,SO, +
 Wiring and
Electrical
Installations 291
AXVgen reacts chemically
with anode material
PbSO,
(PbSO,)
(whitish in colour)
+
O+H,0
(chocolate
+
H,so,
brown in colour)
At cathode :
Each hydrogen ion (H) on reaching
the cathode, takes one clectron - the same clectron which is given
up by the sulphate ion at anode and has come
to eothoda via ovternal circuit Le. source trom it to
hydrogen gas,
2H + 2e 2H

The hydrogen gas liberated at cathode

acts clhemically wih cathode mnaterial
roSO4
PbSO, 2H ’ Pb
(Whitish in colour) H,So,
(Grey in colour)
Application of a lead -acid battery :
The lead-acid batteries have innumerable commercial applications.
Some of the important appcdo
given below :
1 Used in automobiles for starting and
lighting
2. For lighting on steam and diesel railway trains.
3. Used at generating stations and substations for operation of protecting devices and for emergency light.
4 Used at telephone exchanges.
5 Used tor emergency lighting at important places such as hospital, theatres, banks etc.
6 Used for lighting purposes in remote rural areas.

5.12 LIFE OF BATTERY :

The average life of a lead-acid battery is two to four years depending upon its manufacturing qualities
and techniques. However, to obtain longer life and efficient service, the following points must be kept
in vieW

1 The battery should not be allowed to use when the emf of the battery falls to 1.88 per cell. Otherwise.
the lcad sulphate of the plates partly changes to non-active lcad sulphate and damage the battery.
2 The specific gravity to the electrolyte should not be allowed to fall below 1.15
3. The battery should never be left standing ina discharged condition, otherwise sulphation will occur
and the battery cells are permanently damaged.
4. When not in use. the battery must be tully Charged and stored in a cool and dry place.
5. Great care should be taken that the acid uscd as electrolyte should not contain any substantial impurity.
6 The clectrodes must remain completely immersed in the eleclrolyte, prelerably the level of electrolvte
above the electrodes.
should always be about 10 mm
7 Whenever the level of the elecrolyte decreases due lO evaporation or gassing, distilled waler should
concentration of clectrolyte.
be added so as to keep the same
discharged at low rate so that its temperature may not rise above
8 The battery should be charged and bate n
45°C. The hieh temperature may buCkle the Plales and damage he separators and the
be totally damaged.
 292 Bosic Elcctrical Engineering
9 The battery terminals should never be short circuitcd.
10. While charging, the polarity must be checked carefully.
11. The room where the batteries are
charged should be well ventilated as the atmosphere near the batteries
would be charged with the corresponding acid fumes.
12. The flames must be kept away from the vent of the battery, olherwise hydrogen and oxygen produccd
within the battery cells may get fire.
13. The battery terminals should always he kept clean and periodically grcased with vaseline to prevent
coTOsion.

5.13 EFFICIENCY OF BATTERY

GTU, May-2015, 2016, 2017; December-2015
GTUQuestions
1. Explain in brief the following : A-h and W-h capacity of a battery.
[May-2015, December-2015, 1-Mark!
2. Define A-H efficiency. [May-2016, 1-Mark]
3. Define ampere hour efficiency of battery. [May-2017, 1-Mark)
1. Ampere hour cfficiency : GTU May-2015
The ratio of output amp-hours during discharing to the input ampere-hours during charging of the batery
is called quantity or ampere-hour efficiency of the battery.

Mathematically, MAH
IT
where. I, =discharing current in amperes
TË =discharing time in hours
I = charing current in amperes
T, = charing time in hours
2. Watt-hour efficiency of a battery : GTU; May-2015
The ratio of output watt-hours during discharing to the input watt-hours during charging of the battery
is called energy or wat-hour cfficiency of the battery.

Mathematically. mwH
where, V =Average terminal voltage during discharging
V,, = Average terminal voltage during charging
5.14 CHARGING METHODS : GTU, May-2014, Pec. 2015:Jan. 2020|
GTUQuestions
1. Explain the process of charging and discharging of lead acid cell. [May-2014, Jan. 2020, 7-Marks]
2. Discuss the lead acid battery with charging and discharging equations. [December-2015, 4-Marks]
1. Constant current method :

In this method, the charging current supplied to the battery is kept constant throughout the charging period
by adjusting the valuc of variable resistor R-as shown in Fig. 5.29.
 Wiring and
Electricaol

Installations 293
At the beginning of the charging, current supplied
V-nE to the battery
R+ nr
Where, n = No. of cells
in series VATTERY
E, = e.m.f. of each cell
r =internal
in the beginning.
resistance of each ccll
R, = initial value of
series resistor
R, D.C. MAINS

