Car/Auto/Automotive battery
How does an auto battery function?
Every automobile needs power to run, and it needs a battery to supply that energy. A car battery is a type of rechargeable battery, which provides the car with power to its starter motor, the lighting system, and the ignition. Automotive batteries are usually lead-acetate batteries, with an output voltage on 12 volts. It is constructed with connecting six numbers of cells in series, with each cell having 2 to 2.1 volt output. The auto batteries are made up of lead and lead oxide plates, which are submerged in an electrolyte solution made up of 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water. A chemical reaction takes place, where electrons flow from one conductor to the other, producing the electrical energy. During the discharge cycle, the lead plate surfaces of the automotive battery transforms into lead sulphate, by reacting with the acid electrolyte. When this battery is charged the chemical reaction is reversed, and the lead sulphate turns back into lead oxide and lead, returning the battery into charged condition.
The auto batteries plates are alloyed with different elements, such as, calcium, cadmium, or strontium in order to change density, hardness, or porosity of the plates. This also makes the plates easier to manufacture. In starting the engine of a car, high electric current is required for a short time, and this is made available by the automotive battery. By increasing the number of plates in the battery, more surface area of the plates are exposed in the electrolyte solution, there-by providing a greater capacity for the required current drain. In large vehicles, the batteries have more plates, considering the power that is required to be delivered. Once the car engine is started, the power generation is taken over by the alternator in the car, which also constantly recharges the car battery at the same time providing the power needed by the car to run.
Many of the car batteries require low maintenance. With the car running, prolong usage of the battery brings down the level of the water in the electrolyte, and the detachable caps in the battery could be removed and the cell compartments could be topped up with water. With prolonged use of the battery and high current drain, the water in the electrolyte is broken up into hydrogen and oxygen gases, which escape from the cells. If these cells are not topped up in time, the cells get damaged and the battery loses its capacity. In topping up the cells, tap or rain water should never be used as these contain minerals which can damage the battery, and distilled or demonized water should be ideally used for the purpose.
As mentioned earlier, auto batteries are usually charged by the alternator of the car when the car is running. If by any chance, the battery fails to receive the charging current from the alternator, it might discharged to an extent that the engine will fail to start. In this case, the battery needs to be recharged. This is done by trickle charging the battery by a battery charger meant for automotive batteries. The battery could also be charged by slow-charging and quick-charging battery chargers, but trickle charging is the safe way to recharge the battery.
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