Program & Speakers

Speaker Abstracts

WEDNESDAY 5th SEPTEMBER 2007

Title TBA
Presenter Huw Roberts
Company CHR

Abstract will be available shortly

Title Electrochemical Behavior and Application of Lead-Lanthanum Alloys for Positive Grids of Lead-Acid Batteries
Presenter Hongyu Chen,
Company School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou

The effect of different lanthanum content on electrochemical behavior of lead-lanthanum alloy in sulfuric acid solutions was investigated by linear potential sweep (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), metallograph and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the addition of lanthanum inhibit the hydrogen and oxygen evolution from alloy electrode. The lead-lanthanum alloy with 0.006 wt % lanthanum content shows the slowest hydrogen and oxygen evolution rate. The results from LSV, CV and EIS indicate that the addition of lanthanum inhibit the anodic corrosion and decrease the resistance of anodic Pb(II) and PbO2 films. Lead-lanthanum alloy with the lanthanum content ranged from 0 to 0.0112 wt.% shows low conductivity of anodic films .XRD results also indicate that the growth of Pb(II) oxide on the lead-lanthanum alloy surface is inhibited. Metallographes from our experiments show that the addition of lanthanum results in grain refinement especially in the range of 0.006 wt% and 0.054wt % of lanthanum. It is concluded that lead-lanthanum alloy shows the potential application as the grid material for maintenance-free lead acid battery.

Title Battery Performance in Current Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Presenter Don Karner
Company Electric Transportation Applications

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) have been sold to the public in the United States for the past five years. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are currently being tested in prototype form. Performance of the traction battery is key to the success of both technologies. This paper presents results of 2.4 million miles of HEV fleet testing (12 HEV models, 35 vehicles) and prototype testing of six PHEV variants conducted under the US Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. Results presented include testing of HEV battery power and capacity after 250,000 km of fleet operation per HEV. Battery power and energy requirements for PHEV operation are also presented.

Title Development of Automotive Battery "SENSIA" with Battery State Sensor
Presenter Motoshi Kiribayashi
Company GS Yuasa Power Supply Ltd., Kyoto, JAPAN

A new SLI battery "SENSIA" with a battery state sensor, named CCU (Condition check unit), has been developed for no water-refilling type. The product lineup consists of 5 size (JIS type ranging from B19 to D31). The CCU is capable to diagnose the extent of decrease in performance of battery during cranking as well as the state of charge (SOC) and electrolyte shortage. Moreover, CCU has a function of detecting the abnormal state of battery to operate LED and buzzer for drivers. To detect the electrolyte shortage as early as possible, an electrolyte level sensor is set in the first cell which is closest to an engine , because the first cell shows the fastest speed of decrease of the electrolyte among the six cells. Though the current consumed by the CCU is small, it cannot be neglected when the battery is not used for a long time. In that case, the decrease of the battery capacity can be suppressed by pressing a tactile switch on the CCU. SENSIA is expected to realize the ideal circumstance of "0" (zero) project to eliminate battery problems on the road after the wide expansion of its market.

Title TBA
Presenter Geoffrey May
Company Consultant

Title May the separator force be with your battery?
Presenter George C Zguris
Company Hollingsworth & Vose Company

In a valve regulated lead acid battery (VRLAB), the force exerted by the separator is one of the more critical factors in determining battery performance. A suitable force must be left after the separator has been saturated with acid and the battery has gone through formation. Good plate contact must be maintained. Enough force on the active material to avoid PCL 2 types of battery failures must be realized. Many aspects go into the determination of this assembled force. A separator's characterization can be viewed as the quantification of this property of force.

This paper will be reviewing properties of the separator and how they can be associated with the "spring force" of the cell assembly. The paper will also review several aspects of battery assembly and how the battery assembly can impact the interaction of the separator and plate assembly inside the battery. During the manufacturing of separators, the manufacturer should be controlling the multiple properties of the base furnish, and paper machine setup. If good manufacturing controls are not implemented, it is possible to get excess variation in the final battery assembly. This can lead to wider variation in battery performance for the battery manufacturer.

