Primary batteries

Publisher Summary This chapter presents service time-voltage data, service life-ohmic load curves, and effects of operating temperature on service life of primary batteries. The primary battery discussed are silver-zinc cells, alkaline manganese dioxide cells, carbon-zinc cells, mercury-zinc cells, lithium types, manganese dioxide-magnesium perchlorate primary batteries, and thermally activated batteries. In service time-voltage data voltage versus hours of service curves can be prepared at different temperatures to show the effect of cell temperature on hours of service obtainable. Another way of expressing the performance of batteries is plots showing the effect of ohmic load on the battery versus hours of service obtained to a particular end-point voltage when the battery is at a particular standard temperature. This type of curve shows the influence of ohmic load on hours of service obtained for 1.5 V alkaline manganese cells at 20°C to an end-point voltage of 0.8 V/cell. Such curves are prepared for a series of battery temperatures to show the effect of temperature on service life at a particular ohmic load. A very effective way of showing the effect of battery temperature on service life is to plot temperature versus the battery capacity obtained to the end-point voltage at that temperature expressed as a percentage of the battery capacity obtained at a standard battery temperature, usually 20 or 21 °C.