Sealed Lead-acid Batteries Research Articles

Arduino Controlled Battery Charger

In this project we will learn to use an Arduino and an attached charging circuit to control the charging of NiMH rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries are a great way to power your portable electronics. They can save a lot of money when properly recycled. But it's much more fun to build one for yourself. So, here is how to build an Arduino controlled battery charger. Each type of battery uses a different chemical process to make it work. As a result, each type of battery needs to be charged differently. We are going to focus on the most common type of AA rechargeable battery, Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH). Battery Charger is designed for charging 12V sealed lead-acid batteries. The designed device consists Charging unit , Battery Housing Unit (Drawers) with their respective batteries insider the Drawers which can be charged simultaneously. Each Battery Housing Units provided with its driver circuit, transformer and power supply module. Power supply module is designed with thermal analysis & optimization and protection for EMI/EMC issues. Once the battery is connected to the circuit, it then displays battery charging condition. Battery charging level is displayed by LEDS and LCD is used to indicate the keyed input battery voltage and current through keypad 4X4 manually. Battery type and remaining charging time are displayed on screen during charging on LCD display. PIC 18f452 Microcontroller continuously monitors the battery condition and displays it on LCD. Charging stops when battery is fully charged, audio alarm is indicated with a buzzer and finally the ejection of the drawer tray for removal of the charged battery. This is advantageous as it prevents the battery from damage and over charging.

Comparison of Discharge Performance of 12V/150Ah Gel and AGM Sealed Lead acid Batteries in Stand-alone PV-based Systems in UAE

This paper investigates the discharge performance of two major lead-acid batteries, namely 12V/150Ah Gel and AGM sealed lead-acid batteries, when operating in stand-alone (off grid) mode in photovoltaic (PV) based systems in United Arab Emirates (UAE). At harsh environmental conditions such as in UAE where the temperature can go to extremely high level in the summer, the battery performance and replacement cost increases the concerns about the reliability and economic feasibility of those batteries. This paper compares the discharge characteristics of those batteries through discharge tests performed on four similar batteries (two of each type). Experimental results of the discharge tests followed by a comparison between the two batteries are presented in this paper.

Do it yourself: 3D-printed miniature CDC trap for adult mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) surveillance.

The central component of mosquito and vector surveillance programs globally is the adult mosquito trap, which is intended to collect host-seeking mosquitoes. The miniature CDC trap is a widely distributed trap style in part due to its relative affordability and compact nature. Despite already being a simple trap, in-house production methods, such as 3D printing, could improve the accessibility of the CDC trap by eliminating some of the supply chain variables. We present here several trials with the Salt Lake City (SLC) trap, a three-dimensional (3D) printed trap design. Functional assessments were made on secondary components and found no statistically significant differences when comparing CO2 line height (above vs. below fan), battery types (sealed lead acid vs. USB battery pack), and trap body collection shape (funnel body vs. simple/straight body). The SLC trap was compared directly to a commercial equivalent, the ABC trap, with comparative assessment on species diversity and evenness in collections and found to be statistically equivalent on all metrics. Methods also detail an accompanying optional transport system for a pressurized CO2/regulator set-up, should a practitioner elect not to use dry ice. Our final design is presented here with the publicly published stereolithography (STL) files and a detailed outline of the transport container system. Alternative models are available for in-house manufacture of mosquito traps, and we contribute these designs in an effort to stimulate further growth in vector surveillance.

Development of Rechargeable Lawn Mower

Lawn mower is device to mow grass. The lawn mower will be having a problem such as the lawn mower widely used around by handle manually with hand. Next, the power source for lawn mowers is from petrol energy. That energy is nonrenewable energy and has bad impacts on the environment and people. In this paper, a prototype of lawn mower is designed and fabricated with its operation movement system through the Smartphone via Wi-Fi connection. The lawn mower is powered using the sealed acid battery that it can charging by using the photovoltaic cell or AC voltage source. The development of rechargeable lawn mower using ESP32 to keep and process data before sending to the webpage IP Address 192.168.4.1 to show the control movement of lawn mower via Smartphone. Based on experimental test results, the lawn mower was able to control its movement via a smartphone through a Wi-Fi connection. Next, the results were revealing the ability of solar panels for 2 hours and AC voltage for 1 hour to fully charged the sealed lead-acid batteries. Finally, a grass trim performance test was carried out on a lawn mower in the yard of the house and the result was that the grass could be cut. After that, the battery consumption of lawn mower operation for 1 hour was obtained the result around 50% of the capacity which is fully discharge because occurs the maximum depth of discharge of sealed lead acid batteries.

