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Battery
Glossary
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Acid
Sulfuric acid, used to describe the electrolyte or liquid
in a cell. |
Active
Materials
This refers to the positive and negative plate pastes that provide energy
from a battery when it is discharged. For a lead-acid battery, the positive
active material, or PAM, is lead dixide; the negative active material, or
NAM, is sponge lead. |
Activation
Making a dry cell functional by adding electrolyte. |
AGM
Batteries
AGM battery is a lead-acid electric storage battery
that is sealed using special pressure valves and should never be opened, is
completely maintenance-free. Has all of its electrolyte absorbed in
separators consisting of a sponge-like mass of matted glass fibers. Uses a
recombination reaction to prevent the escape of hydrogen and oxygen gases
normally lost in a flooded lead-acid battery (particularly in deep cycle
applications). Is non-spillable, and therefore can be operated in virtually
any position. However, upside-down installation is not recommended.
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What is an AGM SLA Battery |
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AGM is the abbreviation for Absorbed Glass Mat |
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AGM Batteries are: |
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also referred to as SLA batteries (Sealed Lead Acid) |
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Valve Regulated-Rechargeable & Maintenance Free |
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sometimes called "starved electrolyte" or "dry", because the fiberglass mat is only 95% --saturated with Sulfuric acid and there is no excess liquid |
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Non-Spillable - - > will not leak acid even if dropped or broken |
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classified as non-hazardous Complies with DOT HMR49, Non-Hazardous Materials |
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able to be mounted in any position |
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AGM Batteries: |
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will not freeze |
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release very little hydrogen gas and only under a heavy discharge |
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have low internal resistance so less heating occurs during charging and discharging |
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possess wide charge and discharge current ranges |
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have very low self-discharge rates, normally < 3% |
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AGM Deep Cycle Batteries are capable of withstanding a large number of deep discharge cycles without loosing capacity |
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AGM Batteries are cost effective |
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Air
Oxidized
A charged negative plate that has been removed from
electrolyte and permitted to discharge in an air atmosphere. Plates must
then be recharged before they are capable of producing useful electrical
energy. |
Alloy
A
combination of two or more metals. See
Antimonial Lead Alloy
and Calcium Lead Alloy. |
Ambient
Temperature
The surrounding temperature, usually refers to room
temperature. |
Alternating Current
A pulsating electric current in which direction of
flow is rapidly changed, so the terminal becomes in rapid succession
positive, then negative. Abbreviated AC. |
Ammeter
An instrument for measuring electrical current. |
Ampacity
Current
carrying capacity in amperes. |
Ampere
The unit of electrical current equal to the steady
state current produced by one volt applied across a resistance of one ohm. |
Ampere-Hour
The value obtained when the battery is normally used
to define capacity of the battery. It is current in amperes, multiplied by
the time in hours, during which current flows from the battery. |
Ampere-Hour Capacity
The number of ampere-hours that can be delivered by a
storage battery under specified conditions as to temperature, rate of
discharge and final voltage. |
Ampere-Hour Efficiency
The
electrochemical efficiency of a storage battery expressed as the ratio of
ampere-hours output to the ampere-hours input required for recharge. |
Ampere-Hour Meter
An instrument that registers the quantity of
electricity in ampere-hours. |
Anode
An
electrode through which current enters any non-metallic conductor.