One set of properties that is specified is the grammage and thickness of the separator. The grammage and the thickness are factors in determining the separator's bulk density. The separator's bulk density has been shown to be a key property in managing the force exerted by the separator. Studies have suggested that the bulk density has an over riding influence on the cycling performance of a VRLAB. The battery cycle performance will improve with greater separator bulk density. The density response can be more influential than separator composition or surface area, within certain limits. Ultimately, this translates to the separator's actual grammage once inserted into the fixed thickness within the cells inside the battery.

The properties of surface area, chemistry and fiber structure will also be part of this review to get a better understanding so that the separator force will be with your battery always.

Title TBA
Presenter David Lamb
Company CSIRO

Title TBA
Presenter Anne Dekker
Company Zinifex Ltd.

Title Solutions to Meet the Technical and Cost Challenges For Energy Storage and Telecom Batteries in Emerging Countries
Presenter Dr. Valérie Toniazzo
Company Amer-Sil

The fast development and the large population of the emerging countries lead to a huge demand for power supply and telecom networks, not only in big cities, but also in the most remote areas. As the grid is not present and not powerful enough, the need for localized energy storage is booming : solar systems for domestic lighting, telecom systems for fixed or mobile lines, UPS systems for power shortage backups… Without a doubt the lead-acid battery is the only viable technology, mainly for cost reasons.

However, contrary to western countries with powerful and safe networks, any kind of battery in emerging countries has to be able to cycle, not only in isolated renewable energy power stations or domestic installations, but also in stationary applications. The conditions of use are so different that the battery designs adapted from the western standards are very inefficient.

Especially for Telecom and UPS systems, most of the installed batteries are based on the AGM technology and fail long before the warranty period due to poor cycling ability. Therefore, except for very high-rate discharge applications, a better adapted design has to be developed. A good compromise seems to be an optimized tubular gel battery for better cyclability and low maintenance. Even for solar systems, where tubular flooded batteries have proven to be highly efficient, end-users request more and more maintenance-free batteries for safety and environmental reasons (acid spillage and fumes), and to avoid the water topping-up.

In any case, battery manufacturers should develop a new type of VRLA technology.

This paper will demonstrate how optimized components like separators and gauntlets contribute significantly to better lead-acid batteries, that are not only well suited for the application itself (solar, telecom, UPS), but also take into account the very specific conditions (climate and use) of the emerging countries. Also, by tremendously improving the battery performance compared to local components, high quality separators and gauntlets can help to reduce the total cost of the battery via lead consumption savings.

Title TBA
Presenter Tan Xinyu
Company Foshan Union Battery

Title Reaction Between Lead and Lignin Derivatives
Presenter Nobumitsu Hirai
Company Osaka University

In order to understand the effect of lignin in the negative electrode of lead acid battery, reactions between Pb and lignin derivatives in sulfuric acid solution or water have been studied as well as by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance (ECI) measurements, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) methods, FTIR analysis, SEM observation, and so on. Lignin derivatives of our own modifying as well as the ones on the market were used in these experiments.

The electrochemical behavior of Pb electrode (as a model of negative electrode of lead acid battery) in 5M sulfuric acid aqueous solution with the lignin derivatives, such as, lignosulfonate, sulfomethyl lignin, and so on, was examined. It is clear from a series of the experiments that the lignin derivatives are "adhered" on the electrode in the potential range where metallic Pb is stable. On the other hand, it is not clear whether the lignin derivatives are "adhered" on the electrode or not in the potential range where PbSO4 is stable at present.

Because the NAM is made from the mixture of leady oxide and lignin with water, the reaction between Pb2+ ions and lignin derivatives in water are also investigated. Three different lignin preparations were used in this study, lignosulfonic acid (LS), softwood kraft lignin (KL) and organosolv lignin (AL). All lignin preparations showed very fast up-take rates of Pb2+ ions. However up-take capacity was quite different between LS and the other lignin preparations. LS shows significantly higher Pb2+ up-take in comparison with SKL and OL. From FTIR analysis, it is suggested that Pb2+ up-take occurs by the ion exchange reactions with the sulfonic acid groups in the LS.