R=
V-n E,
nr FIG. 5.29 : CONSTANT CURRENT
METHOD OF CHARGING ABATTERY
As the battery is charged, the emf develoned in eoch eell etarts
current. inereasing which decreases the circut
To maintain thc current constant, the value
of series
battery is fully chargcd, let the emf devcloped per cell beresistor is decreased gradually. Finaiiy
E. and the value of series resistance be g
R
V-n E,
2 Constant voltage method :
In this method, the supply voltage for
charging of battery is kept
constant. A fixed resistance R is connected in
series with the battery
as shown in Fig. 5.30 to limit the
current supplied to the battery
in the beginning. N-CELLS

In this case, the battery draws heavy current I, in

the beginning I1 BATTERY
which reduces to I, finally when the battery is fully charged. R

V-nE
R+nr
OR D.C. MAJNS
FIG. 5.30 : CONSTANT VOLTAGE
V-n E METHOD OF CHARGING A BATTERY
I,= R+nr

This method of battery charging is applied commercially as total time required for complete charging is
far less (nearly half) than for constant current method. Morcover, no attendent is required to Vary the
series resistance.

Svllabus Topic : Important Characteristics of Batteries

S.15 IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF BATTERIES : GTU, May-2010, 2017, 2019

GTU. Questions
Discuss elcctrical characteristics of batleries. [May-2010, 4-Marks]
2 Explain the specificatins of battery. [May-2017, 3-Marks)
Dlate and explain in brief important electrical characteristics of battery. [May-2019, 4-Marks]
Cell and battery voltages :
All electric cells have nominal voltages which gives the approximate voltage when the cell is delivering
electrical power.
Ihe celis can be connected in series to give the overall voltage require.
 294
Bosic Electrical Engineering
The 'internal resistance' and the equivalent
circuit of a
battery is shown in Fig. 5.31. R

The battery is represented as having a fixed voltage

E,
but the voltage at the terminals that different voltage V, External
Load
because of the voltage across the intermal resistance
R.
Assuming that a current I is flowing out of the battery,
as in Fig. 5.31, then by basic circuit theory we can
that :
say

V=E - IR FIG. 5.31 : SIMPLE EQUIVALENT CIRCäIT

MODEL OF A BATTERY THIS BATTERY°S)
2. Charge (or Ahr) capacity : COMPOSED OF SIX CELLS

he electric charge that a battery an supply is clearly a most crucial parameter. The SI unit for this is
the Coulomb, the charge when one Amp flows for one second. The capacity of a battery might be, say,
10 Amp hours. This means it can provide 1 Amp for 10 hours.
3. Energy stored :
The energy stored in a battery depends on its voltage, and the charge stored. The SI unit is the joule,
but this is an inconveniently small unit, and so we use the Whr instead.
Encrgy in Whr =VxAhr
4. Specific energy :
Specific energy is the amount of electrical energy stored for every kilogram of battery mass. It has units
of [Link]-!.
5. Energy density :
Energy density is the amount of electrical energy stored per cubic metre of battery volume. It normally
has units of Wh.m-3
6. Specific power
Specific power is the amount of power obtained per kilogram of battery. It is a highly variable and rather
anomalous quantity, since the power given out by, the battery depends far more upon the load connected
to it than the battery itsclf.
7. Ahr (or charge) efficiency :
In an ideal vorld a battery would return the entire charge put into it, in which case the amp hour efficiency
is 100%.

However, no batery does; its charging efficiency is less than 100%. The precise value will vary with
different types of battery, temperature and rate of charge. It will also vary with the state of charge.
8. Energy cflicicncy
This is another very inmportant parameter and it is defined as the ratio of electrical energy supplied by
a battery to this amount of electrical energy required to retun it to the state before discharge.

9. Self-discharge rates :
important as it
Most batteries discharge when left unused, and this is known as self-discharge. This is
varies with battery (ype,
means some batteries cannot be left for long period without recharging. The rate
increase self-discharge.
and with other factors such as temperature; higher temperature greatly
 electrical Wiring and Installations 295
Battery temperature heating and
10.
Although most
cooling
batteries run at ambient
needs
temperature, some heating
to start with and then cooling run at higher temperatures and need
when in use.
In others, battery performance
drops off at low
be overcome by heating the battery. temperatures, which is undesirable, but this problem could
When choosing a battery the designer needs needs,
and has to take these into consideration to be aware of battery temperature, hcating and cooling
Battery life and number of
during the vehicle, design process.
11. deep cycles :
Most rechargeable batteries will only
However, the exact number depends onundergo a few hundred deep cycles to 20% of the battery charge.
the batterv tune and also on the details of the battery
and on how the battery is used. desiBl
This is a very mportant figure in a battery specification as it reflects in the
in turn reflects in electric lifetime of the battery. wniel
vehicle running costs.
Syllabus