Specifically, an electrolytic anode is an electrode at which negative ions
are discharged, positive ions are formed, or at which other oxidizing
reactions occur. |
Antimonial Lead Alloy
The most commonly used alloy in battery castings. The
percentage of antimony varies from 1/2% to 12%. Other substances are present
in small quantities, either as inescapable impurities or by design to
improve the properties of the cast part. |
Antimony
A hard,
brittle, silver-white metal with a high luster from the arsenic family. |
Assembly
1. Combining various parts into a finished battery. 2.
Any particular arrangement of cells, connectors and terminals to form a
battery. |
Automotive Battery
SLI
Battery of 3 or 6 cell used for starting, lighting and ignition of cars,
trucks, buses, etc. |
Available
Capacity
The capacity available from the battery based on its
state of charge, rate of discharge, ambient temperature and specified
cut-off voltage. |
Average
Voltage
A
storage battery's average value of voltage during a period of charge or
discharge. |
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Battery
Two
or more cells, connected together, normally in series. At times, a single
cell may be referred to as a battery. |
Battery (Storage)
A connected group of two or more storage cells. Common
usage applies this term to a single cell used independently. |
Bridge
The ribbed supporting structure in the bottom of a
battery container that provides sediment space under the elements, thereby
preventing short circuits. |
Burning
Welding together two or more lead or lead alloy parts
such as plates. straps, connectors. |
Burning
Center
The
center-to-center distance between adjacent plates of the same polarity. |
Burning
Stick
A lead or lead alloy stick used as a supply of joining
material in lead burning. |
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Cadmium
A metallic
element highly resistant to corrosion, used as a protective plating on
certain parts and fittings. |
Cadmium Electrode
A third
electrode for separate measurements of the electrode potential of positive
and negative plate groups. |
Calcium
Lead Alloy
A lead base alloy that is sometimes used for battery
parts in place of antimonial lead alloys. |
Capacity
The electrical energy available from a cell or battery
expressed in ampere-hours, It refers to the discharge of a constant current
for a measure time to a specified cut-off voltage (normally 1.75V/2V cell),
at a specified temperature. |
Capacity
Recovery
Also called recoverable capacity. This is the
discharge capacity that can be restored to a cell or battery through various
treatments when it had dropped to very low capacity levels. |
Capacity
Test
A test
that discharges the battery at constant current at room temperature to a
cutoff voltage of usually 1.7 volts/cell. |
Cast
Forming a molten substance into a shape by introducing
the material into a mold and allowing it to solidify. |
Casting
A metallic
item, such as one or more grids, straps or connectors, formed by pouring a
molten substance into a mold and allowing it to solidify. |
Cast-On
Strap
A multiple connector that had been cast onto the
plates directly in a combination mol/burning contrasts with burning of
plates and prefabricated straps. |
Cathode
An
electrode through which current leaves any non-metallic conductor.
Specifically, an electrolytic cathode is an electrode at which positive ions
are discharged, or negative ions are formed, or at which other reducing
actions occur. |
Cell
The
minimum unit of the battery that composes a storage battery: the nominal
voltage of a cell of the Lead-Acid Battery is 2.0V. Most batteries are made
of 2 or more cells. Typically 3 cells for a 6Volt, and 6 cells for a 12Volt
battery. |
Cell
(Primary)
A cell designed to produce electric current through an
electrochemical reaction that is not efficiently reversible and hence the
cell, when discharged, cannot be efficiently recharged by an electric
current. |
Cell
(Storage)
An electrolytic cell for generation of electric
energy, in which the cell after discharge may be restored to a charged
condition by an electric current flowing in a direction opposite to the flow
of current when the cell discharges. |
Charge
The process of restoring electrical energy to a cell
or battery, in the process increasing the cell voltage. |
Charge
Efficiency
Ratio of the ampere-hours delivered during discharge
divided by the ampere-hours put into the battery during recharge. |
Charged
A storage
cell at maximum ability to deliver current. The positive plates contain a
maximum of lead oxide and a maximum of lead sulfate, and the negative plates
contain a maximum of sponge lead and a minimum of sulfate, and the
electrolyte is at maximum specific gravity. |
Charged
and Dry
A battery assembled with dry, charged plates and no
electrolyte. |
Charged
and Wet
A fully
charged battery containing electrolyte and ready to deliver current. |
Charging
The
process of converting electrical energy to stored chemical energy. In the
