METHOD FOR DETERMINING AMOUNT OF WATER TO BE ADDED TO A NiCd CELL

Abstract: Deficiencies in the electrolyte level of the cells (12) of NiCd battery (10) can be detected by measuring the internal resistance of the cells (12). Initially, data is collected for a battery type and capacity, correlating measured internal resistance with the amount of water that must be added to bring the cell resistance to an acceptable value. Subsequently, cells of other batteries of the same type and capacity can be measured to determine how much water must be added and the levels quickly restored. The polarization value of the cells can be used lieu of the internal resistance in the same fashion.

Description: Method for Determining Amount of Water to be Added to a NiCd Cell Background of the Invention If a cell of a nickel cadmium (NiCd) battery is overcharged, electrolysis of the water may occur, decreasing the electrolyte level in the cell. If a proper electrolyte level is not maintained, the cell will not function properly. Although the electrolyte level can be physically measured, a noninvasive, rapid technique would be highly desirable. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for determining the amount of water to be added to the cells of a storage battery; Figure 2 is a waveform diagram of current and voltage for a cell under test; and Figures 3-5 are drawings of the top of a battery, a battery terminal contact fixture, and a spring-loaded contact for the battery terminal contact fixture, respectively. Summary of the Invention The electrolyte level can be determined by observing the electrical or electrochemical behavior of the cell during a charge pulse. One method measures the internal resistance of the cells of the battery. Another method measures the polarization value of the cells. In either case, the measured quantity is correlated with an amount of water added to reduce the measured parameter to an acceptable value and restore the electrolyte level and the electrolyte level and the performance of the cell. One aspect of this technique is the process of determining the correlation between the measured parameter and the quantities of water added. Another aspect is the use of this correlation to restore the electrolyte level. Detailed Description of the Invention Initially, the battery must be in a ready state. The battery, containing one or more cells, is attached to a charging system (not shown). The battery is charged for a period t at a charge rate C/ until each of the cells has an open- circuit voltage of at least Vj volts. In the case of a NiCd battery, V; = 1.26 volts. The period t can be 15 minutes, although other values of t can be selected as suits the application. The charge rate C/ can be C/10, where C is the manufacturer's rated capacity of the battery, although the parameter can vary from greater than 1 to 100, or perhaps an even greater number, again depending on the application and the battery under test. For a battery having a capacity of 30Ah, the charge current would be 3 amps. Utilizing the circuit of Figure 1 , a battery 10 is subjected to an internal resistance test cycle. A step charge current or pulse of C amps is applied to the entire battery 10 (the value C set by the battery rating). Alternatively, a discharge pulse may be employed. The current starts at zero and goes to C instantaneously or nearly instantaneously, and is maintained at that value for a period of time, e.g., 5 seconds, after which it returns instantaneously to zero. As the step charge is applied, the battery response voltage is measured across each cell 12. The internal resistance of each cell 12 is determined by calculating the value of dV/dl during the falling portion of the step charge pulse (see Figure 2), although one might use other portions of the pulse to measure dV/dl. Depending on the level of electrolyte in a given cell 12, the value of dV/dl will vary. By adding water and then measuring dV/dl, the amount of water needed to return the value of cell resistance to an acceptable number can be determined. This relationship can be collected in a table or expressed as an algorithm (or depicted in a graph), as desired. Since there may be a time lag between adding water and the final value of dV/dl, one may need to perform the measurements iteratively to arrive at stabilized values of internal resistance. Following the iterative process, one would arrive at tables such as those shown below for 30Ah and 10Ah batteries for a 5 second pulse width (Tables A and B, respectively). Table A Table B The tables illustrate the correlation between the measured internal resistance and the amount of water required to lower the cell resistance to an acceptable number and, thus, restore the electrolyte to its proper level. In the examples shown here, the values of acceptable maximum internal resistance, indicative of a proper electrolyte level, were selected to be 2 m and 4 m , per cell, for the respective storage batteries, although greater or lesser values could have been selected. Other pulse widths (t) and amplitudes (C) may be employed but of course will result in different table values. In these examples, the batteries utilized were manufactured by SAFT America, Inc., San Diego, CA, model no. M81 757/7-2 ( 1 0 Ah) and model no. M81 757/9-3 (30 Ah). An arrangement for measuring the parameters of individual cells of a battery 1 00 is shown in Figures 3-5. As shown in Figure 3, the battery 1 00 has terminals 1 04 allowing direct electrical access to each of the cells 1 02. A battery terminal contact fixture 1 1 0, shown in Figure 4, has spring-loaded contacts 1 20 positioned to make contact with the terminals 1 04 of the battery cells 1 02. The contacts 1 20 can have spring-loaded points 1 22 and positioning and tightening nuts 1 24 for adjusting the position of each contact 1 20. The contact fixture 1 1 0 has a substrate or platform 1 1 2, manufactured from a suitable insulating material, which supports the spring-loaded contacts 1 20. Cabling 1 40 (shown attached to a few exemplary contacts 1 20) to provide the connections illustrated in Figure 1 would be connected to the apparatus for measuring resistance (or, more correctly, dV/dl). The cabling may take the form of individual wires, a ribbon cable, or any other suitable arrangement. The current pulse may be provided using a commercially-available power supply such as a Hewlett-Packard Model No. HP-6032A power supply and the parameters may be measured using commercially-available equipment such as a National Instrument Data Acquisition Card No. AT-MIO-1 6XE-50. Having generated the tables, plots, or algorithms for the battery in question, a previously untested battery can be tested to determine whether the electrolyte levels in the cells are sufficient. To run the test, the cells are again charged to at least voltage j and then a pulse of the proper duration is applied to the battery. The quantity dV/dl is measured for each cell and the indicated quantity of water is added to the cells as dictated by the measurements of dV/dl. The same charge current and pulse width as used to create the tables must be utilized when the test is performed to provide the proper correlation between the measured values of internal resistance and the amount of water to be added. Typically, two iterations of the pulse test, accompanied by the indicated addition of water, are sufficient to reduce the internal resistance of the battery cells to an acceptable level. The measurements discussed above utilized a direct current pulse. Alternatively, other devices could be used to measure the internal resistance of the cells. For example, a milliohmeter such as the Hewlett-Packard HP4338A could be employed to generate an appropriate set of tables or curves. An alternative parameter to internal resistance is the polarization value. The polarization value is defined as the change in cell voltage, over the course of a pulse of current of constant value, divided by the amplitude of the pulse (in amps). From the polarization values, one can generate a table similar to those shown above, i.e., polarization values vs. the amount of water that must be added. When utilizing polarization value tables, care must be taken to apply pulses of the same width and magnitude as used to generate the tables.