Title Numerical Simulation of Battery Tilting Test to Investigate Battery Lid Design Characteristics
Presenter :
Company Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran

Conventional lead-acid batteries such as those designed for starting, lighting and ignition (SLI), experience occasional accidental tilting on sides, angled inclines and vibrations during normal use. These factors can cause battery electrolyte spillage or spewing. In addition, during the charge and discharge reactions and also normal operation of batteries, gases, namely hydrogen and oxygen, are liberated from the battery. It is of crucial importance to vent such gases in a controlled way from the battery. These two problems, i.e. electrolyte spillage and gas evolution, are really interrelated and important in the design of an effective cover and vent system especially for maintenance-free batteries. To examine the design, the battery is tilted on its two sides where battery electrolyte is at a level above the battery vent ports, and then is returned to its initial condition. During or after this test any electrolyte spillage or remaining of electrolyte in the battery lid indicates inappropriate design of the lid.

This paper presents three-dimensional numerical simulation of double lid cover of lead-acid batteries during the mentioned standard tilting test before prototyping. This test is simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools. This simulation helps to ensure about the cover design, the double lid sealing, draining electrolyte back into the cells and the electrolyte content of each cell without manufacturing or doing any additional tests saving considerable time and cost. The numerical method is "Volume of Fluid" (VOF) model. The tool developed in this research helps the designer to study several items necessary in design of a double lid cover.

In this context, one manufactured and one designed covers of a lead acid battery are simulated numerically. The simulation shows any remaining of electrolyte in the passages of the double lid and also the electrolyte content of each cell after the battery returning to the steady state (horizontal) condition.

THURSDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2007

Title Industrial batteries for energy storage and telecom in emerging countries"
Presenter Keynote - Guy Dawe
Company Amer-sil

Without a doubt, Energy storage is one of the biggest challenges for the future generations. It is not only driven by the diminishing natural ressources, but also by environmental issues. With the globalization, all parts of the world would aspire to have more personal comfort and better communication tools. In the emerging countries, the growth of the population and of the industrial activity leads to huge increases of the need for power supply and communication networks, even in the most remote areas. As neither the electrical grid nor the general infrastructure is able to follow this rapid expansion, the demand for batteries will boom.

For most of the key applications (Solar, UPS, Inverters, Telecom), lead-acid batteries are considered the only viable technology, mainly for cost reasons.

The keynote speech will describe which types of batteries are used in the emerging countries for each application and why the types of battery used are not always adapted to the very specific conditions of use in these regions (for example, most of the batteries have to cycle due to the frequent power shortages). The presentation will point out the main technical challenges for battery manufacturers as well as market trends.

Title TBA
Presenter Lan Lam
Company CSIRO

Abstract will be available shortly.

Title Modeling of the dynamic behavior of a 12-V automotive lead-acid battery
Presenter Ui Seong Kim
Company Ajou University, Division of Energy Systems Research

The lead-acid battery is still the most widely used. Its main function is to start an internal combustion engine, discharging briefly but at a high current. Once the engine is running, a generator or alternator system recharges the battery and then maintains it on "float" at full charge or slight overcharge. In recent automobile designs, the parasitic electrical load of lights, motors, and electronics causes a gradual discharge of the battery when the engine is not in operation. This factor, coupled with normal self-discharge, introduces a significant cycling component into normal cranking/floating duty cycle. For the optimal design of the vehicle electric system, it is important to have a reliable modeling tool to predict the dynamic behavior of the automotive battery.