lead acid battery, it converts lead sulfate in the plates to lead peroxide
(positive) or lead (negative). |
Charging
Rate
The
current, expressed in amperes, at which a battery is charged. |
Circuit
A system
of electrical components through which an electric current is intended to
flow. The continuous path of an electric current |
Cold Crank
Test
A test that applies a high rate of discharge (up to
300 amperes) to a battery at 0°F, and the 30 second cell voltage must be above 7.2v. |
Constant
Current Charge
One of the charge methods which has current
limitation. According to the charge time, some fixed amount of capacity is
charged. Therefore this charge method requires some devices which prevent
overcharge such as timer etc., for VRLA battery. |
Constant
Potential Charge or Constant Voltage Charge
A charge that holds the voltage at the terminals at a
constant value. |
Constant Voltage Charge
One of the charge methods which has voltage
limitation. When the discharged battery is charged by this way, the charge
current is reduced automatically according to the state of charge. This is
the most recommendable charge method for VRLA batteries. |
Container
Housing for one or more cells, commonly called a "jar". |
Cover
The
lid of an enclosed cell, generally made of the same material as the
container and through which the posts and vent plug extend. |
Cover
Inserts
Lead or lead alloy rings molded or sealed into the cell cover, and that the
element posts are burned to, thereby creating an effective acid
creep-resistant seal. |
Creepage
Travel of electrolyte up the surface of electrodes of
other parts of the cell above the level of the main body of the electrolyte. |
Curing
Chemical conversion process that changes lead oxides and sulfuric acid to
mixtures of basic lead sulfates, basic lead carbonates, etc., which
consequently forms the desired structures of lead or lead sulfate on
negative and positive plates during formation. |
Current
The
time rate of flow of electricity, normally expressed as amperes, like the
flow of a stream of water. |
Cut-Off
Voltage
The final voltage of a cell or battery at the end of
charge or discharge. |
Cutting
(of acid)
Dilution of solution of sulfuric acid to a lower
concentration. |
Cycle
A single charge and discharge of a cell or battery. |
Cycle Life
The
number of cycles a cell or battery repeatedly by charging and discharging. |
Cycle
Service
Battery operation that continuously subjects a battery to successive cycles
of charge and discharge, e.g., motive power service. |
Cycle Use
A method of using a secondary battery repeatedly by
charging and discharging. |
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Deep
Discharge
The
discharge of a cell or battery to 80-100% of its rated capacity. |
Depth of
Discharge
Frequently expressed as a percentage. It is the amount
of capacity removed from ac ell or battery during discharge. |
Dielectric
Test
An
electric Test performed on jars, containers and other insulating materials
to determine their dielectric breakdown strength. |
Diffusion
The
intermingling or distribution of particles or molecules of a liquid. |
Direct
Current
A
one-direction current. Abbreviated DC. |
Discharge
The function of removing current from a cell or
battery. |
Discharged
A storage cell when, as a result of delivering
current, the plates are sulfated, the electrolyte is exhausted, and there is
little or no potential difference between the terminals. |
Discharge
Voltage
The closed circuit voltage of a battery during
discharge. |
Discharge
Rate
Normally expressed as a fraction of C: it is the rate
at which current is taken from a cell or battery. |
Dry
Charged
A
negative plate that has been subjected to the dry charging process. |
Dry
Charging
Manufacturing process in which tank-formed negatives (or elements) are
washed free of acid and then dried. |
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Efficiency
The
ratio of the output of a cell or battery to the input required to restore
the initial state of charge under specified conditions of temperature,
current rate and final voltage. |
Electrode
The positive or negative plate holding the active
materials in the cell. |
Electrode
(Electrolyte) Potential
The
difference in potential between the electrode and the immediately adjacent electrolyte, expressed in terms of some standard electrode potential
difference. |
Electrolysis
Electrochemical reaction that causes the decomposition of a compound. |
Electrolyte
Conducts ions in the cell. Lead-Acid Batteries use
sulfuric acid solution. |
Electromotive Force (EMF)
Electrical pressure or potential, expressed in volts. |
Element
An
assembly of a positive plate group, negative plate group and separators. |
End
Gravity
The
specific gravity of a cell at the end of a prescribed discharge (usually 6
to 8 hours). |
Energy
Density
Ratio of battery energy content in watt hours to
battery weight in volume. |
Envelope
See perforated container. |
Equalizing
Charge
An extended charge given to a storage battery to
