Professional Documents
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WHEELOCK MOUNTAIN Publications
by Phillip Hurley
copyright 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
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Table of contents
How to use this e-book ..................iv
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The chemistry of lead acid batteries .. 12 Charging .................................... 13 Types of lead acid batteries .......... 14 Hybrid batteries the ultrabattery ... 16 Life cycle of pasted vs. solid plates ... 19 Alloys vs. solid lead for battery plates ........................ 20
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Battery Components Battery case ............................... 22 Plates ....................................... 24 Straps ........................................ 24
Terminal posts and intercell connectors ................ 25
DESIGNING BATTERIES
Basic Battery Design System voltage ........................... 29 Packaging the battery .................. 29 Amp-hour capacity ....................... 29 Choosing plate type ..................... 30 Electrolyte and specific gravity ...... 32 Battery cases ............................. 33
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Estimating Cell and Battery Output Cell Voltage ................................ 38 Amp-hour capacity ....................... 38
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Estimating output by weight of sheet lead ............................. 39 Solid plate output table ................ 40 Design parameters and characteristics of pasted plates....................... 41 Calculate amp-hour capacity by volume ............................. 42 Pasted plates output table ............ 43 Calculate weight of active material ... 44 Calculate amp-hour capacity by weight .............................. 44
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Electrolyte
Measuring specific gravity ............ 45 Desirable range of sulfuric acid concentration ......................... 46 Electrolyte preparation ................. 48 Mixing electrolyte solution ............ 50 Determining electrolyte volume ...... 52 Calculate the specific gravity range ... 52 Calculate the total weight of electrolyte per cell .................. 53 Calculate the volume of electrolyte per cell .................. 53 Specific Gravity Table A ................ 54 Specific Gravity Table B ................ 56
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REBUILDING and RECYCLING BATTERIES
Reconditioning and Rebuilding Batteries Reconditioning vs rebuilding ........ 59 Assessing discarded batteries ...... 60 Reconditioning ........................... 61 Battery reconditioning by charging ... 62 Water treatment .......................... 64 Rebuilding batteries ..................... 66 Battery malfunctions .................... 66 Recycling Battery Parts
What battery parts can be reused or recycled? .......................... 72
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Recycling lead for battery building ... 73 Opening the battery case ............. 81 Applying heat .............................. 83 Draining the electrolyte ................ 77 The mechanical approach ............. 82 Assess the condition of the lid ....... 83
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Repairing case covers .................. 90 Processing negative plates for reuse ............................... 91
LEAD CASTING
Tools for Melting and Casting Lead Stoves for melting lead ................. 94 Crucibles .................................... 95 Heat and splash protection ........... 97 Other miscellaneous useful tools ... 98
Lead for Foundry Work Melting new lead ......................... 99 Melting salvaged lead ................ 101
Making Molds for Lead Casting Making forms ............................ 105 Mold platforms .......................... 108 Table of Contents continued on the next page
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Making molds for lead casting, continued Release agents ........................ 110 Plaster of paris ......................... 111 Mixing plaster ........................... 112 Pouring the mold ....................... 113 Removing the pattern and form ... 113 Cleaning and curing the mold ...... 115
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Pouring the Lead Practice pouring ........................ 118 Using flux ................................. 119 Casting straps without slots ........ 120 Casting straps with slots ............ 121 Aligning the mold ...................... 123 Melt and pour ........................... 125 Finishing Castings Casting Connectors and Seals Connecting rods ........................ 131 Casting pocket nuts ................... 133 Casting sploot seals .................. 137
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WORKING with SHEET LEAD
Tools for Working Sheet Lead Smoothing sheet lead ................ 162 Making the cuts ......................... 164 Making Plates from Lead Sheet Smoothing the lead .................... 166 Finishing the plates ................... 177 Table of Contents continued on the next page
Casting Plates Methods for casting plates .......... 141 Making a plate mold .................. 142 Release agent .......................... 145 Melting the lead ........................ 145 Measuring lead for the melt ........ 146 Level the stove .......................... 147 Simple plate mold ...................... 153 Finishing the casting .................. 154 Casting plates without a mold ..... 155
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Adding Plate Texture
Surface treatment for Plante plates .. 178
LEAD BURNING
Preparing Plates from the Burning Rack Making Plate Grids from Sheet Lead
PASTED PLATES
