Acid used in battery
The term battery acid used in batteries usually refers to sulphuric acid for filling lead acid battery with water. Sulphuric acid is the aqueous electrolyte used in battery – lead acid batteries. Sulfuric or Sulphuric acid is diluted with chemically clean & pure water (de-mineralized water) to obtain about 37% concentration by weight of acid. The lead acid battery electrolyte concentration or battery acid ph differs from battery manufacturer to manufacturer. The lead acid battery uses a combination of positive & negative electrodes placed inside a plastic compartment using a medium of the electrolyte as a transport mechanism for the electronic movement of ions generated in the electrochemical reactions that take place inside the cell.
Which acid used in battery? Which of the following acids is used in a battery?
Battery acids are aqueous electrolytes generally and are those salts, acids or alkalis that can dissolve in water to form Acid electrolytes Alkaline electrolytes & neutral electrolytes. Acid electrolytes include sulphuric acid, perchloric acid, hydrofluosilicic acid etc. Sodium chloride is a neutral electrolyte.
Purchasing battery acid - acid used in battery
Acid used in battery is not an item you can purchase in a normal store. You would need to purchase acid used in battery from an authorized chemical dealer or from a battery acid supplier. Buying from a battery acid supplier will ensure you get the correct specific gravity as required for small quantities.
DM water for acid used in battery
Acid used in battery needs to be diluted from the concentrated form. Demineralized water or DM water is almost equivalent to distilled water having no dissolved ions. All dissolved minerals (salts) like calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, salts of iron and other dissolved impurities are removed by Ion Exchanger. Both Cations (Positive metallic ions) and Anions (negative ions) are removed by the resins used, both double – bed and single bed resins are available. The conductivity of the water is continuously monitored. Time of regeneration is indicated by higher conductivity. This is a signal for regeneration after the designed capacity of say, 10,000 litres are treated. The resins have a designed life and the resins need replacement after 3-5 years.
Guide to make acid used in lead storage battery
Acid used in battery must be diluted to required specific gravity.
The electrolyte is a mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid (Specific Gravity about 1.840) and distilled/demineralized water (Specific Gravity about 1.000). Acid and water are combined, by adding the acid to the water, never the reverse, until the required density is secured.
Do not add water to acid – Only add Acid to water.
Different specific gravity sulphuric acid is used in lead acid batteries. The common working specific gravities of sulphuric acid corrected at 27 deg C for different types of batteries are given below:
Add Acid to Water - ONLY!
Battery specific gravity chart
Specific gravity of acid used in battery - specific gravity of battery electrolyte
| Battery Application | Specific Gravity Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Automotive Batteries | 1.270 - 1.290 |
| Traction Batteries | 1.275 - 1.285 |
| Stationary Batteries | 1.195 - 1.205 |
| AGM VRLA Batteries | 1.300 - 1.310 |
| Tubular Gel VRLA Batteries | 1.280 - 1.290 |
| SMF Monobloc Batteries | 1.280 - 1.300 |
Preparation of acid used in battery
Caution: When preparing acid used in battery or when working with acid or electrolytes, always use protective goggles, rubber gloves and rubber apron.
- Cleaned vessels of Hard Rubber/Plastic, Porcelain or Lead lined boxes are to be used.
- The acid to be used in the battery for initial filling is of battery grade specific gravity as mentioned in the manufacturer datasheet.
- If the acid is obtained in concentrated form it is necessary to dilute it to required Specific Gravity. The acid and distilled water to be used for diluting should conform to IS: 266-1977 and IS: 1069-1964 respectively.
- Remember, NEVER POUR WATER TO ACID, ALWAYS ADD ACID TO WATER. For diluting, use only glass rod/lead-lined paddle for mixing.
- Mixing of Electrolyte
Battery water content - Specification of acid in lead acid battery
The following table provides the recommended specs for permitted impurities levels for the water & the acid used in battery
| Elements - permissible limits | Water | Acid |
|---|---|---|
| Suspended matter | Nil | Nil |
| Iron | 0.10 ppm | 10 ppm |
| Chlorine | 1 ppm | 3 ppm |
| Manganese | 0.10 ppm | Nil |
| Total dissolved solids | 2 ppm | Nil |
| Electrical Conductivity micro ohms / cm | 5 max | not applicable |
Measuring specific gravity of acid used in battery - sulphuric acid
Measuring specific gravity of battery water (sulphuric acid) and the correction for temperature: The gravity of the acid used in battery is read by the hydrometer and the temperature is read by a mercury-in-glass type thermometer. Avoid parallax error by keeping the lead acid battery electrolyte level in the hydrometer in the same level of the eye. The correction is done by adding 0.0007 in case of acid being at a temperature higher than the reference temperature and subtracting 0.0007 in case the acid is at lower temperature than the reference temperature for each deg C.
Suppose we measure a batch of acid as 1.250 at 40 deg C, the corrected specific gravity at 30 deg C for that batch of acid will be – 1.250 + (40-30) X 0.0007 = 1.257
So, the Generalised formula is
- S.G.(30 deg C) = S.G.(t deg C) +0.0007 ( t – 30 )
- Where, t is the temperature of the electrolyte; S.G. (30 deg C) = Specific gravity at 30 deg C; S.G. (t deg C) = specific gravity measured at t deg C.