In this work, a one-dimensional modeling was carried-out to predict the dynamic behaviors of a 12-V automotive lead-acid battery. The model accounted for electrochemical kinetics and ionic mass transfer in a battery cell. In order to validate the modeling, modeling results were compared with the measurement data of the dynamic behaviors of the lead-acid batteries having nominal capacities of 90Ah and 68Ah that are mounted on the automobiles manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company. The discharge behaviors were measured with various discharge rates of C/3, C/5, C/10, C/20 and combination and various operating temperatures (initial temperature 45℃, temperature variation: +10℃, +20℃, +30℃). The batteries were charged with constant current of 50A until the charging voltage reached to a predetermined value of 14.24V and the charging voltage was kept constant. The discharge curves from the measurements and simulation were in good agreement. Based on the modeling, the distributions of the electrical potentials of the solid and solution phases, and the current density within the electrodes can be predicted as a function of charge and discharge time.

Title The Best Available Technology for Battery Recycling and For Lead Production
Presenter Oscar De Marco
Company : Engitec Technologies S.p.A.

Engitec Technologies provides the whole design and the supply of the complete plant for the recycling of lead-acid batteries from the automatic crushing and separation of the components up to the production of the lead ingots.

The full respect of the environmental parameters, the quality of obtained products and the strong construction with high-quality materials make the Engitec plant the most reliable and appreciated worldwide.

The CX® system for the complete recycling of the used lead-acid batteries is sized on the basis of available amount of batteries, ranging from a minimum of 8.000-10.000 tpy up to 250.000 - 300.000 tpy or more.

Title The latest in punching processes: the rotary puncher
Presenter TBA
Company Sovema

Title New developments in Continuous Plate Processing
Presenter Al Vince
Company TeckCominco

Title Automating opportunities for the Asian Battery Market
Presenter Doug Bornas
Company MAC Engineering

This presentation will focus on our automotive and industrial COS machines and our automotive and industrial Stacker and Palletizers.

FRIDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2007

Title Development of Lead-Acid Battery for Idling-Stop Vehicle Application
Presenter Jun Furukawa
Company The Furukawa Battery Co., Ltd

From viewpoint of the global warming and energy conservation, auto-vehicle's fuel economy is so growing issue that a variety of measures are developed and under development. While idling-stop system is already operated in some vehicles like taxi and bus, the wider application is envisaged near future. Battery test method was studied and proposed by the relevant industries and organizations.

Through the idling-stop tests of battery experienced were not only NAM sulfation but also negative lug thinning and PAM softening and shedding, all of which were analyzed to clearing up causing factors. New battery was designed and tested with proposed method and its cycle life surpassed the target value substantially.

Title
Presenter Aiju Li
Company SCN Uni

Abstract will be available shortly.

Title The Rechargeable Battery Market 2006 - 2015
Presenter Christophe Pillot
Company Avicenne

In 2006, the NiCd, NiMH and Li-ion battery market is well known. The 1.3 billion NiCd cells are mostly used for Cordless Tools, Security lighting and several industrial applications like UPS, in the aviation. For Li-ion, Cellular Phones & Portable PCs needs almost 90% of the total production. For NiMH, Cellular Phones or Portable PCs are no more the driving applications. In 2006 and for the future, the two main NiMH drivers will be Retail & consumer market (toys, digital cameras, household devices,…) and, … Hybrid Vehicles !

For the future, we have to watch carefully new applications and their energy needs, power needs, cost acceptance level etc… to forecast the future of each technology and raw materials used to answer those challenges. As an example, AVICENNE analyzed carefully the hybrid vehicle market for the next decade. The impact of that market could be gigantesque on the battery industry, as well as several raw materials needs.

To better understand the impact of Hybrid vehicle market on NiMH batteries for instance, just have in mind that:

  • The number of HEV jump from 60 000 cars in 2003 to 310 000 cars in 2005 & more than 400 000 in 2006.
  • Most of the industrials involved (Toyota, Ford, Sanyo, Matsushita) predict that that number could reach, at least, 1 Million cars in 2010.
  • One hybrid car needs from 200 to 300 NiMH D cells!

With those assumptions AVICENNE forecasts that Hybrid vehicles will bring back to life the NiMH market.

Title Separator Profile Selection to Optimize Battery Performance
Presenter J. Kevin Whear
Company Daramic LLC.

