Abstract: Gelled-electrolytes and flooded-electrolyte lead/acid batteries are cycled according to a new schedule that is based on partial-state-of-charge operation. With this strategy, the energy delivery of gelled-electrolyte batteries increases threefold, compared with that expected under traditional cycling procedures. In addition, overcharge is reduced by an order of magnitude. This provides charging efficiencies of up to 99.5%. Under the same duty, flooded-electrolyte batteries fail prematurely due to degradation of active-material at the bottom of the positive plates. This limitation is induced by increased active-material utilization as a result of acid stratification. The phenomenon is termed ‘localized PCL’, and is explained in terms of the uniform theory of PCL that has been developed by CSIRO
SIMULATED TESTING OF GELLED-ELECTROLYTE BATTERIES UNDER FORKLIFT/FAST CHARGE AND FREQUENCY REGULATION CONDITIONS.
Adding carbon to negative plates improves lead-acid battery performance. While this boosts small-cycle performance like in hybrid-electric vehicles, larger cycles show less benefit due to reduced charging efficiency from excess carbon.