How a Lead Acid Battery Works
In order to fully understand how a lead acid battery works you must first understand what they are. A lead acid battery is a storage device for electric. By using a reversible chemical reaction it stores energy to be used. The components cause electrical energy to be transferred into a potential chemical energy and then back into an electrical energy.
The amount of energy that a battery can produce is measured in amps. Voltage is the rate at which energy is drawn from a source that produces a flow of electricity in a circuit and is expressed in volts. If your battery can produce a maximum voltage of fewer than fifty volts then it is considered to be a low voltage unit. Any unit that has more than fifty volts would be considered to be a high voltage unit. The high voltage units are governed by some very strict rules which do not apply to the lower voltage units.
Deep cycle batteries, which are best suited for solar powered devices, can accommodate deep discharges extremely well. These batteries have lead plates that are thicker than the ordinary battery. The thickness of the lead plates will determine the life span of the battery. How much a battery weighs is a good identifier for the thicker plated batteries. If the battery is heavier than most in its group size then the plates are likely much thicker than the others.
The containers for a battery also come in a variety of designs. The flooded batteries are typically an open or sealed variety. The sealed flooded cells are the kind that is used for automobiles in most cases. The deep cycle flooded cells will typically have a cap that is removable so that you can replenish the electrolytes as it evaporates.
The cell of the battery is the basic component of every battery. They have a container that allows the lead plates and the electrolytes to interact. Each of the 4 lead acid cells can fluctuate in voltage. When it is full it is typically about 2.12 volts. When it is discharged it is about 1.75 volts. There is only a small difference between the voltage when it is full and when the cell is discharged.
The voltage that is contained in the battery will range depending on how many cells are wired into the series. A twelve volt battery, for example, contains six cells that are wired in a series. The state of charge is another vital part of the condition of the battery. This refers to how full the battery is. The temperature of the battery will play a big part in how full it is. When a battery is cold it has less capacity than a battery that is hot or warm, as the temperature affects the electro chemical reaction.
The capacity to store amps is measured with amp-hour capacity. This tells you how much energy the battery can store at a nominal voltage. In most cases, if you purchase a larger battery it will have a much larger storage capacity than a smaller unit. There is also a difference between the total capacity and the available capacity in a battery.
The design of a battery is in place to ensure that the maximum amount of energy can be created based on the size and capacity of the unit. There are a lot of variables when it comes to the makeup of battery. The different dimensions will decide which type of battery you need for your specific project. 12 volt 20ah lithium battery