Battery performance, depending on the application, is normally defined by power delivery, electrical capacity, cycling regime and life in service. In order to meet the various performance goals, the Battery Design Engineer can vary things such as grid alloys, paste formulations, number of plates and methods of construction. Another design option available to optimize the battery performance is the separator profile. The goal of this paper will show how separator profile selection can be utilized to optimize battery performance and manufacturing efficiencies. Also time will be given to explore novel separator profiles which may bring even greater benefits in the future. All major lead acid application will be considered including automotive, motive power and stationary.

Title A New Lead Alloy Current-Collector Manufactured By Use of a Powder Rolling Process and Its Corrosion Behavior under Lead-Acid Battery Conditions
Presenter Masanori Sakai
Company Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co., Ltd.,

A powder rolling process for manufacturing of current collector sheets for lead acid batteries has been newly developed. Gas-atomized lead-tin alloy powder obtained by a rapid solidification process in air was employed as raw materials for the powder rolling process. Corrosion behavior of powder-rolled lead-tin alloys with various compositions of tin has been investigated. A dipping corrosion test of square plain sheets of the alloys was performed in H2SO4 under 75 degrees centigrade conditions. The test was repeated 20 cycles for each cycle being consisted of the controlled 10mA/cm2 oxidation-current for 6 hours and the rest for 6 hours under open circuit voltage conditions. Corrosion-elongation and corroded surface appearance of the tested specimens was mainly observed. Corrosion-elongation of the powder-rolled lead-tin alloys was reduced by comparing with that of the conventional lead-tin alloys obtained by a casting-rolled process. A rate of the corrosion-elongation of the corroded sheet of a powder-rolled lead alloy of 1.5wt% of tin composition, Pb-1.5Sn, with 2.0x10-4 meters in initial thickness was less than 5%, although that of the corroded sheet of a casting-rolled Pb-1.5Sn alloy with the same initial thick was 25-30% under the same amount of corrosion conditions. Corroded surface appearance of the powder-rolled sheet of the Pb-1.5Sn alloy has no distortion with uniform corrosion, with the naked eye, although that of the casting-rolled sheet of the Pb-1.5Sn alloy was much distorted with partially perforated corrosion. Grain boundary corrosion of powder-rolled lead-tin alloys was restricted by comparing with that of casting-rolled lead-tin alloys as well. Enhanced anti-corrosion behavior of powder-rolled lead-alloys is to enable us to manufacture thinner and lighter current collectors for lead acid batteries than the present casting and casting-rolled alloys.

Title A Technique for Nam Expander Candidates Selection
Presenter A.D. Dayanov
Company Engineering Dept. of the Urals State Technical University

Negative expander plays vital role in maintenance of high performance of lead-acid negatives. Every LAB produced in the world contains an organic expander. Investigation of VRLA negatives has shown that most of organic expanders deteriorate rapidly under VRLA conditions. This causes premature NAM degradation and cell capacity loss. Therefore the more stable and effective expanders are required for VRLA.

Determination of organic expander's efficiency is known as complex and expensive by many reasons. The theory which relates chemical composition and "expanding" efficiency of substance is in developmental stage.

Formerly we established that skeleton and energetic structures arise at the flat lead electrode when it potentiodynamically cycled in sulphuric acid solution. Those structures are similar to ones discovered before in the pasted samples. This allows using such flat electrode instead of pasted one for investigations.

Being simple and informative technique the cyclic voltammetry allow to evaluate the usability of any organic materials as NAM expanders as well as their optimal dosage. The method uses flat lead electrodes and therefore free from paste heterogeneity problem.

Title Maintaining State of Charge During Extended Psoc Cycling - Application of State Of Charge Correction to Extend Cycle Life
Presenter Ian Dyson
Company CMP Batteries

By operating lead acid batteries within a state of charge (soc) range where charging and discharging reactions have high efficiencies, cumulative energy throughput or capacity turnover life can be extended by reducing working temperature, grid corrosion, active material degradation and water loss from VRLABs. In fast charge, opportunity charging applications, battery availability is increased when the requirement for occasional maintenance charging is reduced. State of charge can be maintained within the target range according to current integration, or according to soc estimation based on battery voltage response to charge and discharge current. Whilst estimated soc can be reset to 100% after maintenance recharge, errors may accumulate between estimated and actual soc when the interval between maintenance charging is extended; charging or discharging performance may decline.