To make 10 litres of dilute acid used in battery from concentrated Sulphuric acid 1.840 Sp Gr
| To Achieve Specific Gravity After Mixing | Quantity of water in Litres | Quantity of 1.840 Specific Gravity Acid in Litres |
|---|---|---|
| 1.200 | 8.67 | 1.87 |
| 1.240 | 8.16 | 2.36 |
| 1.260 | 8.33 | 2.50 |
| 1.190 | 8.7 | 1.80 |
How to dilute acid used in battery? How to make battery water?
To obtain the required specific gravity of lead acid battery electrolyte used in battery by diluting concentrated sulphuric acid of density 1.835 Specific Gravity.
| To Achieve Specific Gravity when cooled | Quantity of water in Litres | Quantity of 1.835 Sp Gr Sulphuric Acid in Litres |
|---|---|---|
| 1.400 | 1690 | 1000 |
| 1.375 | 1780 | 1000 |
| 1.350 | 1975 | 1000 |
| 1.300 | 2520 | 1000 |
| 1.250 | 2260 | 1000 |
| 1.230 | 3670 | 1000 |
| 1.225 | 3800 | 1000 |
| 1.220 | 3910 | 1000 |
| 1.210 | 4150 | 1000 |
| 1.200 | 4430 | 1000 |
| 1.180 | 5050 | 1000 |
| 1.150 | 6230 | 1000 |
Diluting Sulphuric Acid of Density 1.400 Sp. Gr. to get lower specific gravity
The following information is to be used very carefully while making acid used for battery. Take all safety precautions, wear rubber gloves, rubber apron, rubber boots, goggles while mixing & diluting acids used in a battery
| To Achieve Specific Gravity when cooled | Quantity of water in Litres | Quantity of 1.400 Sp Gr Sulphuric Acid in Litres |
|---|---|---|
| 1.400 | nil | 1000 |
| 1.375 | 75 | 1000 |
| 1.350 | 160 | 1000 |
| 1.300 | 380 | 1000 |
| 1.250 | 700 | 1000 |
| 1.230 | 850 | 1000 |
| 1.225 | 905 | 1000 |
| 1.220 | 960 | 1000 |
| 1.210 | 1050 | 1000 |
| 1.200 | 1160 | 1000 |
| 1.180 | 1380 | 1000 |
| 1.150 | 1920 | 1000 |
Specific gravity of acid used in battery - different types of batteries
The Specific gravity of a fully charged cell in a lead-acid battery varies from 1.200-1.320. When a lower specific gravity of 1.200 is used, a larger volume is used per Ah per cell. For example:
Stationary cells Sp gr 1.200 has about 18-20 ml acid per Ah per cell
UPS batteries have sp gr of 1. 240-1.250 and use 14 to 16 ml acid per cell
Traction batteries sp gr 1.250-1.260 use 13-15 ml acid per Ah per cell
Automotive batteries sp gr. 1.260-1.270 use 12-13 ml acid per Ah per cell
VRLA batteries sp gr 1.3-1.32 use 9 ml of acid per Ah per cell
VRLA gel use same sp gr. of 1.300 use 10-11 ml acid per Ah per cell
This shows that the mass of sulphuric acid used per Ah per cell is almost the same for all batteries. It also shows that the Volume of acid used multiplied by the concentration of acid in wt % is the same for all batteries. This can be verified by calculations using the following table:
|
Specific Gravity @ 20 oC |
Temperature coefficient per oC | H2SO4 Weight % | H2SO4 Vol % | Freezing Point oC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | |
| 1.020 | 0.022 | 2.9 | 1.6 | - |
| 1.050 | 0.033 | 7.3 | 4.2 | -3.3 |
| 1.100 | 0.048 | 14.3 | 8.5 | -7.8 |
| 1.150 | 0.060 | 20.9 | 13 | -15 |
| 1.200 | 0.068 | 27.2 | 17.1 | -17 |
| 1.250 | 0.072 | 33.4 | 22.6 | -52 |
| 1.300 | 0.075 | 39.1 | 27.6 | -71 |
The table gives the freezing point of electrolyte at different sp.gr. when the battery is used in colder climates. If the acid freezes, the ice formed expands and the container may crack. The table helps us to identify the safe temperatures the battery can withstand.
Caution: It is necessary to ensure that the battery is kept in a charged condition in winter in the cold regions. If kept in a discharged condition, the acid may freeze and break the container.
Freezing of acid used in battery
It needs to be emphasized that Lead-acid has the widest temperature range in which it can work, unlike other competitive technologies which have narrow ranges. Although the performance at low temperature is not up to the desired level, stipulating performance criterion like CCA (Cold Cranking Amperes) mitigates this issue.
Wrong gravity of acid used in battery while charging
I used the wrong gravity of acid used in battery for initial filling & the battery charging was done for a short period. Now the battery is not having capacity – what should I do to recover this battery?
There is no standard procedure to revive the battery in such situations, however, you can attempt to recover the battery using the following procedure:
- If the specific gravity used was lower than the usual standard gravity, dump the acid following all safety & environmental norms. Fill with correct grade battery acid and charge the usual way. It will accept a charge and can be fully charged. An adjustment of final specific gravity will be necessary for all cells.
- If the specific gravity used was higher, the same procedure can be used. Adjusting specific gravity at the end of the charge could be tedious. One or two batteries can be handled in this manner. Obviously handling larger quantity is going to be a serious challenge. Always take care that you are filling the correct specific gravity at the time of initial charge.
Do get in touch with us, if you have any questions on battery acid.
