Do any of you have battery desulphators?
I've been doing some research lately on battery desulphation. Seems that when 12v lead-acid batteries fall below about 12.4v, sulphation begins; the formation of sulphur deposits on the lead plates of the batteries. This has the effect of weakening the batteries in two rather direct ways:
1) Decreasing the surface area of the plates, due to being covered by the sulphur.
2) Decreasing the strength of the acid.
There are off-the-shelf solutions available for a couple hundred bucks (US), but I came across the attached schematic for a rather simple battery desulphator that was devised by an AARL member, WX2NJ (attached, Desulfator.doc). He claims that it greatly extends the life of gel-cel batteries. Since he is an AARL member and has a legitimate call sign, his basic design does bear serious consideration.
I simulated a modified version of his design (with components available in my simulator), and it does seem to work very similarly to what he's posted.
So, without too much more adieu, I've attached an adaptation of his schematic and a board for it (the caps are a bit crowding; they could be moved down a tad.) Those of you with the Eagle Layout Editor can play around with the .brd and .sch attachments. The board is only 2" x 3".
I've added peak voltage and average voltage circuits. Yes, I know the peak voltage will be reduced by the Vf of the diode, and will degrade over time. That's the idea. Basically, you want to add 1 volt to the reading you get; that's the peak voltage. The average voltage circuit is necessary because of the high voltage pulse. One needs to know if the voltage falls to a state that would mean a discharged battery, or a shorted cell. However, battery voltage can't be measured directly when the desulphation process is active.
A charger can be connected at the point indicated, however it must be a low current "trickle" charger, and it must not be powered unless the desulpation circuit is connected to a battery.
Our local Vietnam War Museum has a fleet of vehicles that has batteries which must be maintained. We need them to last as long as possible.
Comments? Suggestions? Whatever?
I've been doing some research lately on battery desulphation. Seems that when 12v lead-acid batteries fall below about 12.4v, sulphation begins; the formation of sulphur deposits on the lead plates of the batteries. This has the effect of weakening the batteries in two rather direct ways:
1) Decreasing the surface area of the plates, due to being covered by the sulphur.
2) Decreasing the strength of the acid.
There are off-the-shelf solutions available for a couple hundred bucks (US), but I came across the attached schematic for a rather simple battery desulphator that was devised by an AARL member, WX2NJ (attached, Desulfator.doc). He claims that it greatly extends the life of gel-cel batteries. Since he is an AARL member and has a legitimate call sign, his basic design does bear serious consideration.
I simulated a modified version of his design (with components available in my simulator), and it does seem to work very similarly to what he's posted.
So, without too much more adieu, I've attached an adaptation of his schematic and a board for it (the caps are a bit crowding; they could be moved down a tad.) Those of you with the Eagle Layout Editor can play around with the .brd and .sch attachments. The board is only 2" x 3".
I've added peak voltage and average voltage circuits. Yes, I know the peak voltage will be reduced by the Vf of the diode, and will degrade over time. That's the idea. Basically, you want to add 1 volt to the reading you get; that's the peak voltage. The average voltage circuit is necessary because of the high voltage pulse. One needs to know if the voltage falls to a state that would mean a discharged battery, or a shorted cell. However, battery voltage can't be measured directly when the desulphation process is active.
A charger can be connected at the point indicated, however it must be a low current "trickle" charger, and it must not be powered unless the desulpation circuit is connected to a battery.
Our local Vietnam War Museum has a fleet of vehicles that has batteries which must be maintained. We need them to last as long as possible.
Comments? Suggestions? Whatever?
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