Does the Lead Acid Battery Compete in Modern Times?

The lead acid battery is the oldest rechargeable battery. Invented by French physicist Gaston Plante in 1859, lead acid battery used in stationary or mobile applications where size and weight are not worrying factors. Today, the dielectric lead-acid battery used in automobiles, forklifts and large uninterruptible power systems (UPS).

In the mid 70's, developed the maintenance-free lead acid battery that could operate in any position. The liquid electrolyte was transformed in wet separators and sealing the envelope. Safety valves were added to allow venting of gas during the loading and unloading.

Emerged two types of sealed lead acid batteries: the battery sealed lead acid (better known as SLA for its acronym in English), also known Gelcell, which is predominantly used in moving vehicles, and regulated lead acid batteries large valves (VRLA), used in stationary applications. This article is more about the SLA.

The SLA is not subject to memory. Leaving the battery on float charge for a long time does not cause damage. The retention of power in the battery is best done in rechargeable batteries. While NiCd batteries self-discharge to 40% of the energy stored in three months, the SLA self-discharges the same amount in one year. The SLA is relatively inexpensive but operating costs may be higher than the lithium Battery if full cycles are required repeatedly.

SLA batteries are not suitable for fast charging - typical charge times are 8 to 16 hours. The SLA must always be stored in a charged state. When left unloaded battery, this causes sulfation, a condition that makes difficult and even impossible to recharge the battery.

Unlike the NiCd, the SLA do not like the deep recycling. A full discharge causes extra effort and each cycle of discharge / charge steals a small portion of capacity. This wear is also applicable to other types of batteries in varying degrees. To prevent the battery suffers during repetitive deep discharge, we recommend a larger SLA battery.

The SLA provides 200 to 300 cycles of discharge / charge. The main reason for a relatively short life cycle is the corrosion of the positive electrode plate, the wear of active material and expansion of positive plates. These changes are most noticeable at higher operating temperatures. Applying charge / discharge does not prevent or reverse this trend.

Among modern rechargeable batteries, the lead battery family has the lowest energy density, making them unsuitable for handheld devices that demand compact size. In addition, the low temperature performance is poor. The high lead content makes the SLA dangerous to the environment if disposed of carelessly.
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