Fuzzy logic control based maximum power point tracking technique in standalone photovoltaic system

This study describes the development of a smart technique for tracking the highest power point on a standalone photovoltaic (SAPV) system when temperature and irradiance conditions are changing using fuzzy logic control (FLC). The PV systems comprises of a PV array, a boost converter, a controller for tracking the maximum power point, and an inverter to power the AC loads. The FLC-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is proposed because the technique is not complex and does not need a deep comprehension of the particular model of the system. Furthermore, the technique is efficient and fast response in tracking maximum power (MP) from the PV array. The technique overcame the limitation of the conventional MPPT technique that resulted in slow tracking of the MP and was not accurate on the optimal position of the PV array output power. The SAPV system is integrated with the sealed lead acid (SLA) battery bank as an alternative power source and makes up for power shortages by supplying energy to the load without interruption during power shortages. A system for managing the battery has been included in the system to preserve the battery's longevity by controlling the battery's charging process. The PV system is able to supply single-phase output AC voltage of 230 Vrms and has low total harmonic distortion (THD) that is suitable for home appliances. The achieved simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested fuzzy logic controller in tracking the MPP.

Design and construction of a car automated by chemical processes

The need for affordable and efficient alternative energy sources is a defining issue of the twenty-first century that is receiving growing attention from both the scientific community and the public. While hydrocarbons have driven a majority of the world’s energy consumption for over a century, such sources are both unsustainable and environmentally detrimental. Hence, this research has been carried out to focus on the use of chemical processes to control a vehicle known as MODEL C, which was developed and modelled using a 3D computer graphics software called BLENDER, without the use of any form of internal combustion engine fuel in order to eradicate any form of hazardous emission. MODEL C is a chemical engineering car that is powered by chemical reactions. The car design is composed of separate processes for starting and stopping. The energy to move the car was taken from the sealed lead acid battery which consisted of two plates, viz. lead peroxide for the positive and sponge lead for the negative of which both plates were immersed in an electrolyte (sulphuric acid) for the conversion of chemical energy into electrical power. An iodine clock reaction was used in conjunction with a light dependent resistor (LDR) and a circuit board to stop the car after the reaction was going to completion. In this case, the iodine and the potassium iodide formed a complex with the starch solution that turned it black after a certain amount of time. This was based on the concentration of sodium thiosulphate that allowed the manipulation of how far the vehicle could travel at constant velocity.

Solar Base LED Schlooring Display

The development of solar energy and the LED display, the superiority of the combination of them and software design of the system are discussed in this paper. Hardware design and software design are the key elements of this paper. Solar control circuit, LED display control circuit, etc are described, charge and discharge of the battery and output of the battery is controlled by Arduino IDE. The design of software provides driver to the related hardware circuit. The result of the experiment have achieved anticipate defects and met the design requirements. The aim of this paper is to design a textual display system, based on a light emitting diode (LED) dot matrix array powered by solar energy. The paper involves taking the device from an initial concept, through a design phase, to constructing a prototype of the product. The system consists of the display unit, which is powered from a photovoltaic ( PV) module and a solar sealed lead acid battery.. The self-contained nature of the intended design will allow the display to be mounted almost anywhere it is needed. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to utilize the solar energy and a rechargeable battery to power a universal self-contained characters display unit. This display unit is useful for creating attention-getting messages, location identifiers such as maps and address identification display modules.

