MAINTENANCE AND CHARGING OF BATTERIES

Objective: To Checking & Cleaning the Parts of Battery

Apparatus:

1. Hydrometer(Temperature
Compensating) -1No
2. Distilledwater&DilutedSulphuric
acid ( H2SO4) -1No

3. DigitalMultimeter/D.C.Voltmeter
-1No
4. Battery Charger
-1No
5. ElectricalToolKit/SpannerSet
-1No
6. Safety Glooves
-1No
7. SmoothBrushes
-1No

Theory:

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS:

Plates : Positive plates shall be made of flat pasted type using lead-cadmium antimony alloy for
durability, high corrosion resistant, maintenance free, long life both in cyclic as well as in float
applications. Negative platesshall be heavy duty, durable flat plate using lead calcium alloy pasted
box grid. Negative plates shall be designed to match the life of positive plates and combination of
negative and positive plates shall ensure long life, durability and trouble free operation of battery.
PLC (programmable logic control) operated equipment should be deployed for preparation of
paste to ensure consistency in paste quality. Conventional / manual type of paste preparation is
not allowed.

CONTAINER AND LID : The containers and lids shall be made of a special grade polypropylene
copolymer plastic material. They shall be sufficiently robust and not liable to deformation under
internal operating pressures and within the temperature range naturally encountered, leak proof,
non-absorbent and resistant to the acid with low water vapour permeability

Separators :The separators shall be of synthetic material conformingto the latest edition of IS-
6071-1986. These shall permit freeflow of electrolyteand would notbeaffectedby thechemical
reactioninsidethe cell and shall last for indefinite time. The internal resistance factor of the
separators shall assure high discharg characteristics under all operating conditions. Proper
arrangement to keep end plates in position shall be furnished by the bidder along with his offer.

Electrolyte : The electrolyte shall be prepared from the battery grade Sulphuric acid conforming
to IS-266- 1993 and shall have a specific gravity of 1.2 at 270 C. The Sulphuric acid of battery
grade shall be colorless liquid.The concentrated Sulphuric acidondilution with an equal volumeof
distilled water shall befree from suspended matter and other visible impurities.

Plate group bar with terminals : The plate group bar with terminals shall conform to IS-1652-
1991. The positive and negative terminals shall be clearly marked for easy identification. The legs
of the plates of like polarity shall be connected to the load, turned to a horizontal group bar having
an upstanding terminal post adopted for connection to the external circuit. The group bars shall
be sufficiently strong to hold the platesin position. Buffers/spring: Suitable buffers / springs shall
be provided in the cells to keep the end plates in position. These shall have adequate length and
strength.

Cell lids : Lids used with sealed or closed type cells shall be of glass, plastic or ebonite and shall
beprovided with vent plugs. Terminalpost shall be suitablysealed atthe lid to prevent escape of
acidspray, by means of rubber grommets, sealing compound or other suitable device. The positive
and negative terminal posts shall be clearly and indelibly marked for easy identification.

Water :- Water used for preparation of electrolyte and also to bring the level of electrolyte to
approximately correct height duringoperation/testingshall conformtorelevantstandards.

Venting device : The venting device shall be anti splash type and shall allow gases to escape
freely but shall effectively prevent acid particles or spray from coming out. There shall be two
vent holes, one serving as a guide for acid level indicator for checking the electrolyte level and
other to permit drawingof electrolyte samples, servicing, checking of specific gravity etc.

Marking : Acid level line shall be permanently and indelibly marked around on all the containers.
The following information shall be indelibly marked on the outside surface of each cell : [i]
Manufacturer’s name, type and trade mark. [ii] Nominal voltage. [iii] AH capacity at 10 hours rate
with specified end cell voltage. [iv] Cell number. [v] Upper and lower electrolyte level in case of
transparent containers. [vi]Type of positive plate. [vii] Type of container. [viii]Date of
manufacture [ month and year] or [week and year].

CONNECTORS: Bars tinned copper lead connectors shall be employed for Inter-cell and interrow,
inter-tier connections. However, the tee-off connection from the battery unit shall be made with
acid resisting cables of suitable size. A suitable terminal box along with acid-resisting cable shall
be provided by the Contractor for this purpose. The connectors shall preferably be of bolted type
and the bolts and nuts shall be of similar material as that of connectors and shall be provided with
corrosion resisting lead coating. The connectors shall be of sufficient cross-section to withstand all
the working conditions including one minute discharge rate as well as short circuit conditions. [a]
Lead coated connection hardware such as bolts, nuts etc. 5% extra, or any other connector
suitable for VRLA type Battery. [b] Ampere-hour Meter [10 hour discharge rate] of 100 –120 AH
range-1 no. [c] Any other accessories, not specified but required for installation, satisfactory
operation and maintenance of batteries for a periodof 5 [five] years.

