Conductive Mat Reinforcement for Lead-Acid Battery Plate Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lead-acid batteries used in idling stop vehicles experience reduced lifespan due to frequent partial charging and discharging, leading to the formation of lead sulfate, which limits capacity utilization and increases internal resistance.
Innovation Solution
The use of nonwoven fiber mats with conductive properties to reinforce battery plates and enhance electron flow, reducing the formation of lead sulfate and improving charge acceptance by providing additional electron pathways and structural reinforcement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If lead-acid battery is used in ISS vehicle with frequent startup cycles, then the battery can provide high current during engine startup, but the battery experiences reduced lifespan due to repeated partial charging and discharging
Solution Approach 1:
A conductive reinforcement mat is introduced as an intermediary component between the electrode paste and the collector grid. This mat serves as a mediator that provides additional conductive pathways for electron flow, reducing reliance on the grid alone and mitigating the damage caused by repeated partial charging cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement mat is constructed as a composite material combining conductive polymer particles dispersed in a binder matrix. This composite structure provides both mechanical reinforcement to prevent plate shedding and electrical conductivity to enhance electron flow, thereby extending battery lifespan while maintaining power output.
2Use of energy by moving object
If lead sulfate forms on the electrode during discharge, then the battery can store and release electrical energy, but the lead sulfate forms an impervious layer that limits capacity utilization and increases internal resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive reinforcement mat acts as an intermediary conductive network that bypasses the high-resistance lead sulfate layer. By providing alternative electron pathways through the mat, the system maintains electrical connectivity even when the electrode paste becomes insulated by lead sulfate, thereby reducing internal resistance and improving charge acceptance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the electrical conductivity parameter of the electrode assembly by introducing the conductive mat with conductivity significantly higher than the electrode paste. This parameter change creates parallel conductive pathways that are less affected by lead sulfate formation, allowing the battery to maintain lower internal resistance during cycling.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the battery is charged in an intermittent manner with smaller alternator output, then the battery can operate in partial state of charge conditions, but the charge acceptance is insufficient leading to repeated charging in insufficiently charged state
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive reinforcement mat serves as an intermediary that enhances the electrode's ability to accept charge by providing extended conductive pathways. This allows more efficient electron distribution throughout the electrode during charging, improving charge acceptance even under intermittent charging conditions typical of PSOC operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mat provides continuous conductive pathways that maintain electrical connectivity throughout the electrode structure during both charging and discharging. This continuity ensures that active material throughout the electrode can participate in electrochemical reactions, improving overall charge acceptance and preventing the electrode from remaining in an insufficiently charged state.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The conductive reinforcement mats extend the battery's life by maintaining electron flow routes and reducing internal resistance, while also improving charge acceptance and reducing plate shedding, thus enhancing the overall performance and longevity of lead-acid batteries.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive material that is disposed on at least one surface of the reinforcement mat or throughout the reinforcement mat so as to contact the positive or the negative electrode. The reinforcement mat may have an electrical resistant of less than about 100,000 ohms per square so as to enable electron flow on the surface or through the reinforcement mat
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a plate or electrode for a lead-acid battery includes a grid of lead alloy material, a paste of active material applied to the grid of lead alloy material, and a nonwoven fiber mat disposed at least partially within the paste of active material. The nonwoven fiber mat includes a plurality of fibers, a binder material that couples the plurality of fibers together, and a conductive material disposed at least partially within the nonwoven fiber mat so as to contact the paste of active material. In some embodiments, the nonwoven fiber mat may have an electrical resistant of less than about 100,000 ohms per square to enable electron flow on a surface of the nonwoven fiber mat.