Assessing the Limits of Equivalent Circuit Models and Kalman Filters for Estimating the State of Charge: Case of Agricultural Robots

The battery State of Charge (SoC) is critical information to overcome agricultural robots’ limitations related to battery and energy management. Although several SoC estimation methods have been proposed in the literature, the performance of these methods has not been validated for different battery chemistries in agricultural mobile robot applications. Compared to previous work, this paper evaluates the limits of the SoC estimation using the RC model and the Thevenin model for a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery and a Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) battery. This evaluation used a custom agricultural robot in a controlled indoor environment. Consequently, this work assessed the limitations of two ECM-based SoC estimation methods using battery packs, low-cost sensors and discharge cycles typically used in agricultural robot applications. Finally, the results indicate that the RC model is not suitable for SoC estimation for LFP battery; however, it achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.2% for the SLA battery. On the other hand, the Thevenin model performed properly for both chemistries, achieving MAE lower than 1%.

Computer Interface for Remote Teleoperated Mobile Robot Based on LabVIEW and Open Source Hardware

A remote controlled mobile robot utilizing National Instruments LabVIEW software, communicating over a low-rate serial ISM radio link. The robot is modular in design with system modules connected via serial interfaces to a system controller. A custom power supply and distribution circuit board provides power to the robot using sealed lead acid batteries as the source. The mobile robot streams system voltage and current status, JPEG images, ambient temperature and humidity readings, and GPS location. The project demonstrates the successful use of LabVIEW to develop a system using communication over lowrate serial radio links.

Service life tests for storage batteries used in islanded power systems with renewable energy sources

We investigated the service life of storage batteries to provide recommendations on the design of energy storage systems used in islanded energy systems based on renewable power sources. The service life of maintenance-free, sealed lead-acid batteries produced by absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology was determined by endurance tests carried out by repeated charge/discharge cycles according to specified load profiles, implemented at a specialized Chroma Test System station. Three battery load profiles were simulated: one for the standard DC charge/discharge mode, and two for the charge/discharge modes from renewable energy sources. To this end, the actual data obtained from monitoring the operating modes of a wind power plant were used. It was found that the battery service life depends on the intensity of stress factors. Among them, the throughput factor has the most pronounced influence on the battery lifespan. To extend the service life of storage batteries, it is proposed to separate the charge/discharge modes in time. For batteries operated on renewable energy profiles, this approach decreases time intervals between full charges and at low battery levels, which increases the battery service life by 14%. A solution to designing an energy storage system for microgrids was proposed, which consists in the use of a combined double-circuit energy storage unit. An experimental prototype of such a unit with a power of 15 kW was developed. The use of a combined energy storage unit in the microgrid system: increases the battery service life by 20–30% compared to analogues; improves the static and dynamic stability of the local energy system with a response time of no more than 50 ms towards power change; allows a fuel replacement level of at least 25%; reduces the electricity cost by 25–30%.

Mixed gel electrolytes: Synthesis, characterization, and gas release on PbSb electrode

Abstract Mixed gel electrolytes were fabricated chemically at a temperature range of 2–5°C using some additives comparing with traditional electrolytes (1.26 g/cm3 H2SO4). The polyacrylamide (PAM) content is kept constant (0.2 wt%), while the propylene glycol (PPG) and nano fumed silica (NFS) contents varied. The material characteristics of samples were assessed by physical appearance observation, electrochemical measurements, and physicochemical methods. The results showed that a hard gel without separation of solutions was found in the case using a PAM/PPG/NFS ternary additive (0.2/0.1/0.6 wt%). The morphological structure (<50 nm) of mixed gel electrolytes was in the range of nanometer. The gas release on the PbSb electrode was strongly inhibited (92.2–93.7% for O2 and ∼55% for H2 at the 120th cycle), which will both contributes to reducing the pressure as well as limiting water loss in the sealed lead acid battery, compared with that in the sulfuric acid medium.

Research on Proton Exchange Membranes for Improving Valve Regulated Sealed Lead-Acid Battery Cycling Performance

Abstract In this article, proton exchange membranes (PEMs) are used as separators for lead-acid batteries. Ion migration experiments are conducted to prove the efficacy of PEMs in blocking the passage of antimony ions. The cells are then assembled into a battery to undergo charge–discharge, life cycle, and electrolyte loss testing. The results show that PEMs are effective at reducing the migration of antimony ions from the cathode alloy grid to the anode while suppressing hydrogen formation and electrolyte loss, which greatly improves coulombic efficiency and cycle life of the battery.