Procedure:

To Clean the Parts of the Battery:

1. Wear hand gloves.
2.Remove all jewelry from hands
3.Wear hand gloves
4. First,unhook the battery from the cables,bylocating where the cable s its on the terminal.
5. Using the proper tool,unhook the negative cable first and then the positive cable. The
negative is often identified as the red cable.
6. With the cables disconnected,lift the battery out of the engine bay and setiton as mooth
surface.
7. Clean the battery and its cables with brushes meantfor it.
8. The batteries and its Cables can be cleaned with a paste of baking soda and water. Vaseline
can also be used.

9. Remove the caps of the cells on the battery using the screw driver
10. Inspect for cracks or other damage at the parts of thebattery
 11. Replacethedamagedorbuckledplatesandseparatorsfromthebattery.
12. Placeallthepartsatrightpositioninsidethebattery.
13. TightentheConnectionswithscrewdrivermeantforit.

To Check the Specific Gravity of the electrolyte:

1. Wear hand gloves.

2. Remove the caps of the cells on the battery using the screw driver meant for it.
3. Insert the rubber tube into the electrolyte in the hole of the cell of the battery.
4. Squeeze the bulb.
5. Release the bulb. Electrolyte will enter the clear cylinder of the Hydrometer.
6. The float in side the cylinder will rise.
7. Orient the Hydrometer such that its vertical and the float inside is floating and not touching
the insides of the clear cylinder.
8. The top of the electrolyte should be in Green/White/Red are as of the float (If none of this is
the case,get more or less electrolyte as needed).
9. Observe the colour on the float that is lined up with the top of the electrolyte or read the
adjacent numeric value for specificgravity.
10. Greenindicatesthecellissufficientlycharged;Whiteindicates,thecell needscharging;Red
indicates thecellisdischarged.
11. Squeeze the bulb top of the electrolyte back in the cell.
12. Replace the vent caps and wipe off any electrolyte that might have been spilled.
13. Correct the readings to 80oF
14. Add.004 to readings for every10o above 80oF
15. Subtract.004 for every 10o below 80oF.
16. The charge of the given battery can also be compared with the values of specificgravity of
the electrolyte from the table given below.

Charged SpecificGravity

100% 1.265-1.275

75% 1.225-1.235

50% 1.190-1.200

25% 1.155-1.165

0% 1.120-1.130

To check for the required quantity of Distilled water:

1.Wear hand gloves.
2.Clean the battery and cable connection
3.Check and tighten the cable connection if it is loose.
4.Remove the caps of the cells on the battery using the screw driver meant for it.
5.Check the fluid level (only at full charge) into each port (visual inspection).
6.Each cell is supposed to becovered in an equal amount of fluid.
7.If it is below the maximum level, fillit up with distilled water to the levelmarkedon the battery using a
funnel (without spilling around).-Do not overfill.
8.Replace the caps on the battery and tighten them using screw driver.

ChargingtheBattery:

1.Turn the charger off before attaching,rocking or removing the terminal clamps

2.Check polarity of battery posts.

3.Charge in well ventilated area.
4.Vibration can reduce a battery’slife. Always use an approved battery clamp to limit vibration.
5.Follow the battery charger manufacturer’s instructions to avoid over heating.
6.Make the connections as shown in the above diagram.
7.If the millimeter shows some positive value,mark the battery as +ve and –ve as shown.
7. Connect POSITIVE (RED) charger clip to POSITIVE post of battery.
8. Position your self and free end of cable as far away from battery as possible -then
connect NEGATIVE (BLACK) charger clip to free end of cable. (DO NOT face battery
when making final connection).
9. If equipped with voltage switch, set switch to voltage of battery: 6,12 volts.
10. If equipped with rate switch, set switch for charge rate desired: 2,6,12,30 Amps.
11. If equipped with automatic/manual charge mode switch, set switch to battery type for
automatic charging of conventional batteries maintenance free batteries, or manual for
non-automatic charging of all battery types.
12. If equipped with timer,set to charge time desired.
13. Plug the AC cord in a grounded outlet. Stand away from battery.
14. DONOT touch charger clips when the chargerison.
15. The charger should now be on and the ammeter showing the rate at which the battery is
charging. The initial rate may be some what higher or lower than the charger's name
plate rating depending on battery condition and AC voltage at the outlet.
16. See CHARGINGTIME table1.3 for length of charge.
17. Un plug the AC power cord from the outlet.
18. Set the select or switch to OFF.
19. Remove charger clip connected to car frame: If charging battery out side a vehicle,
remove clip connected away from battery.
20. Remove clip connected to battery post.