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Charging and discharging characteristics of Lead acid and Li-ion batteries

Conference Paper · March 2014

DOI: 10.1109/PESTSE.2014.6805253

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 2014 Power and Energy Systems: Towards Sustainable Energy (PESTSE 2014)

Charging and discharging characteristics of Lead

acid and Li-ion batteries

1
Neetu Meena Arvind Sharma, Bishnu Choudhary
2
Vishakha Baharwani Piyush Parmar
3
Deepak Sharma Richie B. Stephen
12
, M.Tech students, MNIT, Jaipur, India Energy-Environment Technology Development Division
3
M.Tech students, ITM, Bhilwara, India The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
New Delhi, India

Abstract-- The secondary battery (or rechargeable battery) is early 1990's where as Lead acid is conventional used battery
such battery where electrical energy can be stored as chemical since 1980's. Nickel based batteries are in use since 1950, they
energy and this chemical energy is then converted to electrical
are not so popular because of presence of memory effect. The
energy as when required. Batteries are used for this purpose
main advantage of lithium-ion batteries is their high energy
from more than a century. Use of battery for off grid power
density. They have a long cycle life and do not suffer from the
supply can increase overall system efficiency, and provide
high self-discharge rate and memory effect. Li-ion batteries
economic savings across the system life cycle. Reliability of power
supply from renewable and conventional sources can improve by
are maintenance-free and deeper discharges. The main

using battery as energy storage medium. Battery can be charge disadvantages are shorter calendar life, they are also extremely
by using solar energy for use of renewable energy or by power sensitive to high temperatures, heat causes lithium-ion battery
supply for use of conventional energy supply. Different battery packs to degrade much faster than they normally would, if you
shows different voltage and current characteristics when charged completely discharge a lithium-ion battery, it is ruined,
by using power supply. This paper outlines the charging and
expensive, overcharging a Li-ion battery can leads to a fire or
discharging characteristics of Lead acid and Li-ion batteries
explosion, and over discharging can leads to a short circuit,
Experiment was conducted in Solar Lighting Lab at TERI, New
capacity loss and swelling. Many Li-ion batteries have built-in
Delhi. The main aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to
protection circuitry. The main advantage of Lead Acid battery
the concept of end of charge and discharge of battery.
is economical and simple to manufacture, Self- discharge is
Keywords: Lead acid; Li-ion; solar lighting lab; rechargeable lowest compared to all other batteries, capable of discharging
battery. at high rates, 98% of lead acid batteries are recycled with low
maintenance requirements. The main disadvantages are energy
I. INTRODUCTION
density is low, short life, and cannot be stored in discharged
conditions, environmentally unfriendly due to presence of lead
The world is approaching peak oil and the ability to produce
which is toxic in nature. Overcharging of lead acid battery
high quality, inexpensive, and economically extractable oil on
may lead to heat up of battery, corrosion of the positive plate,
demand is diminishing. Peak oil and the environmental impact
deterioration in the chemical properties thus lead to reduction
of fossil fuel utilization, has encouraged a growth in the area
in battery life cycle. Over discharge of lead acid battery leads
of renewable energies such as wind and solar power. In remote
to capacity loss and subsequent reduction in life cycle of
areas stand-alone photovoitaic systems are most common. A
battery [6-7].
typical stand-alone system incorporates a photovoltaic panel,
regulator, energy storage system, and load [5]. The most
II. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
commonly used storage technologies are Lead acid battery,
Nickel based batteries and Lithium ion battery [1].Li-ion This paper addresses the charging-discharging
batteries are a relatively new technology, first marketed in the characteristics of battery i.e. how battery voltage and current

978-1-4799-3421-8/14/$3l.00 ©2014 IEEE

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changes with time at the time of charging and discharging. hour, to plot voltage and current versus time graph. Battery is
Different chemical battery are chosen for testing, each of them discharged up to end of discharge voltage; it is the voltage at
with its own specific features, they are versatile technologies which battery should be disconnected from the load to prevent
that can be designed to play a wide range of roles perfectly it from over discharging.
fitting local conditions. So this is necessary to know the
charging characteristics of batteries. Battery testing facilities IV. RESULT & DISSCUSSION

are available in Solar Lighting Lab at TERI, New Delhi. This

experiment was conducted in this Lab. List of equipment used A. Li-ion battery
for this experiment is as shown in Table.i. Experimental setup Li-ion battery is charged by C/5 rating. The end of charge is

requires a DC power supply, LED as load, multi meter and identified by battery voltage; if the battery voltage is reached

clamp meter. Two batteries of different chemistries i.e. Lead to end of charge voltage then it is disconnected from supply.