Online Impedance Measurement of Batteries Using the Cross-Correlation Technique

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a powerful test technique that is extensively applied to electrochemical cells for determining the frequency response of the cell impedance. The results from EIS may be used for many applications, such as state of charge (SOC) and state of health. This article presents an approach for online EIS based on cross-correlation technique applied to a boost-type dc–dc charge controller for batteries. The theoretical background is explained and some improvements specific to battery applications are suggested. Preparation of noise datasets, postprocessing of results, and model fitting of the measurements are discussed in detail. The validity of the approach is experimentally confirmed with a digitally controlled boost converter that is charging a 12-V, 7-Ah sealed lead-acid battery: First, the perturbation magnitude is determined experimentally and then the battery is tested via the proposed method at 50% SOC. It is shown that the results of the present approach coincide with those obtained by a commercially available, laboratory-type, high-precision instruments. Finally, the tests were also repeated for 25% and 75% SOC values. It is shown that the proposed approach can be reliably used to analyze the impedance of batteries over a wide frequency range during battery charging process.

Particular properties of operation of stationary lead-acid batteries at power distribution facilities

The article provides an analysis of the features of operation of stationary lead-acid rechargeable batteries at power plants as a source of power for operational DC circuits. The aim of the study was to compare widely used lead-acid battery systems with free electrolyte with dryfit and AGM technologies. The result of the study is to determine the significant advantages of sealed batteries in the implementation of gas evolution and recombination processes. On the basis of the conducted research and the revealed modern trend in the implementation of hardware for automation and telemechanics based on low-maintenance and maintenance-free equipment, conclusions have been made about the feasibility of using sealed lead-acid batteries as sources of operational direct current at power distribution facilities.

Life cycle prediction of Sealed Lead Acid batteries based on a Weibull model

Abstract The performance and life cycle of Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) application is considered in this paper. Cyclic test and thermal accelerated aging test is performed to analyze the aging mechanism resulting in gradual loss of performance and finally to battery's end of service life. The objective of this study is to confirm design concepts, find the life characteristic and develop standard information on failure rates and mechanisms. Reliability assessment of the SLA is evaluated using different parametric distribution analysis models and best fit distribution is selected based on Anderson–Darling adjustment value. Shape parameter (β), scale parameter (α) and threshold parameter (λ) of the selected Weibull distribution is computed from experimental cycle life test data. Thermally accelerated aging test of SLA is performed and analyzed. Failure times are extrapolated to predict the lifetimes at the desired operational field temperature.

Effect of 6R and 12R lead iodide polytypes on MAPbI3 perovskite device performance

We compare the structural, morphological and electrical properties of two variants of the ITO/ZnO/ $$\hbox {CH}_3\hbox {NH}_3\hbox {PbI}_3$$ /PDOT:PSS/Au thin film perovskite device made using two structurally different forms of lead iodide. The first device was based on a commercially sourced, common 12R polytype. The second device uses the rarer 6R polytype, as recently synthesized by the authors from depleted sealed lead acid batteries. XRD measurements confirmed the presence of the orthorhombic 6R polytype and the tetragonal 12R polytype. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of all organic–inorganic halide materials. Current–voltage measurements for both samples show good rectifying behavior of the resulting heterogeneous Schottky diodes. The ideality factors and barrier heights were found to be 4.07/4.09 and 0.500/0.496 eV for the 6R/12R polytypes, respectively. The 6R polytype devices appeared to show improved I–V characteristics in comparison to the 12R polytype, thus suggesting an avenue to enhance the performance of MAPbX3 prevoskite devices.

