Rapid partial charging of lead/acid batteries

Rapid partial-charge cycling tests, in which the battery received only 5 or 15 min of high-current charge in each cycle, were carried out for a number of commercial lead/acid batteries. It was found that valve-regulated batteries retained their capacity well, and their full discharge capacity was usually recovered in an extended recharge following five to ten rapid partial-charge cycles. Flooded batteries, tested under stationary conditions, did not perform as well as the valve-regulated batteries, which may have been caused by electrolyte stratification. The experimental data indicated that rapid charging was beneficial to the cycle life of a battery. Heat analysis indicated that the ohmic heat was the major contributor to the total heat generated in the rapid partial-charging process.