Lead-Acid Battery Plate Spacing to Suppress Expander Elution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lead-acid batteries experience increased temperature and resistance during deep discharge cycles, leading to organic expander elution, permeation short circuits, and sediment short circuits, particularly when the inter-electrode distance is small.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a negative electrode material with an organic expander containing a monocyclic aromatic compound and maintaining an inter-electrode distance of less than 1.1 mm, which suppresses expander elution and enhances electrolyte utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lead acid battery design is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but charge acceptance is poor and grid corrosion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is divided into multiple modules, each containing a stack of plates. The plates within each module are segmented into positive and negative alternating sequences. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each module's charge acceptance characteristics while maintaining overall battery functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Different plate designs are applied to different locations within the battery. Specifically, plates in different modules have different configurations (e.g., different numbers of plates, different active material compositions) optimized for their specific operational requirements. This local quality approach improves charge acceptance at critical locations without compromising overall battery reliability.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional battery plates are used, then manufacturing cost is low, but grid corrosion and water loss occur reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The battery plates utilize composite structures combining lead-based alloys with corrosion-resistant materials. The grid structure incorporates multiple layers with different compositions - including lead-calcium-aluminum alloys for strength and corrosion resistance, and lead-tin-calcium alloys for improved charge acceptance. These composite materials extend service life by preventing grid corrosion and reducing water loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies key parameters of the plate materials, including alloy composition ratios (e.g., calcium content at 0.03-0.08%, aluminum content at 0.05-0.15%), plate thickness, and active material density. These parameter changes optimize the balance between corrosion resistance, charge acceptance, and manufacturing feasibility, thereby extending service life without excessive manufacturing complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If plates are closely arranged to increase energy density, then space utilization improves, but heat dissipation becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The battery design incorporates three-dimensional heat dissipation structures, including cooling channels arranged in specific patterns between plate modules. The cooling system extends in multiple dimensions (length, width, and depth) to efficiently remove heat generated during charging and discharging, allowing closer plate arrangement without compromising thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal management compounds and heat-conductive materials are introduced as intermediaries between the plates and cooling channels. These intermediary materials improve heat transfer efficiency from the densely packed plates to the cooling system, enabling higher energy density while maintaining adequate heat dissipation.
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
This configuration reduces permeation and sediment short circuits by retaining the organic expander in the negative electrode material, maintaining electrolyte specific gravity, and preventing positive electrode reduction.
Implementation Method 1
The positive plate is made of lead oxide paste which has been applied to a lead grid and sintered, and said positive plate and negative plate are alternately arranged in said battery container with said separator sheets interposed between said positive and negative plates, said battery container being filled with a sulfuric acid electrolyte solution
Implementation Method 2
said battery container being filled with a sulfuric acid electrolyte solution
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A lead-acid battery includes at least one element and an electrolyte solution. The element includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate. In the at least one element, the negative electrode plate contains a negative electrode material, the negative electrode material contains an organic expander (excluding a lignin compound) containing a unit of a monocyclic aromatic compound, and a distance between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate is less than 1.1 mm.