Economic and Technical Aspects of Flexible Storage Photovoltaic Systems in Europe

Solar energy has an increasing role in the global energy mix. The need for flexible storage photovoltaic systems and energy storage in electricity networks is becoming increasingly important as more generating capacity uses solar and wind energy. This paper is a study on the economic questions related to flexible storage photovoltaic systems of household size in 2018. The aim is to clarify whether it is possible in the European Union to achieve a payback of the costs of flexible storage photovoltaic system investments for residential customers considering the technology-specific storage aspects prevalent in 2018. We studied seven different flexible storage photovoltaic investments with different battery technologies in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain because, in Europe, these countries have a prominent role with regard to the spread of photovoltaic technology. These investment alternatives are studied with the help of economic indicators for the different cases of the selected countries. At the end of our paper we come to the conclusion that an investment of a flexible storage photovoltaic (PV) system with Olivine-type-LiFePO4, Lithium-Ion, Vented lead-acid battery (OPzS), Sealed lead-acid battery (OPzV), and Aqueous Hybrid Ion (AHI) batteries can have a positive net present value due to the high electricity prices in Germany and in Spain. The most cost-effective technology was the Olivine-type-LiFePO4 and the Lithium-Ion at the time of the study. We suggest the provision of governmental support and uniform European modifications to the regulatory framework, especially concerning grid fees and tariffs, which would be necessary in the beginning to help to introduce these flexible storage PV systems to the market.

A Neural Network-Based Robust Online SOC and SOH Estimation for Sealed Lead–Acid Batteries in Renewable Systems

Sealed-type lead–acid batteries are most common energy storage devices used with renewable systems. Battery state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) estimation is a crucial part which requires maximum possible accuracy to ensure a secure and long-lasting battery energy storage system by cutting off charging and discharging processes at right time (100–40%). In this research work, a neural network (NN)-based simplified SOC and SOH estimation technique is proposed. Proposed technique provides an accurate online SOC and SOH estimation without battery internal parameter information. This technique only requires real-time battery voltage and current information and very simple mathematical calculations to estimate SOC and SOH, which makes it easy to implement at any low-cost micro-controller unit (MCU). Training data for NN have been acquired by using Arduino mega MCU, voltage sensor circuit, and current sensor. The NN program is designed and trained by backpropagation technique in Arduino mega. The calculated weights are further used for estimation. Terminal voltage $$(V_{\mathrm{t}})$$ and open-circuit voltage $$(V_{\mathrm{oc}})$$ are measured for different charging currents $$(I_{\mathrm{ch}})$$ and discharging currents $$(I_{\mathrm{dch}})$$ . Later on, these data are used for training the NN. Experimental results are provided to prove the preeminence of proposed SOC and SOH estimation technique.

Contactless power transfer system for sealed lead acid battery charging

In this paper, an experimental study is carried out while charging the sealed lead acid battery bank using a series-parallel (SP) compensated contactless power transfer (CPT) system. Constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) modes are used for charging the battery bank. An expression of optimum operating frequency is derived to maintain the maximum compensated coil efficiency throughout the load variation in charging process. An experimental setup of SP compensated CPT system is built for charging the battery bank. The variation of compensated coil efficiency and the load phase angle with respect to different operating frequencies in CC and CV modes is verified with the measurement. Based on the analysis, the control parameters are identified.

State of health determination of sealed lead acid batteries under various operating conditions

In order to maximize the performance and life span of a battery, it is important to assess its state-of-charge and state-of-health. At elevated temperatures like those of desert climates in Arizona, states of extremely high or low state-of-charge can lead to irreversible damage in the battery. The focus of this research is to correlate the performance measurements typically collected to evaluate cycle life to state-of-charge and state-of-health values with high frequency impedance values, so that a more complete picture of a battery’s overall status at a given time can be assessed. Batteries were subjected to temperature and charge/discharge rate variations and found that the state of health degradation was severe at high temperatures along with faster rate of charging compared to other evaluation conditions. Multiple linear regression analysis has also revealed that the degradation of the batteries is higher at elevated temperatures. Based on the experimental results on sealed lead acid cells, a portable tester using high frequency resistance values is also being developed for estimating the state-of-charge and state-of-health values for empowering the operators/technicians to more effectively manage the battery systems in the field.