Iota Technical Paper - Charging Lead Acid Batteries for Long Life

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Charging Flooded Lead Acid Batteries

for Long Battery Life

How to Prevent Sulfation and

Excessive Gassing That Ruin 12V-48V

Flooded Lead Acid Batteries

From the

IOTA Power Products

Technical Library

Content Highlights

Battery owners expect optimal performance from their batteries, but don’t

always know the best practices to get long life and reliability from them. With

some understanding of cause, effect and prevention of leading causes of prema-

ture battery failure, owners can expect more years of safe and reliable opera-

tion from their batteries.

Two leading causes of capacity loss, failure, and hazards in ooded lead acid

batteries are sulfation and excessive gassing. Both of these can be largely pre-

vented by using smart charging technology to safely store these types of batter-

ies at full charge.

Sulfation, Undercharging, and Battery Failure

The leading cause of battery failure is sulfation. Sulfation is a deposit of lead

sulfate crystals on the charging plates that resists the battery’s ability to ac-

cept a charge. Eventually, the deposits will prohibit charging, reducing both the

battery’s capacity and functional life. The source of the sulfate is the water and

sulfuric acid electrolyte solution inside the battery. An ongoing electrochemical

reaction between opposite charges occurs in the electrolyte solution that pro-

duces electrons. These reactions are at their optimal state while the battery is at

the correct full charge, but are diminished when the battery is undercharged or

overcharged.

During normal charge and discharge some minor sulfation occurs, but major sulfa-

tion can develop when the battery is stored in an uncharged or undercharged

condition, which eventually slows and stops the electrochemical reactions. If these

reactions stop, sulfation is accelerated as the sulfur leaches out of the electrolyte

solution and attaches itself to the lead charging plates. As more crystals deposit on

the charging plate, the ability for the battery to accept full charge diminishes, and

undercharging worsens. This is a downward spiral to premature battery failure.

Two leading causes

of battery failure are

sulfation and excessive

gassing.

Good management

and correct charging

greatly improve battery

performance.

Multi-stage charging

technology, such as

IOTA’s IQ4 Smart

Charger, is the safest

and most effective

method of charging

ooded lead acid

batteries.

How smart charging

technology prevents

sulfation and exces-

sive gassing.

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
From the IOTA Power Products Technical Library Charging Flooded Lead Acid Batteries for Long Battery Life How to Prevent Sulfation and Excessive Gassing That Ruin 12V-48V Flooded Lead Acid Batteries Content Highlights Two leading causes of battery failure are sulfation and excessive gassing. Good management and correct charging greatly improve battery performance.
PAGE 2
Charging Stored Batteries for Long Battery Life Two common maintenance practices that contribute to sulfation are storing batteries in an uncharged condition and undercharging. Both of these conditions can be prevented by using smart charging technology to safely maintain stored batteries at full charge. Gassing, Overcharging and Water Loss A careful margin exists between maintaining a battery’s full charge and overcharging.
PAGE 3
From the IOTA Power Products Technical Library Stage 1 Bulk: Also called the boost stage, this is a period of constant current and increased voltage that provides most of the charge. Charging voltage runs up to the full-rated output of the battery charger for faster charging. If a battery is left at this charge stage it will overcharge. What Battery Owners Need to Know... The two leading causes of battery failures, sulfation and excessive gassing, can be prevented.
PAGE 4
Charging Stored Batteries for Long Battery Life Using IOTA IQ4 Smart Charging Technology IOTA IQ4 Smart Charging Technology is a four-phase charge controller for IOTA DLS Series Battery Chargers to automate multi-stage charging of 12V-48V flooded lead acid batteries. The IQ4 uses the four phases – bulk, absorption, float and equalization – to maintain a proper full charge to extend battery life.