Claims: What is claimed is: 1 . A method for determining the amount of water to be added to one or more cells of a storage battery, comprising the steps of: measuring the internal resistance or determining the polarization value, of one or more of the cells of the battery; and adding a predetermined amount of water to the cell correlated to the internal resistance or polarization value of that cell. 2. A method as set forth in claim 1 where the step of measuring the internal resistance of a cell comprises the steps of: passing a step charge, a pulse, or a discharge pulse of current through the cell; and measuring the differential change in voltage across the cell. 3. A method as set forth in claim 1 where the step of determining the polarization value of a cell comprises the steps of: passing constant current through the cell; and measuring the change in voltage across the cell. 4. A method for determining the amount of water to be added to one or more cells of a storage battery, comprising the steps of: measuring the internal resistance or determining the polarization value, of one or more of the cells of the battery; adding an incremental amount of water to the cell; repeating the two foregoing steps until the internal resistance or polarization value of that cell is reduced to an acceptable level; and retaining the values of measured internal resistance or polarization value and the corresponding quantities of water added to the cells. 5. A method as set forth in claim 4 where the step of measuring the internal resistance of a cell comprises the steps of: passing a step charge, a pulse, or a discharge pulse of current through the cell; and measuring the differential change in voltage across the cell. 6. A method as set forth in claim 4 where the step of determining the polarization value of a cell comprises the steps of: passing constant current through the cell; and measuring the change in voltage across the cell. 7. An apparatus for determining the amount of water to be added to one or more cells of a storage battery, comprising: means for measuring the internal resistance or determining the polarization value, of one or more of the cells of the battery; and means for adding a predetermined amount of water to the cell correlated to the internal resistance or polarization value of that cell. 8. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7 where the means for measuring the internal resistance of a cell comprises: means for passing a step charge, a pulse, or a discharge pulse of current through the cell; and means for measuring the differential change in voltage across the cell. 9. An apparatus as set forth in claim 7 where the step of determining the polarization value of a cell comprises: means for passing constant current through the cell; and means for measuring the change in voltage across the cell. 1 0. An apparatus for determining the amount of water to be added to one or more cells of a storage battery, comprising: means for measuring the internal resistance or determining the polarization value, of one or more of the cells of the battery; means for adding an incremental amount of water to the cell; means for repeating the two foregoing steps until the internal resistance or polarization value of that cell is reduced to an acceptable level; and means for retaining the values of measured internal resistance or polarization value and the corresponding quantities of water added to the cells. 1 1 . An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 0 where the means for measuring the internal resistance of a cell comprises: means for passing a step charge, a pulse, or a discharge pulse of current through the cell; and means for measuring the differential change in voltage across the cell. 1 2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 0 where the step of determining the polarization value of a cell comprises: means for passing constant current through the cell; and means for measuring the change in voltage across the cell. 1 3. An apparatus for simultaneously measuring the resistance of two or more cells of a storage battery having a plurality of terminals connected to the cells, comprising: a platform, the platform being fabricated from an insulating material; a plurality of spring-loaded contacts, positioned in the platform to make simultaneous contact with the terminals of the battery cells and comprising spring-loaded points; and means for connecting the terminals to a means for measuring resistance.

Inventors: HOENIG STEVEN, PALANISAMY THIRUMALAI G, RUDAI PATRICK M, SINGH HARMOHAN, HOENIG, STEVEN, PALANISAMY, THIRUMALAI, G., RUDAI, PATRICK, M., SINGH, HARMOHAN
Applicants: ALLIED SIGNAL INC, ALLIEDSIGNAL INC.
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H01M10
IPC codes: H01M2, H01M10