ensure complete restoration of active materials in all the plates of the
cells. |
Expander
an ingredient in the negative paste that delays
shrinking and solidifying of the sponge lead of the finished plate, thereby enhancing
negative plate capacity. |
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Ferroresonant charger
A constant volt power supply containing a special
transformer-capacity combination that changes operating characteristics as
the draw is varied, ensuring that voltage output remains constant. |
Filling
Gravity
The specific gravity of acid used to fill batteries. |
Final
Voltage
The cut-off voltage of a battery. The prescribed
voltage reached when the discharge is considered complete. |
Finishing
Rate
The rate of charge, in amperes, to which charging
current is reduced near the end of the charge for some types of batteries to
prevent gassing and temperature rise. |
Fixed
Resistance Discharge
Discharge of a cell or battery through a fixed
resistive load, the current being allowed to fall off as the terminal
voltage decreases. |
Float
Charging
A recharge at a very low rate, accomplished by
connection to a buss whose voltage is slightly higher than the open circuit
voltage of the battery. |
Float
Plate
A pasted plate. |
Float
Service
A battery operation in which the battery is normally connected to an external current source; for instance, a battery charger which supplies the battery load under normal conditions, while also providing enough energy input to the battery to make up for its internal quiescent losses, thus keeping the battery always up to full power and ready for service. |
Foot
Projections from the grid at the bottom edge, used to
support the plate group. |
Formation
or Forming Charge
An initial charging process that electrochemically
converts the raw paste of the plates into charged active material, lead
peroxide in the positive plates and sponge lead in the negative plates. |
Formed
Plates that have undergone formation. |
Freshening
Charge
A charge given batteries in storage to replace the
standing loss and ensure that every plate is periodically bought up to full
charge. |
Full
Charge Gravity
Specific gravity of the electrolyte when cells are
fully charged and properly leveled. |
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Gang Vent
Vents for usually six adjacent cells that are
connected to a common manifold. |
Gassing
Bubbles from gases being released at one or more of
the electrodes during electrolysis. |
Gelled
Electrolyte
Refers to a type of VRLA cell or battery where the electrolyte is
immobilized in a gel made from fumed silica, said gel then contained within
a coarse glass mat or micro porous separator matrix. This gel mat serves as
the separator in the VRLA cell in place of the more common glass micro fiber
material. |
Glass Mat
Fabric made from glass fibers with a polymeric binder such as styrene or
acrylic which is used to help retain positive active material. |
Gravity
Specific gravity. |
Gravity
Drop
The
number of points reduction or drop of specific gravity of the electrolyte
from cell discharge. |
Grid
A metallic framework used in a battery for conducting
electric current and supporting the active material. |
Group
One
or more plates of one type-positive or negative-burned to a post or strap. |
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H2SO4
Sulfuric Acid. |
High Rate
On
charge, any rate higher than the normal finishing rate. |
High-Rate
Charge/Discharge
Charge/discharge processes that are carried out at
relatively high current densities, with the multiple of C rate depending
upon the battery design. |
Hydration
(Lead)
Reaction between water and lead or lead compounds. Gravities lower than
those found in discharged cells are apt to produce hydration, which appears
as a white coating on plate groups and separators in a cell. |
Hydrometer
A device used to measure density or specific gravity
of electrolyte solutions. |
Hydroset
Curing process for plates that oxidizes the lead
paste, reducing free lead to a few percent of total. |
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Initial
Voltage
The
closed circuit voltage at the beginning of a discharge. It is usually
measured after current has flowed for a period sufficient for the voltage
rate of change to become practically constant. |
Insert
A
bushing of lead or lead alloy molded or sealed into cell covers, and to
which the post is burned to create a creep-resistant, cover-to-post seal. |
Intercell
Connector
Conductor of lead or lead alloy used to connect two battery cells. |
Internal
Impedance/Resistance
A measure of a cell's electrical resistance to current
flow, resulting in small or large voltage drops and some level of resistive
heating. Impedance (AC) and resistance (DC) values are proportional but
different, resulting from differences in measurement methodology. |
Internal
Resistance
Resistance within a cell or battery to the flow of electric current,
measured by the ratio of the change in voltage to a specified change in
