AFewWordsAboutBatteryHazardsandWhyThey

Happen

A Few Words About Battery Hazards and Why They Happen (photo by infrastructureemily.com)

SafeOperationofBatteries
Becausebatteriesstorelargeamountsofenergy,therearecertainhazardsthatareassociated
withbatteryoperation.Thesehazardsmustbefullyunderstoodtoensuresafeoperationof
batteries.

ShortedCell
Cellshortcircuitscanbecausedbyseveralconditions,whichincludethefollowing:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Faultyseparators
Leadparticlesorothermetalsformingacircuitbetweenthepositiveandnegativeplates
Bucklingoftheplatesor
Excessivesedimentsinthebottomofthejar.

Theprimarycauseofsomeoftheseoccurrencesisoverchargingandoverdischargingofthe
battery,whichcausessedimenttobuildupduetoflakingofactivematerialandbucklingofcell
plates.

Overchargingandoverdischargingofbatteriesshouldbeavoidedatallcosts.

Shortcircuitscauseagreatreductioninbatterycapacity.Witheachshortedcell,battery
capacityisreducedbyapercentageequaltooneoverthetotalnumberofcells.

GasGeneration
Aleadacidbatterycannotabsorballtheenergyfromthechargingsourcewhenthebatteryis
nearingthecompletionofthecharge.
Thisexcessenergydissociateswaterbywayofelectrolysisintohydrogenandoxygen.Oxygenis
producedbythepositiveplate,andhydrogenisproducedbythenegativeplate.

Thisprocessisknownasgassing.Gassingisfirstnoticedwhencellvoltagereaches
2.302.35voltspercellandincreasesasthechargeprogresses.

Atfullcharge,theamountofhydrogenproducedisaboutonecubicfootpercellforeach63
amperehoursinput.Ifgassingoccursandthegasesareallowedtocollect,anexplosivemixture
ofhydrogenandoxygencanbereadilyproduced.Itisnecessary,therefore,toensurethatthe
areaiswellventilatedandthatitremainsfreeofanyopenflamesorsparkproducing
equipment.
Aslongasbatteryvoltageisgreaterthan2.30voltspercell,gassingwilloccurandcannotbe
preventedentirely.Toreducetheamountofgassing,chargingvoltagesabove2.30voltspercell
shouldbeminimized(e.g.,13.8voltsfora12voltbattery).

BatteryTemperature
Theoperatingtemperatureofabatteryshouldpreferablybemaintainedinthenominalbandof
6080F.Wheneverthebatteryischarged,thecurrentflowingthroughthebatterywillcauseheat
tobegeneratedbytheelectrolysisofwater.
Thecurrentflowingthroughthebattery(I)willalsocauseheattobegenerated(P)duringcharge
anddischargeasitpassesthroughtheinternalresistance(Ri),asillustratedusingtheformula
forpowerinequationbelow:

P=I2Ri

Highertemperatureswillgivesomeadditionalcapacity,buttheywilleventuallyreduce
thelifeofthebattery.Veryhightemperatures,125Fandhigher,canactuallydo
damagetothebatteryandcauseearlyfailure.

Lowtemperatureswilllowerbatterycapacitybutalsoprolongbatterylifeunderfloating(i.e.,
slightlycharging)operationorstorage.Extremelylowtemperaturescanfreezetheelectrolyte,but
onlyifthebatteryislowinspecificgravity.

Conclusion
Batteryhazardsaresummarizedbelow.BatteryHazardsSummaryShortcircuitscausea
greatreductioninbatterycapacity.
Topreventshortcircuitsinabattery,overchargingandoverdischargingshouldbeavoided
atallcosts.Theadverseeffectofgassingisthatifgassingoccursandthegasesare
allowedtocollect,anexplosivemixtureofhydrogenandoxygencanbereadilyproduced.
Toreducetheamountofgassing,chargingvoltagesabove2.30voltspercellshouldbe
minimized.Wheneverthebatteryischarged,thecurrentflowingthroughthebatterywill
causeheattobegeneratedbytheelectrolysisofwaterandbyI2Ripowergeneration.
Highertemperatureswillgivesomeadditionalcapacity,buttheywilleventuallyreducethe
lifeofthebattery.Veryhightemperatures,125Fandhigher,canactuallydodamagetothe
batteryandcauseearlyfailure.

Reference:HandbookofelectricalscienceVolume2U.S.DepartmentofEnergy