The Lead-Acid Battery -- An Overview of its Operation and Maintenance

A workshop on the lead-acid battery, an integral part of the telecommunications power plant, is to be conducted at the National Energy Systems Symposium sponsored by the Energy Systems BMO. Included in the first half of the presentation will be a brief review of the history of this system. The fundamental physical and chemical principles involved in discharging, charging and float of the lead-acid battery will be presented at a level appropriate for the nonscientist. The second half of the workshop will deal with battery maintenance. The various measurements which can be made on cells and how these measurements reflect the health of the cell will be discussed. The usefulness of various instruments such as electrolyte level indicators and reference electrodes will also be reviewed.