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Mixing and Applying Paste Using a binder .......................... 186 Mixing in the electrolyte ............. 187 Paste formula and preparation ..... 188 Safety procedures ..................... 189 Set up the work area ................. 192 Pasting container ...................... 192 Prepare the grid plate ................ 193 Measuring the ingredients ......... 193 Prepare the dry ingredients ........ 195 Adding wet ingredients ............... 196 Pasting the plates ...................... 198 Curing and drying the grids ........ 199
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Plate Burning Rack Design and function ................... 202 Side slider rims ......................... 205 Combs ..................................... 205 Leveling feet ............................. 208 Tools ....................................... 210 Materials .................................. 211 Tools for Lead Burning Torches .................................... 212 Putty for lead burning ................. 213 Preparing surfaces for burning .... 214 Cleaning the work pieces ........... 214 Lead wire ................................. 216 Post molds ............................... 216 Table of Contents continued on the next page
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Burning Lugs onto Plates Burning lugs ............................. 218 Laying in a melt ........................ 223 Burning Plates into Groups Set up components in the rack .... 224 Prepare the components ............ 226 Set up heat shield cloth .............. 227 Set up the containment dam ....... 227 Final check ............................... 230 The burn .................................. 231
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BATTERY ASSEMBLY
Plate Separators
Materials used for separators ...... 236 Separator shape ........................ 236 Mesh ....................................... 238 Ribbing .................................... 237 Making sleeve separators ........... 239
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Battery Assembly Assemble the elements .............. 247 Fit and install the elements ......... 249 Install the cover ........................ 254 Add the electrolyte .................... 257
Forming and charging basics ...... 259 Designated vs. actual voltage ...... 259
Forming for Plante plates ........... 259 Forming cycles .......................... 260 Discharging .............................. 261 Initial charging for pasted plates .. 264
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Equipment for Forming and Charging Charging from the grid ............... 265 Manual chargers ....................... 266 Smart chargers ......................... 267 Charging multiple batteries ......... 267 Chargers for either grid or solar .. 268 Solar chargers .......................... 269 Charging and Forming Procedure Sequence for charging ............... 273
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Discharging sequence for forming Plante type plates ................ 276 Next cycle for forming ................ 277 Safety during forming and charging.. 278 Gassing ................................... 278 Electrolyte levels ....................... 280 Final charge ............................. 277 Equalization charges .................. 279
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Formulas for working with batteries . 285 Tests, performance characteristics and statistics ...................... 286
APPENDIX
Resources
Safety clothing and equipment guidelines ............ 291 Compliance Codes .................... 292 Safety equipment and clothing .... 293 Material Data Safety Sheets ....... 293
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A solid plate, with scoring to increase surface area.
In 1881 mile Alphonse Faur developed a different 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 decharging through many cycles over many days, Faur filled grids with the appropriate chemical compounds so that the batteries could be put into service after one initial charge. This made the manufacture of lead acid batteries an economical enterprise, as they could be mass A pasted Faur plate produced at a fast rate.
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Internal intercell connections
connected in series (positive to negative) to add voltage. The cells are connected via intercell connectors which can either be external or internal.
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Terminal posts for external connections
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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:
p p p p
Polypropylene 320F
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New vented flip-top caps for a recycled case lid
High density polyethylene 248F to 266F Low density polyethylene 221F to 239F Polyvinyl chloride 413F
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When everything is ready and in place, unscrew the caps from the battery cover and place the caps in a plastic container for cleaning. Next, twist off the terminals with a pair pliers. Terminals are easily removed in this manner. Place the terminals in a receptacle for cleaning and melting.
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The fanout knife is used to finish the cuts.
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The burn
Burning the lugs to the strap is pretty straightforward. 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.
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Battery Assembly
Adjust and align the holes in the intercell connectors with the holes in the cell walls and slip the threaded lead rods through the connectors and cell wall.
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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.
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Build Your Own Solar Panel by Phillip Hurley Solar II by Phillip Hurley
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Solar Supercapacitor Applications by Phillip Hurley Practical Hydrogen Systems by Phillip Hurley Build Your Own Fuel Cells by Phillip Hurley
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Wheelock Mountain Publications is an imprint of Good Idea Creative Services 324 Minister Hill Road Wheelock VT 05851
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