ULTra* is an advanced personal rapid transit system that uses VRLA batteries in psoc mode with fast charging between trips for AGV vehicles. Application development tests that simulate daily duty cycles for transit vehicles between Heathrow's new terminal 5 and a car parking area are reported.

Soc range limits for supporting the discharge duty and efficient acceptance of charge from regenerative braking and from opportunity charging between trips were established in daily test simulations of 128 9.7%dod journeys and maintenance charging. Soc was controlled by limiting opportunity charging according to precise current integration.

Taking advantage of advances in psoc cycling and to improve start-of-day regenerative braking performance, the interval between maintenance charging was extended. An acceptable decline in discharge performance was attributed to declining soc; requirement for maintenance charge increased with the number of simulated daily duty cycles. Performance was then stabilized by application of daily state of charge correction charge, the extent of which was adjusted according to the charge input requirement of the occasional maintenance recharge. 1000 capacity turnover has already been exceeded.

Title The Intelligent Automotive Battery, "Cybox®"
Presenter Keizo Yamada,
Company Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co Ltd, Japan

We developed an intelligent battery for an automotive use. This battery diagnoses by itself all the time and alarms when a battery problem is detected. A new battery state monitoring technique was developed using the parameter of voltage drop that may occur immediately after engine start. This new technique is put in the compact battery diagnosis unit with high reliability, which is embedded into the battery "CYBOX®". Furthermore, as this battery has a special lid structure, troublesome water addition is not necessary. By use of this battery, a normal battery test will be unnecessary and the users can enjoy driving without care about no-start troubles by a sudden battery failure.

Title Influence of cationic CTAB and nonionic SDS surfactant on electrochemical performance of lead acid cell
Presenter R K Ghavami
Company Niru Battery MFG

Advances in lead-acid batteries have included the use of additives and modified charging methods to obtain beneficial effect on charge acceptance and crystal morphology. Generally, organic additives are specifically adsorbed at rapid growth sites on the surface and restrict further growth at this location. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the effect of two kinds of surfactant namely (cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) in electrolyte with the aim to suppress the accumulation of large lead sulfate on both negative and positive active material (NAM and PAM) and to improve the performance of lead-acid cell. The results show that anionic SDS surfactant improves the charging ability and the cycle life through modification of the structure of lead sulfate by inhibition of large lead sulfate accumulation, comparing to free surfactant sample. X-ray analysis confirms reduction grain size of formed PbSO4 in both active materials in the presence of SDS surfactant. Also, this surfactant obtains higher degree of crystallinity on both plates. Hence, The differences among of diffraction lines on corresponding X-Ray diffractogrames show that the preferred growth of the grains can occur in the presence of surfactant. Hence, the crystallographic orientation can be changed because the metal surface energy is modified by anionic SDS surfactant. In addition, SEM investigation have shown more needle and crystal growth on NAM in the presence of CTAB, comparing free surfactant cell at the end of cycling. But the surface morphology and the crystal shape and size are markedly affected by the presence of SDS. The plate consisted of regular, well-defined particles of PbSO4. Also, large numbers of small micropores with discontinuous crystal growth have been revealed on PAM with application of SDS surfactant.

Title Cushion Function of AGM Separators
Presenter Masayuki Otsubo
Company Nippon Sheet Glass

Applications and technologies of VRLA batteries have evolved over several decades, which have required a wide range and diversity of AGM separators. VRLA applications can be divided into three categories: 1) Automotive/motorcycle, 2) SLA and 3) Telecom, each requiring different functions from an AGM separator.

