1. Construction of sealed lead acid batteries Positive plate: Pasting the lead paste onto the grid, and transforming the paste with curing and formation processes to lead dioxide active material. The grid is made of Pb-Ca alloy, and the lead paste is a mixture of lead oxide and sulfuric acid.
Proper maintenance of sealed lead-acid batteries involves regular charging and discharging cycles, keeping the battery clean and dry, and avoiding exposure to extreme temperatures. It is also important to check the battery’s voltage regularly and to replace it when necessary. What is the charging and discharging process of lead acid battery?
Reactions of Sealed Lead Acid Batteries When the lead acid battery is discharging, the active materials of both the positive and negative plates are reacted with sulfuric acid to form lead sulfate.
To make a lead acid cell requires a glass or plastic container, lead roofing sheet that's unused but no longer shiny, 4M sulphuric acid, deionised water, petroleum jelly (eg vaseline) and some plastic to hold the lead plates in place. A hygrometer is used to achieve correct acid concentration.
3.3 Battery Self-discharge The lead acid battery will have self-discharge reaction under open circuit condition, in which the lead is reacted with sulfuric acid to form lead sulfate and evolve hydrogen. The reaction is accelerated at higher temperature. The result of self-discharge is the lowering of voltage and capacity loss.
Lead acid batteries are a simple technology, and have changed little since the 1800s. Battery banks for offgrid use are expensive, making home made battery banks an attractive option.