Why Batteries Fail

Addresses the predominant battery failure modes, heat build-up when discharging, catastrophic/terrible failure, impedance finds electrical path failures very well, who is worst culprit of shortened battery life, importance of temperature in batteries, positive grid corrosion, Specific gravity is the measure of the sulphate in the acid of a lead-acid battery, Specific gravity readings should be taken when things are wrong in the battery, Specific gravity for Stationary batteries, concept of battery impedance and how to test the same, important to find the weak cells, to deal with cost versus risk, IEEE recommended practice for battery Maintenance, Testing and Replacement of Vented Lead-acid Batteries for Stationary Applications and the Battery Testing Matrix.

Frequently Asked Questions about batteries such as can impedance testing truly find battery problems, what does the acronym BITE mean, can I use my impedance tester to identify poor intercell connections, is the bite impedance test equipment easy to use, how much AC ripple current is too much, where does it come from and how is it reduced, does the use of BITE testers harm the battery, can impedance testing predict end-of-life, what about single-battery equipment such as emergency lighting, why is alternating current better than direct current, what will the Battery Ground Fault Locator (BGL) and Tracer (BGFT) do to the protection circuits, what is the value of specific gravity, what does float voltage of a cell tell me, how important is intercell connection resistance, What does ripple current tell me, How often should impedance readings be taken, how can I predict when I need to change a cell or the entire battery, at what point should I stop changing cells and replace the entire battery, the bulletin would be indispensable to engineers in the electrical industry, field engineers, and research & development personnel. It would also be useful as a reference text for students of electrical engineering.

Author

Loganathan Moorthy is specialized in Power system engineering, Protection system and Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering with varies industries of solid practical experience in Refineries, Power plants and oil & gas offshore and onshore exploration industries.

32 years in the Electrical, Electronics and Instrumentation field of Oil & gas industries and power plants in various senior position.

Holding Electrical Supervisor Competency certificate issued by The Tamilnadu "Electrical Licensing Board" is a body constituted by the Government of Tamilnadu under rule 45 of Indian Electricity Rules 1956. Completed High Voltage operation course from Singapore Power training institute, Singapore.