It is well know an AGM separator is an important battery component, along with lead and electrolyte for VRLA batteries, and the characteristic of an AGM separator has a significant effect on battery performance. In order to achieve maximum VRLA battery performance for each application, NSG has explored various compounds and modified manufacturing conditions to achieve unique functionalities such as:

a) Preventing stratification for cycle application

b) Increasing puncture resistance to prevent the short-circuit during assembling

c) Preventing dendrite formation

However, to achieve the above properties, the AGM separator tends to become hard thereby reducing the "cushion function", or the ability for the separator to conform to plate surface geometry. When the separator becomes hard, it typically has problem of assembling, especially contact with plate, and electrolyte absorption.

In this paper, NSG will report on the basic development of the cushion function of an AGM separator. With this development, all technological properties can be covered for VRLA batteries. Moreover, it is expected cushion function will become a key issue for the future VRLA battery development.

Title Development of VRLA Battery Capacity-Evaluation And Capacity-Test Equipment
Presenter Takashi Matsushita
Company NTT Facilities Inc.

We have developed equipments for estimating the capacity of valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries used in backup power sources for NTT's telecommunication systems in Japan. The principal components of the system are and capacity-evaluation and capacity-test equipment located on site. Maintenance staffs, who are placed in 180 maintenance sites in Japan, regularly maintain batteries with these equipments.

The capacity-evaluation equipment measures battery voltage and battery internal resistance and then estimates individual battery capacities by comparing the measurements with regression curves. These curves show the correlation between internal resistance and capacity. The equipment stores regression curves for individual battery models in its internal memory. We used the AC method, in which an alternating signal is added to a battery, as an internal resistance measuring method because it is easy to measure the noise in this way. Moreover, it has an interface function with PC, and can transmit data.

The capacity-test equipment is used to accurately measure battery capacity by discharging a battery at a constant current up to a cut-off voltage without disconnecting the battery being tested from the other batteries in its set. It has an interface function with a PC, and can be used to monitor a battery's charge and discharge data.

We can estimate battery capacity with higher levels of accuracy by using these equipments.

Presenter Dong Shu,
Company School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou
Title Effect Of Characteristics of Nano Silica on the Performance of Gelled Electrolyte Lead-Acid Batteries

Nano silica particles show some superior characteristics in the applications of gelled electrolyte valve-regulated lead/acid (VRLA) batteries due to their interfacial effects and small-geometry effects. For the purpose of studying the effect of characteristics of nano particles on gelled electrolyte, improving its capacity and cycle performance, two kinds of nano silica (from different company) were investigated in details by means of polarizing microscope, transmission electron microscope (TEM), specific surface area(BET), thermal analysis(TG-DSC), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impendance spectroscopy(EIS). It was found that the size distribution and uniformity of nano silica particles greatly effect on their gelling ability. The CV and EIS results showed that a moderate mechanical dispersion of nano silica in sulfuric acid solution is an important factor effect on the electrode capacity of gelled electrolyte. The mechanical dispersion time was related closely to the nano silica particle size distribution and operated temperature. After moderate mechanical dispersion, the nano silica from different company shows almost same effect on the electrode capacity.

Title TBA
Presenter Pat Moseley
Company ILZRO/ALABC

Abstract will be available shortly.

Title TBA
Presenter Allan Cooper
Company EALABC

Abstract will be available shortly.

Title Status of Lead and Lead-Acid Battery Industry in China
Presenter Hongyu Chen
Company School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou

The status of primary lead and secondary lead industry in China was presented. The recycle system and recycle market of lead and lead-acid battery in China were analyzed, and there was a quite heavy environmental pollution in lead reclamation plants. Three organization societies for Chinese lead-acid battery manufacturers were introduced. The change and development of lead-acid battery industry in China were discussed. In China, VRLA batteries for electric bicycles (EB) and photovoltaic (PV) systems developed fast, and it counteracted the influence of Chinese Government VAT refund policy. In order to control the high polluting caused by lead and lead-acid battery, more and more lead and lead-acid battery plants are forced by the government to advance cleaner production. However, More and more Chinese persons are joining lead and lead-acid battery industry, and there is a bloom in lead and lead-acid battery industry in China.

Keywords: lead, lead-acid batteries, VRLA,

Title TBA
Presenter Jurgen Garche
Company TBA

Abstract will be available shortly.