Acid (6V/4.5Ab) and Li-ion (3.7V/4Ab) are used to perform Charging curve is shown in Fig.i. In Li-ion battery voltage

this experiment, although other battery technologies are also increases with time, then after reaching to maximum value of

available such as NiMH, NiCd. They are very versatile voltage (4.2V), it will be almost constant for some time. In this

technologies can perform short and long term management. mean time current from its constant maintained maximum

NiCd battery has longer calendar life, can take mechanical and value of 0.5A, starts reducing and tends towards zero (not

electrical abuse, as well as the ability to withstand extreme exactly equal to zero). The period when current is constant and

temperatures (from -40°C to +60°C) but they exhibit memory voltage is increasing from minimum value to its maximum

effect. value is called constant current charging, while the period

from when voltage is constant to 4.2V and current is trying to
T ABLE.l. EQUIPMENT USED FOR EXPERIMENT reduce to zero is constant voltage charging. This voltage is
called topping charge and maintained voltage saturation.
S.No. Equipment Used Specification
When voltage reaches its maximum value even though it is not
J Lead Acid battery 6V/4.5Ah
disconnected from supply, in this mean time voltage, from its
maximum value reduces to subsequent value to compensate
2 Li- ion Battery 7.2V/2.2Ah
for self-discharge and then again increases to end of charge
3 Power Supply 0-32V, O-IOA
voltage. To determine the discharging characteristics the
4 Clamp Meter O-IOA charged battery is discharged through a LED load of 12V.

5 Multimeter O-lOOV Voltage from its maximum value of 3.97V starts reducing
slowly towards its end of discharge voltage of 3V. Battery
6 LED lanterns 12V/ 4W
should not be fully discharge, if discharged completely then it
is ruined. In this mean time current from maximum value of
0.47A reduces slowly to almost OA. Discharging
III. METHODOLOGY
characteristics are shown in Fig.2.

These batteries are charged by supplying constant voltage at

the terminal of battery by power supply. Charging rate is set to
B. Lead acid battery
Lead acid battery is charged by Cil0 rating. The battery used
ClIO for Lead acid and C/5 for Lithium ion battery. After
is 6V, 4.5Ah lead acid battery. The end of charge is
setting this voltage and current values, battery is left for
determined by battery voltage, when voltage reaches to end of
charging. After every half an hour value of battery voltage and
charge voltage of 7.2V the battery is fully charged. As shown
current are noted down by using multi meter and clamp meter.
in Fig. 3, voltage from 6.1V starts increasing slowly and
Charging characteristics are plotted as current and voltage
reaches to maximum value of 7.1V. At this point of time
versus time. Battery is charged up to end of charge voltages
voltage is almost constant for some time this is called topping
(voltage at which battery should disconnect from supply to
charging. If not disconnected from supply then voltage
prevent it from overcharge). To determine the discharging
reduces to 6.6V to compensate for self-discharge, this period
voltage and current, battery is discharge through a LED load.
is called float charging. It took 9 hr to fully charge. Current in
Voltage and current, reading are noted down after each half an

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this charging process is almost constant to OAA. Ideally it 7
should be constant when voltage is increasing and should be 6 -
C
reduce in topping charge and must be zero in float charge Q)
5
t
"
period. To fmd out the discharging characteristics of this 0 4
otl
battery its energy is discharged to LED load. As shown in Q)
3
on
Fig.4, voltage from its maximwn voltage of 6.3V reduces 2
0 2
;:,
slowly towards its end of discharge voltage, of 5.2V. But due
to presence of protection circuit in battery, the LED cutoff at o
voltage of 5.7V. Current is almost constant at O.17A. But
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.... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... ....
ideally it should reduce to OA. Time
-- batteryV -- batteryI

4.5 Fig.4. Discharging characteristics ofLead Acid Battery

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, REFERENCES
t .,
;:J
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"""
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� � � � � � � � � � � � � 8DP 3rd ed., 2000, pp2/22-8/7.
"'''' �;'? .......,":! ....<'! -.!f":! ....�"j ....c.;":! ....c.;"j ....ro":! ....ro":i ....,,":! ....".'j
....'''j ....
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-- batteryv -- batteryi
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Fig.l. Charging characteristics ofLi-ion Battery
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4
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o lithium-ionbatteries,2009.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 0 0 00
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...... c-...) c-...)MMVVLnLn\O \O
So S r- eo eo

...... ...... ...... ...... Time� � � ...... ......

-- battery v -- battery i

Fig.2. Discharging characteristics ofLi-ion battery

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Fig.3. Charging characteristics ofLead Acid Battery

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