current for a short period of time. |
Internal
Short Circuit
Positive plates and negative plates touch together
through at the inside of the cell. |
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Jar
Housing, or container, for one or more cells. |
Jar
Formation
Forming of plates in the cell jar. |
Jumper
A
short length of conductor used to connect or cut out part of an electrical
circuit. |
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Kilovolt
One
thousand volts. |
Kilowatt
One
thousand watts. |
Kilowatt
Hours
A measure of energy or work accomplished, being 1000
watt hours. |
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Lead
(pb)
Chemical element used in lead acid batteries. |
Lead
Burning
Welding of lead or alloy parts. |
Lead
Hydrate
A
white lead compound formed by reaction of very dilute electrolyte or water
and metallic lead or lead alloys. |
Lead Oxide
A
general term for any of the lead oxides used to produce batteries. |
Lead
Peroxide
A brown lead oxide which is the positive material in a
fully formed positive plate. |
Lead
Plated Part
Hardware that has a thin protective layer of lead electrode deposited on the
surface. |
Lead
Sponge
The
chief component of the active material of a fully-charged negative plate. |
Lead
Sulfate
A compound that results from the chemical action of
sulfuric acid on oxides of lead or on lead metal. |
Level
Lines
horizontal lines molded or painted near tops of battery containers
indicating maximum and minimum electrolyte levels. |
Life
The time period until the battery can no longer be
used because it has lost its characteristics. |
Litharge
A
yellow-red oxide of lead sometimes used in making active material. |
Load
A device or mechanism external to a battery, and which
is powered by the battery, The resistance of the load and the battery
voltage dictate the current flow rate, and thus the run time for the
battery. |
Local
Action
A
battery's loss of otherwise usable chemical energy by currents that flow
within the cell of a battery regardless of its connection to an external circuit. |
Loss of
Charge
Capacity loss in a cell or battery standing on open circuit as a result of
local action. |
Lug
A portion of the grid used for support of the plate
group, usually a hanging lug on the top edge of the grid. Also, at tab on
the grid used for connection of plate to strap and other plates. |
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Machine
Casting
A
fully or semiautomatic grid or small parts casting operation. |
Maintenance Free
Secondary cells that are not sealed require periodic
addition of water, Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries do no require such
maintenance. Therefore they are called "maintenance free;. |
Manual
Discharge
Capacity test in which the operator disconnects the battery from the test
load after all cells have reached the prescribed final voltage. With fixed
resistance loads, boost cells are used to keep the discharge rate fairly
constant as the test cell voltages drop rapidly near the final voltage.
Electronic load manual discharges generally do not require boost cells. |
Microporous
Separator
A
veneer or grooved-type separator made of any material that has many
microscopically small pores. |
Millivolt
One
thousandth of a volt. |
Modified
Constant Voltage Charge
A charge in which charging current voltage is held
substantially constant while a fixed resistance is inserted in the battery
circuit, producing a rising voltage characteristic at the battery terminals
as the charge progresses. |
Mold
A
cast iron or steel form used to produce a casting of definite shape or
outline. |
Mold Coat
A spray applied to metal molds that acts as a release
agent and an insulator against rapid heat transfer. |
Moss
Lead crystals that can grow at high current density areas of negative
plates--along edges, at feet or at plate lugs--and cause short circuiting. |
Motive
Power Battery
A
cycle service battery designed to provide energy necessary to for
electrically powered industrial trucks. |
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Negative
Plate
The
grid and active material that current flows to from the external circuit
when a battery is discharging. |
Negative
Terminal
The
terminal that current flows toward in the external circuit from the positive
terminal. |
Nominal
Voltage
A nominal value to be used to indicate the battery
voltage; for the sealed Lead-Acid Battery; the nominal voltage is 2V/celll. |
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OHM
A
unit of electrical resistance. |
Oil of
Vitriol
Concentrated commercial sulfuric acid, abbreviated OV
or O.V. |
Open
Circuit
The
state of a battery when not connected to either a charging source or a load
circuit. |
Open
Circuit Voltage
The measured voltage of the cell or battery without a
load attached. |
Overcharge
The
continuous charging of a cell after it achieves 100% of capacity. The
battery life is reduced by prolonged over charge. |
Overcharge
Current
The charge current supplied during overcharge.
