Technical Lead Acid Battery Information.

Batteries are the heart of any vehicle's electrical system. To understand why use of battery enhancement technology aids overall vehicle performance, it is important to understand the 3 functions of a battery

1. Supply power to the starter and ignition system so the engine can be started.
2. Supply extra power when the vehicle's load requirements exceed supply from the charging system.

3. Act as a voltage stabiliser in the electrical system, reducing temporary high voltages, which occur in the vehicle electrical system. These high voltages would damage solid-state components in the electrical system if it were not for the protection provided by the battery.

Battery plate sulphation occurs and increases every time your battery is used. It is part of the chemical reaction, which takes place in the battery. When a battery is sulphated, its voltage is depressed. The battery no longer meets the demands of the vehicle electrical system, and from an electrical perspective it "disappears". Electronic and electrical components then receive current directly from the alternator, and are subject to over-voltages. This results in premature failure of electronic components.

A lead acid battery is an electrochemical device, which stores chemical energy. This chemical energy is converted to electrical energy when the battery is connected to an external load such as a vehicle starter. The chemical energy is created by the chemical action between the materials which form the positive and negative plates of the battery, and the electrolyte:

Lead Dioxide (Pb O2) Positive Plate
Sponge Lead (Pb) Negative Plate
Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4) Electrolyte.

A battery relies upon clean plates and strong electrolyte to receive charging current and offer discharge current. When the battery is connected to a load, the sulphate (SO4) in the electrolyte combines with the active materials of the plates to form lead sulphate (PbSO4) and release electrical energy. Electrons flow from the negative terminal to the load and back to the positive terminal of the battery.

The Battery specific gravity (ie. the unit of measurement of the sulphuric acid content of the electrolyte) of a fully charged 12-volt battery is 1.300 at 26.7 deg C. This means that the sulphuric acid of a fully charged battery is 1.3 times heavier than pure water. As a battery becomes discharged, the strength of the specific gravity decreases because sulphur is leaving the electrolyte as it forms lead sulphate which adheres to the battery plates.

Thus by the time the battery is discharged, the acid becomes dilute as the sulphur has adhered to the plates of the battery as lead sulphate crystals. When a discharged battery is recharged, the chemical processes within the battery operate in reverse. The majority of the sulphate leaves the plates of the battery and returns to the electrolyte. However, a residue of sulphate remains on the plates of the battery. The quantity of this residue increases with each charge/discharge cycle of the battery. Over time, the battery plates become coated with an insulating layer of sulphate and the electrolyte is weakened because of the loss of Lead Sulphur from the solution. Both these factors serve to inhibit the electron transfers and thus the energy producing function of the battery.