Batteries can accept continuous overcharge at recommended rate and
temperatures. |
Oxide (of
lead)
A
compound of lead and oxygen in one of several proportions used to prepare
battery paste. |
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Panel
A casting consisting oftwo or more grids made
simultaneously in a single mold. |
Pb
Chemical symbol for lead. |
PbO
Chemical symbol for litharge. |
PbO2
Chemical symbol for lead peroxide. |
Pellet
The
portion of pasted material contained in a grid section framed by adjacent
horizontal and vertical members exclusive of forming bars. |
Peroxide
See
Lead Peroxide. |
Pig
A cast bar of lead or lead alloy. |
Pig Lead
A grade of highly refined, unalloyed lead. |
Plate
A pasted grid. |
Plate
Centers
Distance between center lines of adjoining plates of
opposite polarity in a cell. One half the size of a strap center upon which
the plates of like polarity are burned. |
Polarization
Change in voltage at terminals when a specified
current is flowing; equal to the difference between the actual and the
equilibrium (constant open circuit condition) potentials of the plates,
exclusive of the internal resistance drop. |
Porosity
The ratio of open spaces or voids in a material to the
volume of its mass. |
Positive
Plates
The grid and active materials of a storage battery
from which current flows to the external circuit when the battery is
discharging. |
Positive
Terminal
The terminal from which current flows through the
external circuit to the negative terminal when the cell discharges. |
Post
Terminal or other conductor that connects the plate
group strap to the outside of the cell. |
Pure Lead
Pig Lead. |
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Quick Recharge ability
The
ability of quick charge acceptance of the batteries. Quick recharge requires
not only good charge acceptability but also safety devices such as
thermostat, timers, etc. |
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Rated
Capacity
The
manufacture's rated capacity of the cell (see: capacity). |
Rate of
Charge
See
Stating Rate
and
Finishing Rate. |
Raw Plate
An unformed plate. |
Rectifier
A device that converts alternating (ac) current into
unidirectional (dc) current because of a characteristic that permits
appreciable flow of current in only one direction. |
Red Lead
A red oxide of lead used in making active material. |
Reference
Electrode
Electrode used to measure acid concentration or plate
state of charge. |
Refresh
Charge
A recovery charge which is done periodically for
recovering the lost capacity of batteries due to self discharge. |
Resistance
The opposition of a conductor to the passage of an
electrical current, usually expressed in ohms. |
Resistor
A device used to introduce resistance into an
electrical circuit. |
Retainer
A sheet of glass mat, perforated or slotted rubber,
plastic or some other material installed on each face of the positive plates
in certain types of cells, to deter loss of active material. |
Reversal
A change in the normal polarity of a cell or battery. |
Rib
A vertical or nearly vertical ridge of a grooved
separator or spacer. |
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Secondary Battery
A
battery that can be charged and discharged repeatedly. Example: Lead-Acid
batteries, Nickel Cadmium batteries. |
Secondary
Lead
Reclaimed as opposed to virgin lead. |
Sediment
The sludge or active material shed from plates that
drops to the bottom of cells. |
Sediment
Space
The portion or a container beneath the element;
sediment from the wearing of the plates collects here without
short-circuiting. |
Self-discharge
The loss of capacity by a battery while in the stored
or unused condition. The rate of self-discharge is affected by ambient
temperature. |
Separator
The material separating the electrodes. Used to hold
the electrolyte. Normally glass fiber is used. |
Series
Cells
All cells in a battery other tan pilot cells. They are
so called because the cells are usually connected in series. |
Series
Parallel Connection
Cells arranged in a battery so two or more strings of
series connected cells, each containing the same number of cells, are
connected in parallel; this increases battery capacity. |
Shelf Life
The
life of a battery when stored in the unused condition. |
Short
Circuit Current
The current that flows when the two terminals of a
cell or battery are inadvertently connected to each other. |
Side
Terminal
SLI battery design with two through-the container
current connections on one side instead of two posts on top. |
SLI
Battery
A battery for automotive use in starting, lighting and
ignition. |
Sliver,
Slyver
Extremely fine parallel glass fibers used in retainers
next to positive plates to retard shedding. |
Smelting
The primary process for recovering lead and antimony
from scrapped batteries and scrap from battery manufacture. |
Soaking
A manufacturing process following pasting that soaks
certain types of lead plates in sulfuric acid. This provides a protective
surface and also sulfate helpful in container and tank formation. |
Soda Ash
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) used in neutralizing
sulfuric acid in spills or effluents. |
Spalling
Shedding of active material, usually from positives,
during formation due to incomplete or improper plate curing. |
Sponge
Lead
(Pb0 A porous mass of lead crystals and the chief
material of a full-charged negative plate. |
Stacking
A cell assembly operation, alternately piling plates
and separators in a burning box prior to attachment of straps and posts. |
Stand-by
Use
A
method of using secondary batteries in which the battery is constantly
charged so that it is always ready for use. |
Standing
Loss
Loss of charge by an idle cell or battery, resulting
from local action. |
Starting
Rate
A beginning charging rate that does not produce
gassing or temperatures in excess of 110°F. |
State of
Charge
The amount of electrochemical energy left in a cell or
battery. |
Strap
Precast or cast-on piece of lead or lead alloy used to
connect plates into groups and to connect groups to the post. |
Strap
Center
Spacing between centers of adjacent plates in a group. |
Stratification
Layering of high specific gravity electrolyte in lower
portions of a cell, where it does not circulate normally and is of no use. |
Sulfated
A plate or cell whose active materials contain an
appreciable amount of lead sulfate. |
Sulfation
Formation of lead sulfate on a plate or cell as a
result of discharge, self-discharge or pickling. |
Sulfuric
Acid
(H2SO4) The principal acid compound of sulfur,
sulfuric acid in dilute and highly pure form is the electrolyte of lead acid
storage cells. |
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Tack Burn
A shallow burn used to tack together two lead parts. |
Tank
Formation
Electrolytic processing of plates prior to assembly in
large tanks of acid. |
Temperature Correction
In storage cells, specific gravity and charging
voltage vary inversely with temperature, while the open circuit voltage
varies directly thought slightly with temperature. |
Terminals
The points on a battery to which the external circuit
is connected. |
Terminal
Cable
A length of insulated cable, one end connected to the
battery terminal post, and the other fitted with a plug, receptacle, lug or
other device for connection to an external circuit. |
Top Pour
A method of casting in which molten metal is poured,
usually by hand, into a top gated mold. |
Treeing
Growth of a lead dendrite or filament through a crack
or hole of a separator, short-circuiting the cell. |
Trickle
Charge
A low-rate continuous charge approximately equal to a
battery's internal losses and capable of maintaining the battery in a
fully-charged state. |
TVR
A temperature compensating voltage relay used in
charging equipment. |
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UL
Term for Underwriters' Laboratories, a standards and testing agency for
batteries that may be used in consumer applications in the U.S. There are a
large number of standards for various consumer devices and anyone wishing to
have batteries in these devices must first obtain UL approval. |
Uncharged
and Dry
The condition of a battery usually shipped to a
customer, without electrolyte added. filling and a charge are necessary. |
Undercharging
This is a situation where the charge put back into a battery after a
discharge is not sufficient to fully charge it, given a certain amount of
overcharge necessary for the product. It leads to rapid loss of capacity in
cyclic duty and on float using too low a charge voltage can actually result
in partial discharge of one or both plates during charge. Because of the
tendency to treat them too delicately, undercharging is a common source of
VRLA battery failure. |
Unformed
A plate that has not been electrolytically formed. |
UPS
The abbreviation of Uninterruptible Power Supply. |
Useful
Acid
The acid above the lower edges of the plates that
takes part in the discharge reactions that occur within a cell. |
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Valve-regulated (Cell or Battery)
Term for a lead-acid battery employing oxygen recombination technology,
either glass mat or gelled electrolyte, and which contains a pressure-relief
valve to vent gases, primarily on overcharge. Common usage acronym is "VRLA",
standing for valve-regulated lead-acid. Formerly called sealed lead-acid.
SLA. |
Vent
Pressure-relief valve in a cell or battery that allows
for the escape of gases at some release pressure but does not allow
any level of gas ingress. |
Vent Plug
The seal for the vent and filling well of a cell
cover, containing a small hole for escape of gas. |
Vent Well
The hole or holes in a cell cover that allow fluids to
be checked, electrolyte to be added, and gas to escape. The vent plug fits
into the vent well. |
Verticals
The members or vertical bars of the members in a
pasted plate grid. |
Volt
The unit of measurement of electromotive force, being
the force needed to send a current or one ampere through a conductor with a
resistance of one ohm. |
Volt
Efficiency
The ratio for the average voltage of a cell or battery
during discharge to the average voltage during subsequent recharge. |
Voltage
The difference in electrical potential that exists
between the terminals of a cell or battery or any two points of an
electrical circuit. |
Voltage
Range
The difference between maximum and minimum cell
voltages within a battery or string of cells when all cells are charging and
discharging. |
Voltmeter
An
instrument for measuring voltage. |
VRLA
Abbreviation of Valve Regulated Lead-Acid. |
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Watering
Adding water to battery electrolyte to replace loss
from electrolysis and evaporation. |
Watt
A unit of electric power, equal to a current of one
ampere under one volt of pressure. |
Watthour
a unit of electrical energy or work, equal to one watt
acting for one hour. |
Watthour
Capacity
The number of watthours a storage battery can deliver
under specific conditions of temperature, arte of discharge and final
voltage. |
Watthour
Efficiency
A storage battery's energy efficiency expressed as
ratio of watthour output to the watthours of the recharge. |
Watthour
Meter
An electric motor that measures and registers
electrical energy in watthours. |
Wet Shelf
Life
The time a wet secondary cell can be stored before its
capacity falls to the point that the cell cannot be easily recharged. |
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